The Fit Interview

Firms use the behavioral interview to assess your “fit” with the firm. Many people make the mistake of trying to memorize or script answers to some 40+ common questions that they might receive from the consulting club or internet.

The reality is that firms change their approved list of questions all the time. More importantly, if you script or memorize an answer, you will come across as “canned” or “too rehearsed,” and this will instantly ding you for getting to the next round.

Unlike other stages of the consulting recruiting process, your score on the “fit” portion of the interview is entirely subjective. To stand out from others, this means you will need to do 4 things:

  1. Establish a genuine rapport with the interviewer (when possible)
  2. Craft stories that hit on the critical consulting traits that interviewers look for
  3. Deliver your stories in a compelling fashion using the C-A-R-L framework
  4. Ask thoughtful, insightful questions at the end of the interview

Establish a genuine rapport with the interviewer

There is a critical 60-90 second time period where you have the opportunity to try to establish a genuine rapport with the interviewer. This begins from the time the interviewer introduces themselves and ends when the interviewer starts telling you about the interview format and timing. This is not to say that you can’t try to establish rapport at other phases of the interview.

However, these first 60-90 seconds are critical because if you do it successfully, you will create a favorable first impression with the interviewer. He will then form an early hypothesis that you are great (not just good), and will look for information to validate his hypothesis throughout the interview. This is clearly much better than the vice-versa situation.

Before you begin an interview, you will usually get a brief biography of the person that is interviewing you. You should use this information for two purposes: 1) to establish rapport during the first 60-90 seconds, and 2) to ask more relevant questions at the end of the interview.

Craft stories that hit on critical consulting traits that interviewers look for

As you think through your experiences, you need to craft stories that exemplify the critical consulting traits that interviewers look for during the interview. Every question they ask is geared towards trying to understand if you can demonstrate these critical traits on the job.

As you may have already read from my article on how to make a great consulting resume and cover letter - these include leadership, results, agility, analytical ability - both qualitative and quantitative, creativity, and teamwork.

Deliver your stories in a compelling fashion using the C-A-R-L framework

Every story you tell should highlight the critical consulting traits that you think are being tested in the interviewer's question. However, each story should be told, using the C-A-R-L framework.

  • Context - Set the context. Describe the situation. Call out what made this situation particularly difficult or interesting. 
  • Action - Interviewers want to see what you specifically did. Make sure to call out the actions you took vs. others on your team.
  • Results - Ensure you close stories by talking about results you achieved - whether quantifiable or not.
  • Learnings - Sometimes interviewers will ask you - what did you learn or what would you change - be prepared for this. 

Ask thoughtful, insightful questions at the end of the interview

The great majority of candidates make the mistake of firing off questions without taking an opportunity to engage in more of a dialogue. The way to do this effectively is to ask a 2nd order question.

For example, you don’t want to just ask a list of let’s say 3 “first-order” questions in a row

  • What was your favorite case experience?
  • What do you like best about working here?
  • What do you most dislike about working here?

Instead ask a 2nd order question. Let's say you ask a first-order question and the interviewer responds with his/her take on it. What you need to do is to find something interesting in his/her response, and ask a genuine and relevant 2nd order follow-up question from it.

This conveys three important things - all critical for consulting:

  • That you are an attentive listener 
  • That you are curious by nature
  • That you can think on the fly

Ultimately, you will come across more positively as you’re engaging a bit more in a dialogue versus a one-sided “transactional-type” of questioning. Think of it as a tennis match, you want the ball bouncing over the net back and forth a little.