This article is a part of a series of articles on Interview Experiences. Check out our blog for more such pieces.
Industry: Consulting
Company: Big 4 Consulting firm
Position: Consultant
Result: Selected
Setting: Off-campus recruitment
Consultants offer advice and expertise to organisations to help them enhance their business execution in terms of operations, profitability, management, structure or strategy. In accounting firms, it can include dealing with auditing, cybersecurity regulatory audits, information security, setting updates etc. Big four is the nickname that is used to refer to the four largest accounting firms in the world namely KPMG, Deloitte, EY, and PwC.
This article covers the interview experience of L Vikas Reddy, a Symbiosis College alumnus who has been working as a consultant in one of the big four firms, as well as his experience in switching from working in the industry in IT security to management consulting domain. Reflecting on his experience so far, he says that the job role entails a hectic work schedule and challenging projects. However, it makes up for it in a great learning and work experience for truly interested people.
The article covers various topics related to the recruitment process adopted by the organization, details of the interview, tips on how to prepare for the interview, insights into the candidate's journey while switching jobs, and finding the right domain for himself.
All information and insights have been shared by the above-mentioned candidate.
Recruitment process
The recruitment process began as the candidate was approached by an HR official from the company through LinkedIn. Firms often use LinkedIn in search of candidates that have profiles that meet their business requirements. This was followed by three levels of interviews.
Interviews
There were three rounds of interviews all of which were eliminative and had one-panel member each. The interviews lasted between 30-60 minutes each.
Round I
The first round was the manager round and lasted for about 30 minutes.
Most of the questions in this round were technical and specific to the job role.
There were many candidates out of which only a very few were shortlisted for the next round.
Round II
This round was conducted by the Director of the firm and lasted for about one hour.
Some questions were:
Director level: Why do you want to switch from working in the industry to the consulting domain?
What exactly are you looking forward to in the consulting domain?
What values will you add to our organisation if we hire you?
Consider that we hired you, but the salary package we are willing to give you is only about 6 lakhs, will you still want to join?
Round III
This was a partner round and lasted for about 30 minutes.
The question was:
Suppose there is a startup that has certain information security-related issues. You being the consultant and this being your first project, how will you handle the whole situation, from the business pitch in the proposal to the invoice? What will be the stages and how will you follow with this based on your knowledge?
What the recruiter was looking for
How well you present your ideas.
Ability to communicate and put ideas/pitches forward in a clear-cut, implementable and intriguing manner.
Thinking out of the box is appreciated but it's important that those ideas be practical and in alignment with the current context of the particular sector. One should not throw arrows in the dark while answering such questions.
The candidate was previously working in another reputed company, thus, the recruiters were mostly focusing on what exactly he did in his previous role, what were the challenges and hurdles he faced there, how he handled them etc.
Preparation
The candidate's preparation process lasted for about one week and mostly involved reflecting on his previous interview experiences, figuring out exactly what his strengths and weaknesses were, and working on them.
Tips
Make sure that while drafting your CV, you've only mentioned things that you'll be able to defend. The recruiters often tend to go in-depth with everything in it and you cannot dodge their questions in any way.
Contemplate on what exactly you want to do in your life before aspiring for this field as it involves very challenging roles and responsibilities.
Do not beat around the bush or use jargons in interviews. Being able to communicate in a confident, straight-forward manner matters a lot.
Don't be in a hurry when answering questions that require you to think deeply. Take enough time to organise your ideas clearly before presenting them. Ask for a little extra time if you feel like you'll need it.
Pay close attention to your tone and attitude, and make sure you come across as confident.
Be clear with your objective as to why you want to work there.
Making and navigating the job switch
The market is divided into two domains, industry and consulting. The candidate was previously working in the industry as a security consultant and switched to management consulting to gain a better understanding of business. He was always inclined towards interacting with people, preparing presentations, listening to others and sharing his views with them. The Consulting domain provides an opportunity for all these and makes up for a great learning curve. In addition to this, the team which he was about to join was known for their work in the industry.
We thank the candidate for sharing these insights with us that have given us a detailed perspective on both the overall recruitment process and how to crack it.
Stay tuned for more such interview experiences.
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You can read these articles on the field of management consulting.
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