Here’s a checklist that you should run through before any consulting interview. 80% of the advice applies across industries and job functions as well. Happy reading!

Long before the interview…

1) Start case prep NOW. Not tomorrow, not in a week, start it NOW. Remember, the case can be more than 50% of the final “score” that will determine your candidacy. Here’s a general outline of how to prepare:

• Get your hands on as many different cases as you can – both books like Case In Point, websites like www.caseinterview.com, as well as online materials and resources (you’d be amazed at how valuable the websites of university consulting clubs can be)
• Run through them ideally with a consulting-interested friend, but if one isn’t available, practice by yourself. The key to good independent practice is to answer the question first, and THEN look at the real answer. Try to recognize patterns – is your answer always missing an analysis of the company’s internal situation? Do you always forget to discuss strategy in the context of competitors? Then make a mental note NOT to forget that
• Simulate actual case interviews as much as you can. The timing is critical – both how long your answers are, and how much time you should spend asking questions versus providing responses. Ideally, you’d practice then with a consultant who has experience in this area – but if not, a sharp friend will do. I’d even suggest getting a stopwatch, and looking at the length of your responses. If you’re over a minute, for 99% of answers that is too long

I will be uploading some very valuable, and free, case prep resources in the next week that I’ve managed to discover across the internet, and that kind readers have shared with me. Stay tuned!

While some people think that the case can be 100% of the decision – and while this percentage will vary by firm and by office – generally the behavioral component is equally important. Especially because, at the end of the day, the vast majority of people will miss at least SOME part of the case – and when it comes to deciding between all of these people, what do you think the interviewers will base their decision on? Resume. Personality.

2) Setup informational meetings and phone calls with as many current and former consultants as you can. This is invaluable for many reasons:

• It helps with networking. If they’re impressed with you, they will be self-motivated to send a strong recommendation to HR. They may put you in touch with other consultants for more practice and advice. Etc.
• It helps with industry and job familiarization. The more you know about the job, the lingo, the challenges, the pros and cons – the better you will do in the behavioral interview. And the more that you hear about REAL cases and REAL problems, the more you’ll understand about the case interview – and what consultants are truly looking for in responses (hint, it’s all about things that will really move the needle)
• It helps you personally. Many people get into consulting for the wrong reasons, which is a post in and of itself, but meeting consultants will give you a great feel for the types of people you’ll work with, their personalities, and help you make a decision about whether its the right path for you.

Immediately before the interview…

3) Practice in front of a mirror and with friends. Each has its own benefits. The mirror allows you to fix awkward facial expressions, poor body language, etc. The friend gives you live feedback and is closer to the actual interview dynamic. Volume and pace are important – don’t talk too fast (it’s natural when you’re nervous) and don’t compensate by speaking too loudly.

4) DRESS NICELY. Wrinkled shirts = do not think ahead = unable to plan workstreams = poor team member. Misshapen tie-knot = lack of friends able to do you a favor = poor social skills = poor team member. Dress nicely for men typically means a suit with tie and clean dress shoes. Same expectations for women. No cologne for men, very very light perfume for women.

EXTRA CREDIT if you wear brands that are most closely in line with the firm’s popular dress labels. Some of you may think I’m taking this too far, but ignore the jobless naysayers. For consulting, Brooks Brothers is a great bet. Half the consultants wear it. At the very least, you’ll show up looking professional. It can’t hurt

5) Do not OVERDRESS. Had a colleague who went to investment banking interviews in an extra-long European-style suit, with a vest and loud tie. It screamed fashion guru, not banking analyst. Wear standard, muted colors – gray, white, and light shades of blue are your friend. Some may think that standing out is a good thing – but don’t push the envelope too far. Ask me if its appropriate.

6) Scan the news in the morning. Business consultants (read: your target audience) are very well read on the latest business news, and have a more than cursory understanding of politics and international affairs as well. At the very least, know the key issues of the moment. For example, you’ll look idiotic if you go into an interview today without being able to talk about the subprime and financial crisis for a minute or two.

EXTRA CREDIT if you bring up something interesting you read that morning to kickstart the interview or work it into the conversation:

“I’ve lightly traded a personal portfolio for the last couple years, but recently most of my tech stocks haven’t done well…and I just read today that Apple released the iGod 3000, which has helped me recover some losses I suffered in these last few months’ chaos

7) KNOW YOUR RESUME BACK AND FORTH, UP AND DOWN – it is one of the few things that you completely control so know what the heck it says! I remember attending post-interview review sessions where interviewers would recall applicants mixing up the dates for their previous jobs, extracurriculars, and so forth. At best, you look forgetful. At worst, you’re suspected of fabricating your record. So know it well, know what you wrote in it, and be ready to give 30-, 60-, and 2-minute run-throughs of it. Which brings me to my next point…

EXTRA CREDIT if you refer interviewer directly to a line in your resume:

“If you look at my resume under the Company X internship, I increased their billing data accuracy 25% by redesigning their online forms”

Further reading: 10 key consulting interview preparation tips

During the interview…

8) …have your resume handy, and ask if the interviewer would LIKE A COPY. An interview is not the time to be shy – most people bring their resumes but just keep them hidden in their padfolios. Bring it out and offer them one – it shows you’re proactive, and if they say no, you’ll have it in-front of you if you need to refer to it

9) Project great energy. This one is HUGE. I. cannot. underestimate. its. importance. Most interviewees are nervous, shy, and stone-faced. Would you want to spend upwards of 12 hours a day in a tiny room with someone like that? I would think not. You’d want to spend those 12 hours with a person who is upbeat, enthusiastic, cheerful, and has great energy. It’s important not to overdo this, of course – but from my experience that’s not the problem most candidates encounter. How do you do this? Simple – smile a lot. Project when you communicate. Use hand gestures and display great presentation skills. Maintain eye contact, and lean forward just slightly. Laugh a little – at yourself, at a joke – to help you (and the interviewer) relax. Even the most experienced interviewers can be a little tense when asking questions, and realize that they’re in the same boat. Help calm the situation for both of you, and you’ll be way ahead in the game.

10) Prepare and ask smart follow-up questions. 99% of the time, you’ll be allowed 5-10 minutes to ask questions of the interviewers. Have 2-3 good questions ready, and no, “Why did you choose management consulting?” does not count as one. Here are a bunch of great followup questions you can ask:

• What’s been the most difficult client issue that you’ve faced?
• Do you consider post-[insert current job here] options and if so, what are they?
• If I got this job, what advice could you give me to help me get off to a fast start?
• If I were interested in (insert industry, geography, function here), how could I really get experience in that area?
• What would you say are the most common mistakes that new hires make?
• Which project has been the most (challenging/exciting/engaging) for you?

There is a lot more DURING THE INTERVIEW content that I will write about in later posts. All business consulting firms have a FIT INTERVIEW (eg, do you have the right personality traits to be successful at our company) and in consulting, there is also the CASE INTERVIEW (eg, can you solve problems that are Cliffs Notes versions of our actual job)

After the interview…

11) Ask for a business card, ask if you can email them with followup questions, and then ACTUALLY FOLLOW-UP. I’ve found that especially in consulting and corporate (less so in finance), people are eager to talk to you and typically accessible. Ask them for FEEDBACK. Thank them for their TIME. Ask them to point you to others who have more expertise in a particular topic of interest to you (for example, if you’re really interested in non-profit consulting, ask them to point you to someone who could speak to that firm’s non-profit consulting opportunities). This keeps the interviewer engaged with you, and leaves an impression of someone who’s both interested and proactive. Two qualities that definitely HELP in landing a job.

12) Ask your interviewer to give you DETAILED FEEDBACK. Why? Because this feedback – both the pros/cons, strengths/weaknesses – will influence the style and content of your future interviews. If your first interviewer mentions that you had no problems with the fit/personality questions but really struggled with the market sizing calculations, you can bet that the second interviewer will focus on your quantitative chops.

Readers often ask whether you can ask for feedback if you don’t pass the first round. This is typically rare, unless you established a good connection with your first round interviewer. Why? The simple answer is time. There are too many first round interviews, and needing to provide feedback for each would require an enormous undertaking. This is why I highly recommend that you ask for some feedback right after the interview, while you’re still in the same room and the experience is fresh. 9 times out of 10, your interviewer will be happy to help

13) Remember a few INTERESTING FACTS from your interview. Facts like the interviewer’s name, office, background. Facts like the conclusion of your particular case study, or the setup for a tricky brainteaser. Why? Because when you get your second round interview, it’s GREAT to bring up those facts with your interviewer. Not only is there a chance that they’ll know the first round interviewer, but discussing these things make you look sharper and more familiar with the firm. Establishing a connection with your interviewer OUTSIDE OF THE INTERVIEW ITSELF is a KEY DIFFERENTIATOR in helping you land the offer.

The resume screening process is a black box for applicants – you only know whether you’ve gotten the interview or been rejected. In rare cases, you’ll get feedback on why you didn’t make the cut, but the advice is generic (“You didn’t have enough work experience”).

If you’re interested in finance and investment banking, the best article on this topic can be found here. The Inquisitor does a great job explaining how the sausage is made.

Without reinventing the wheel, this post will shed light on how consultants read resumes. There are some important differences between consulting and finance

Resume screening is identical for summer internships and full-time positions.

So who calls the shots?

With resume review, it’s a team of analysts, associates, and managers. You can bet that:

• There will be a review team of at least 3-5 persons looking through your resume independently and in groups
• Most of this team will be graduates of your school (undergraduate, graduate, and MBA)
• Final decisions are made by committee

Similar to finance, senior folks don’t get involved until interviews and offers. I’d like to think it’s because they have faith in the junior folks, but its mostly a question of time and value.

On your resume, the most respected input comes from someone who shares your background. So if you’re a Columbia engineering undergrad, a fellow Columbia engineering graduate on the review team will be looked to for insight on your GPA, student group involvement, and so forth

How does the process work?

Each member of the review team will get a pack of resumes. This can range from 50-300 resumes per member. Often, consulting cover letters are removed from this pack – yet another reason why you should focus your energies on a top-notch resume.

Consultants spend more time on each resume than bankers. 30 seconds may be par for finance, but you can expect at least a minute in consulting

One minute is still really fast. This places a premium on attention-grabbing bullets; concise, results-oriented experiences; clean formatting and styling.

After reviewing the resumes independently, the team will review each resume as a group, comparing notes and sharing insights. This is when decisions are made.

Specifically what are they looking for in each resume, and if I don’t get an interview, what could be the reasons why?

As mentioned in this post on consulting resume tips, it comes down to 3 buckets:

1. Academic success: good signs include high GPA and standardized test scores, challenging courses of study (eg, multiple majors, technical degrees)
2. Work experience: good signs include brand-name companies, jobs where you took initiative and demonstrated impact, breadth and depth of work experience
3. Leadership and entrepreneurism: good signs include founding companies and campus groups, experience leading teams

The specifics vary by company, and it’s tough to elucidate specific benchmarks or cutoffs. But your resume needs to demonstrate strength in all 3 categories to get an interview at the best firms.

If you don’t get an interview, it’s typically lack of one or more of the 3. Often, low GPA and standardized test scores (this is not an ironclad rule) are the primary factor – particularly if you have solid work experience and leadership/teamwork experience.

On borderline candidates

There are always borderline candidates – those who have one clear Achilles Heel (ahem, Ms. very low GPA), or whose resumes just lack a knockout blow. For these candidates, the group takes a closer look at your resume.

This is where a great consulting resume is the difference between getting an interview and receiving a dreaded denial

Why? Because when review teams apply a microscope, they really look to see what I’ve recommended to readers this entire time: meaningful results in your experiences that show hard-work, initiative-taking, and impact.

If review teams can see #1, your story makes you a fit for consulting, and #2, you demonstrate success in a variety of situations – you’ve got an interview.

Is there a secret waitlist?

The answer is yes and no.

Yes, because specific offices, groups, and departments occasionally need to fill a gap. And to do so, they review applicants from previous recruiting cycles who didn’t make the cut.

No, beacuse this usually happens if you make final round interviews and didn’t receive an offer. It rarely happens at the resume to first round interview bridge. But if 10 first round interviewers from your school fall sick with the flu, you may receive a call.

I hope everyone is enjoying their extended MLK holidays. Occasionally, I come across useful resources that I feel compelled to share.

The McKinsey Blogs Wiki. This is a compilation of blogs by alumni and current firm members. I’ve mentioned Marquis’ blog before as a great resource for aspiring consultants, but the others are worth a browse and cover a broad array of topics – from entrepreneurship to healthcare to potpourri.

This post continues my Core Articles series. You can read my previous post on Case Studies 101

Sizing questions are tough. They can be ambiguous, complex, and you’re expected to present a sound solution with minimal data. The following are examples of sizing questions:

• “How many rounds of golf are played in the U.S. annually?”
• “How many baseballs would fit into a Boeing 747?”

To master sizing questions, three skills are needed:

1. Concise, clear note-taking
2. Facility with numbers, units, and back-of-the-envelope calculations
3. Constant, live communication

What follows are the top 10 steps you must take to master those pesky sizing questions and impress any interviewer.

At the beginning…

1) Ask for 30 seconds to 1 minute upfront to gather your thoughts. Take this time to sketch out an early course of action and generate interviewer questions to clarify what’s being asked

On numbers and calculations…

2) Round your answers at each step. If a calculation results in 101 golf balls, use 100 golf balls for the next step. If your answer is $8200, use $8000. This will minimize future mistakes and communicate to the interviewer that you know what you’re doing. As long as rounding doesn’t change the answer by more than 10%, proceed.

3) When you need to make numerical assumptions, pick friendly numbers (eg, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, etc). For instance, if you need to estimate the percentage of people in the U.S. that play basketball, it’s better to assume 5% than 7%.

4) Clearly label units when taking notes. Don’t get units confused – it’s one of the most common mistakes in sizing questions. Don’t end up with an answer for the average calls/hour/user when the interviewer is actually asking for the average minutes/user/month. Yikes.

5) Avoid numerical ranges. If the question is “How many baseballs would fit into a Boeing 747?”, don’t start your thinking process by saying “First, I’d estimate the volume of a 747 to be between 10,000 and 20,000 cubic feet”. Stick with one number. Ranges provide unnecessary complication and will double the number of calculations.

6) Use a “sniff test” for each calculation. If the answer doesn’t feel right, communicate that doubt with the interviewer (eg, “The answer seems high to me”). Double-check assumptions and steps taken. If it still doesn’t feel right, it’s ok to move on, but make a note of this potential problem area.

On structuring and communicating…

7) It’s ok to communicate doubts and mistakes. If you mess up, here’s what to say:

“Hmm…something here’s not adding up right. Is it ok if I take a few steps back and rework my calculations?”

OR

“Hmm…this answer doesn’t look right. Do you think XYZ is too aggressive an assumption?”

You can insert any question in lieu of “too aggressive an assumption.” The key is that you’re not just asking what you’re doing wrong, you’re hypothesizing on the source of the error.

8) Read interviewer body language. As you’re communicating the steps taken, it can be easy to focus solely on your notepad and calculations. Periodically look-up to see how the interviewer is responding. If they have a quizzical look, it’s ok to continue, but again, make a note that this may be a problem area. If they’re nodding consistently, you’re in good shape.

9) Communicate each step clearly and concisely. Case studies and sizing questions are as much about communication skills as they are about problem-solving skills. What value is a great solution if you can’t persuade the client to implement your recommendations?

10) Don’t over-complicate the solution. In an attempt to impress the interviewer, applicants will often add unnecessary steps that lead to mistakes. Only complicate your solution when it leads to a qualitatively better response. Here’s an example:

If the question is “how many bottles of wine are consumed annually in the U.S.?” – separating wine consumers into an active consumers group (drink a glass everyday) vs a casual consumers group (drink a glass every week) is correct and makes a qualitative difference. Further segmenting into male vs female active consumers and male vs female casual consumers is an example of over-complication.

Most GMCs (global management consultancies) such as Booz Allen, BCG, and Accenture recruit at only the top 25-50 U.S. undergraduate and MBA programs. Internationally, the process is even more selective. So what can you do if you’re a strong candidate, but the firms you want to work for simply don’t recruit at your school?

Exceptions include large public universities, given the sheer size of their student body and alumni base, and schools with undergraduate business programs that have strong firm relationships

What can you do if you want to work for [INSERT FIRM HERE] and they don’t recruit at your MBA or undergraduate institution?

This is a disadvantage in the recruiting process. Given consulting firms’ lack of recruiting resources, alternative application methods (such as submitting your resume online) receive less attention and carry less weight.

Here are a few options that you can pursue:

• Online application submission – companies ranging from McKinsey to Deloitte & Touche provide this option
• Direct application submission through “Contact Us” links and public email addresses – this may be the only online option available at smaller boutique firms
• Headhunters and job placement firms – GloCap is a great example
• Application submission through firm contacts – friends, school alumni contacts, etc

Your goal if you can’t do “standard recruiting” is to build contacts within the firms and get internal referrals

Here’s what you should do:

Network, network, network. Reach out to school alumni contacts that work in the industry and at that firm. Reach out to current or former work colleagues that work in the industry themselves or are well-connected. Ask your family and your friends. Tell people about your goal, because the more people that know, the better chance you’ll have of being referred to HR contacts and current consultants

Think beyond your circle. If you’re an undergraduate, consider attending the MBA job fairs to establish contacts, get a few business cards, and even submit your resume. If you’re an MBA student, look into the law school job fair and/or job fairs for nearby MBA programs. While you’re not guaranteed success, you need to take risks given the limited options in front of you

Contact headhunters. Particularly if you have a few years of work experience. Headhunters have industry contacts and a broad view of available options. Be specific about your career goals, but not close-minded

Build relationships by being direct and specific. Now you know a recruiter in Bain’s Boston office. And you know a school alumni who’s a consultant in BCG’s Dallas office. Email them first – remind them of who you are, what your goals are, and the one or two areas where they can help. Keep the email short (no more than 5-10 lines of body text). Provide multiple contact channels. If you receive no response within one week, it’s OK to call and leave a brief voicemail.

What are areas where they can help you out?

• Provide you with the right internal recruiting contacts to submit your resume/CV
• Introduce you to firm contacts with shared interests, backgrounds, etc
• Answer your questions about the industry, the firm, etc

Never explicitly ask for an “internal referral” (a good word about you sent to HR/recruiters) unless you know them well. Work on establishing a relationship first. Keep them updated on the process (eg, “I just submitted my resume to Casey in recruiting and am looking forward to what’s next”). It’s OK to drop your contact’s name in your application materials/cover letter (if it’s done properly)

If all else fails, adjust your expectations and bide your time.

If you’ve tried the above and are getting nowhere, then option 1 is to find either the most prestigious alternative available (eg, finance, Fortune 500) or a position with another strategy/management consulting firm. Continue networking in the industry and attempt the parallel hiring process. Option 2 is to attend a school where the big firms recruit – if you’re an undergraduate, attend a top-tier MBA program. A master’s degree (or other advanced study program) is another option.