In this urgent episode, we reveal breaking intel from top consulting firms: candidates are getting blacklisted for using AI tools like ChatGPT during interviews and applications - and it's happening more than you'd think.
We dive into how firms are detecting AI abuse, why it's leading to automatic disqualification, and what this means for virtual interviews going forward.
If you're applying to consulting roles this season, this is a must-listen.
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Transcript: How AI Is Getting Candidates Blacklisted
We just received some hot tip intel on interviews that I think is super important for interviewees going into the season to understand.
Two firms confirmed that in the last few weeks, they have had candidates - mostly students, but some older candidates as well - trying to use real-time chat, like ChatGPT or other AI programs, inside virtual interviews for consulting firms. This is not only disastrous for their chances, but it's also incredibly problematic for the reputation of the universities or the pipelines they’re coming out of.
So I just wanted to make sure I raise this and talk a little bit about what the firms are saying, what we're seeing, and our exhortation for what you should do during this interview season.
First of all, virtual interviews are not going away - but they are becoming less important for the decision round, for this reason exactly. A lot of firms are very concerned that what they're getting are robotic thinkers who are cheating on the virtual interviews. So they're bringing you in-person - in some cases, for entire in-person Super Days, and in other situations, for at least an in-person final round interview.
The firms are really rethinking the way they are interviewing because they’re concerned that students are showing up unprepared for the second round - because they cheated in the first.
Second of all, this represents for them an automatic DQ. They know that if you're sitting in front of a client and pulling the same stunt, it would put that client relationship - worth thousands or millions of dollars - at risk. So they fire you before you even get in the door to make sure those client relationships aren't put at risk by the stunts y’all are pulling.
If you are a candidate going through the consulting and case interview recruiting process this year, I just want you to know that AI is entirely off limits when it comes to the application process and the interview process.
What does that mean? They also mentioned cover letters. If you just say to ChatGPT, “Write me a cover letter that will get me into this kind of firm,” I just have to tell you - when they have 500 applications, guess what they do? They layer AI on top, they look for dupes, and they find your duplicates inside that language learning model.
We had the same issue happen with applications for our case competition. Over 100 people said that Patagonia was their favorite company on earth, and interestingly, they used the same language to describe it. Why was it there? It was a test - to see if y’all used AI or not.
We want you to use AI to shorten processes and verify information, but we do not want you to use it to think for you. When you demonstrate inside an interview that you cannot think on your own because you’re using AI as a crutch, it is damaging for your future—and it would be massively damaging for the firm's reputation.
Why? You have to understand: consulting firms don’t bring analytics that ChatGPT can find to the table. This has always been true. Even 20 years ago, when ChatGPT didn’t exist, what we found was that clients weren’t paying us for information - they were paying us for insights.
Same is true today, 20 years later.
What does this mean for you? As you're practicing, make sure that you’re not just reading or digesting information digitally. You have to practice out loud, live, with a person. And you have to shut off ChatGPT when you’re doing it.
You can do zero calculations using any digital aids. 100% of your calculations have to be done with pen and paper or through mental math.
In addition, really focus on leaning into the communication side of what you do. We emphasize that practicing your stories for fit interviews is a valuable way to do this. Because if you’re not ready to talk about yourself, you’re definitely not ready to talk about a company you’ve never heard of before.
Getting ready to articulate your thoughts - to demonstrate your structured thinking, to explain why you're enthusiastic about the role - will not only prep you for the case interview, but it will also prep you for the decision round. Ultimately, the decision is not just “How great were you at the case?” but “How much do I want to work with and mentor this person?”
So ultimately, just notice that firms are paying attention. There is no way to cheat through the case interview. If you’re doing it, stop immediately.
If you work for a university, tell your students. Send this PSA out to them. Firms know. They’re paying attention. And they will not consider that student if they discover that AI was used in the process.
We will continue to provide you with updates as we hear more information about these firms and their hiring practices. While you're on the job, there will be acceptable uses of AI - to truncate and shorten the process of getting from A to B - but you cannot do your whole job using AI. And the day that you do, they won’t need to hire you anyhow.
So pay attention to what the firms are asking for. Prep in the appropriate way. And you will gain an edge in a market that is incredibly prone to cheating right now - where you cannot get by with that level of expectation.
Good luck in the interviews. It’s going to be a wild couple of months. This is disruptive in a way it has never been before. But just know: the firms know, they’re paying attention, and they want to see your real, raw thinking skills. That’s what the case interview is all about.
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