What did you wish you knew when entering consulting recruitment?

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You can’t practice casing enough. I was rejected for internship recruiting but luckily got in for full time since I was more prepared. It’s super important to get exposure to different industries, types of problems and math equations. It’s helpful to read up on some basics about different industries. You’re officially not getting evaluated on industry knowledge, but I think interviewers are impressed if you know at least a bit about the context of the case.

Not to contradict everything people have said, but I think there is such a think as over-casing, over-practicing, and over-studying. Learning the cookie-cutter method of casing and then memorizing it, only to figure out how to differentiate yourself by studying more is only necessary if that's what you need to do to build confidence.

I went summer intern to full time at an MBB, from a target school, and I did 10-15 cases, all with other people, and that is it (partially because I just didn't have time). The best way to maximize casing is to be deliberate when you do them:

1. Case 1-2: Have an experienced person (preferably someone who was successful at interviewing in the company/tier you are aiming for, but is still in or just out of school) walk you through it, and basically demonstrate for you what successful answers look like

2. Case 2-7 (or until you are comfortable): With the exception of the minute you take for building your framework, talk through the entire thing. Say everything you are thinking. This is slightly more talking than you probably want to be doing in an actual interview, but as someone pointed out to me "your interviewer can't help you if they don't know whats going wrong, and they want to help you". This is an especially important skill with math, you want to be able to talk and add

3. Last 5 (or more) cases: these should be as if you are interviewing. If there is an interesting thing you notice or can relate to, mention it. Take time to think when you need it, but mostly talk. Don't say "like" in grammatically incorrect spots. Things like that.

I think also that reinventing yourself to be a model candidate might be counterproductive. Hopefully you've done some super cool things in college (which do not have to be the campus consulting group) and you solved interesting problems outside of an academic setting in interesting ways. I talked about nearly failing 4 (all) of my classes in one semester, but turned it into how I used my problem identification skills to figure out where in my own life I was mis-prioritizing.

Sorry, this was long, but I just feel pretty strongly that people shoot themselves in the feet sometimes by trying to become the "perfect candidate" and then just completely losing anything that makes their casing or fit stuff unique.

Networking networking networking

I had a solid resume but didn't land anything special for internships junior year, because I simply hadn't networked (I was under the fabulously stupid impression that my resume alone would get me interviews). I vowed not to make the same mistake again during full-time recruiting, and I leveraged every connection I had (fraternity alums, info session and job fair introductions, family connections, fricking anything I could think of). I had a very different outcome and I continue to think this was why.

By the time the recruiting team pulls up your resume during the interview selection round, they should already be solidly familiar with both your story and your personality

Practise with an actual or former MBB consultant.

You’ll get the basics by churning the free material on the internet. However, the bar is now super high to get in. There are specific nuances and things they look for that you will never be able to come up yourself.

I’ve recently passed FT MBB recruiting (and I’m already in Consulting, not to mention that I’ve been interviewing candidate at my previous firm for years), and honestly without proper guidance it’s hard to pass an MBB interview.

I think have reasonable expectations and cast a wide net. A lot of candidates fail to realize how competitive event T2 / Big 4 Strategy consulting is... Even Big 4 Strategy shops probably take less than 20% of applicants at their top targets.

Aside from full cases, did you find supplemental things like math drills or other practice helpful?

Context for the following advice: I'm a recent graduate of a non-target starting full time at MBB this fall.

1) Over-casing is real and is a negative. To stand out in a case interview, what's most important is including all the key considerations while maintaining a creative and logical method of presentation. When a candidate cases too much in preparation, they will likely try to adopt an approach from a framework/previous case which might resemble what they're given in an interview, but doesn't exactly fit. Using creativity, intelligent questions, and a structured approach to guide you to the answer matters more than a robotic, uninteresting, or "forced" framework.

2) Underestimating the personal interview is a mistake. While the case interview is more unique and intimidating, the two interviews are often given equal weight in evaluation post-interview. A couple of math mistakes, for example, might be forgiven when paired with stellar behavioral interviews (my experience). Take the chance to really engage with your interviewer, regardless of their level of seniority. In fact, as you might expect, doing so with a more senior individual will help you far more. Consultants are required to be interesting and engaging conversationalists. This is an opportunity to sell yourself as possessing those critical skills.

3) Try exceptionally hard to connect well with those in the office prior to the formal recruiting process. If you can get an interview, your qualifications are on an equal footing with all others who have also been given an interview. Once you get invited to interview, your school, grades, and test scores no longer really matter. What will set you apart is your ability to prove yourself as an asset for the existing culture of the group, alongside excellent interviews. Stay comfortable, work hard, and good luck!

Interned at MBB in a Bay Area/NY office and then accepted the FT offer. Generally agree with philosophe's advice -- I don't know you need to necessarily limit to 10-15 cases, but do agree you don't need to go overboard here. Some things I wish I knew:

• For as helpful as WSO is, I think there's a common conception that gets conveyed that you absolutely need to nail your cases with no mistakes, be perfectly polished during fit, have networked like a pro before the interviews, and even then need a stroke of luck to get the offer. I didn't even get to the answer in one on my cases and the interviewer had to give it to me. This same interviewer was the one who called me to tell me they wanted to give me an offer; I told him I was in disbelief because I didn't have the answer to his case, and he mentioned it didn't matter because he saw how I was thinking about the problem and the insights I was drawing out. Firms care about who you are, what you've accomplish and how you think; they don't expect perfection or one mold, and you shouldn't strive to present yourself as someone you're not because you think they do. Put most simply, be yourself and don't overcomplicate the interview.

• It's important to understand the traditional case frameworks that exist and to have a sort of 'toolbox' of different types of things you can use to approach a problem (e.g., knowing that the customer, competitors, and market lenses can each be used when trying to answer a question) but ultimately what you'll want to do is approach cases with natural thinking. Knowing frameworks is helpful because it helps you think about a problem, but it's about putting different tools together and approaching the problem in a way that makes sense in the context of the case.

Cases are important but we were never looking for perfection in them. The goal was to see how the candidate thinks, gauge how coachable they are and how well they could handle some pressure.

One of the key things for me was fit. You can ace a case but be miserable to work with. I always liked asking questions outside of work/school to get a better feel for who the candidate really was. Please be able to speak about something unique that you like to do such as sports, hobbies, etc. Often times those conversations get remembered when we are choosing between the cyclist or the guy with the green tie.

I used a math app to practice math drills and Rocketblocks to practice frameworks. Both were super helpful. Be prepared to give multiple potential solutions to a problem, or multiple perspectives on why a problem arises. Consulting interviewers are notorious for asking “what else” five or six times even after you’ve given all your good answers, so be prepared for that and don’t let it psyche you out. They might ask what industries you’re interested in. I’d answer it by saying x, y, and z but you’re also very open to others.