Case Interview Preparation & Management Consulting | Strategy | Critical Thinking

    Michael and Tom discuss the new policy change introduced by McKinsey related to selection of McKinsey office leaders. We discuss why it could have been introduced and how it may impact McKinsey. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES  HERE  & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH:  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE  FIRMSCONSULTING...

In this podcast Michael and Tom, Darden EMBA, talk about Sizan and her one of a kind story. Sizan is a participant in TCO IV. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES  HERE  & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH:  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE  FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS .

In this podcast we continue to experiment with a new format. Meet Tom, Darden EMBA, who is going to co-host the next few Case Interview podcasts with us. In this podcast we discuss the subtle but very important reason Zach's presence in TCO III ended. Zach is the 2nd participant in The Consulting Offer III.  SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES  HERE  & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH:...

In this podcast we discuss how interviewers judge candidates during case interviews. Specifically we look at how they determine whom are the top candidates. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES  HERE  & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH:  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE  FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS .

This podcast, and related  article , explains how to put the client first the right way. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES  HERE  & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH:  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE  FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS .

In this podcast we talk about one critical lesson from TCO III / IV: how being likeable effects one's performance during consulting case interviews. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES  HERE  & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH:  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE  FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS .

In this podcast, and related article, we are going to talk about  value-based fees . And I am going to explain to you why value-based fees seldom work. We will also explain why value-based fees are misunderstood. And they are misunderstood in a very fundamental way. Value-based fees can only work if certain supply and demand conditions in the market are met, or if your client is naïve. If a consul...

A very common strategy for a management consulting firm to displace an incumbent and serve a client is to show an problem / insight / opportunity that the client has not realized before. Unfortunately, this does not work that well in building client relationships and driving sales. In fact, a brilliant insight by itself may even lead to more work for the competition. In this podcast, and related ...

In this podcast, and related  article , we discuss how to manage failure. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES  HERE  & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING COME HANG OUT WITH US:  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  LinkedIn FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR CASE INTERVIEWS OR ON HOW TO CONDUCT STRATEGY, OPERATIONS OR IMPLEMENTATION CONSULTING STUDIES REFER TO THE  FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS .

In this podcast, and related  article , I discuss how to resign, and especially how to resign if you are part of the inner circle of the firm and office. The business model of McKinsey, BCG and that of other firms expects this. When not expected at your firm, it is even more important you handle this correctly. If you are part of the inner circle most of the best practices you read about will not...

The importance of gaining a client's trust via a solid reputation in the market places a premium on leaders who are skillful in building client relationships. No one would expect a consulting firm with poor reputation to thrive. After all, any firm's future is only as bright as its reputation in the market. It takes a strategic eye to focus on building client relationships for the long-term, even...

The Emerging Leaders Program (also called Emerging Fellows Program) is a scholarship we award to promising students from disadvantaged backgrounds. We help them plan their studies, select schools and map out their entire path to elite consulting firms, and beyond. We carefully train and groom them. This is a significant scholarship and we have high expectations. In this podcast (and related  artic...

In every single season of  The Consulting Offer  female PhDs have dominated the show through their skills, learning pace and performance. And they have all been foreign. Two are Chinese and one is Nigerian. In this podcast we discuss why this may be the case. Why does this one group do so well over MBAs and undergraduates despite the general consensus that PhDs are weaker in cases. SIGN UP FOR EMA...

This is a frustrating topic for many reasons. You will see it cropping up in TCO III a lot, and hurting one participant significantly. Therefore, we want to address this topic via a podcast and hope it never comes up again. Too many clients want to use a resume format because it (1) looks good, (2) was recommended by the school, (3) they spent a lot of time on it, (4) it is a better use of space o...

Most firms only talk about their successful clients. They talk about clients who end up joining McKinsey, BCG and Bain ( MBB ). We are different. We believe it is important to talk about those case interview coaching clients who did not make it. 29.9% of our clients wanted to join McKinsey, BCG and Bain but ended up in industry, other consulting firms or government. What happened? Who is accountab...

In this podcast I relate an experience I had with a young partner we have in China, Amy. This may seem like a small incident but to me it explains the reason why older partners need to bring in younger partners with a different worldview, different skills and different definition of what is normal.  The true mark of an effective partnership is trust. And trust explicitly at the time when you have...

Most applicants have the wrong impression of McKinsey BTO. And through this wrong impression they are missing an opportunity to pursue a wonderful consulting career. In this podcast, and related article , we discuss how McKinsey BTO is similar to the generalist role, how the market values a McKinsey BTO background and how the future of business will impact the value of a McKinsey BTO background. W...

We have worked with over 700 case interview coaching clients and that rises to over 800 if you include active clients. We have kept meticulous records on each client. Searching for correlations/patterns/trends within that database has opened up an entirely new way to assess and guide clients. Client behaviour and attributes we had previously considered unimportant takes on a whole new meaning when...

In this podcast, and related  article , we discuss a common mistake candidates make. They assume because a consultant has a reputation for being a good consultant they will make a great case interview practice partner or an effective case interview coach. This is very far from the truth. Teaching is a skill. Great expertise at doing x does not at all imply great teaching skills for x. We see this...

This podcast is based on an interaction I had recently, over email, with a student. The student made critical mistakes in handling the interaction. By listening to this podcast you can avoid them and network better with partners. This is a great example of how to not ask a partner for help. The reality is that if he were simply less pushy, more attentive and respectful, I would have certainly have...

We receive many emails with questions about how to be productive. In this podcast, which builds on other points about this topic we have previously made, we discuss 6 other areas to consider. (1) Time management, (2) Managing obstacles, (3) 90% rule, (4) When to work, (5) Focus and (6) Why to work. Point 6 is particularly important. Many of the things we do at Firmsconsulting are never started wit...

When I was an associate and had just joined the firm from a boutique firm, many of my colleagues from the boutique firm were also looking for new roles. Some of them were outstanding and others were terrible. Shortly after I joined the firm it was announced that some of the terrible consultants had been made offers to join the firm.  In this podcast I explain why I resigned, how the firm reacted a...

Have you ever applied to a firm that wants you to interview with 7 to 12 people? They will tell you this is because they are careful or because everyone must have a say in the decision. None of that is true. In this podcast we explain why the need for multiple interviews is a symptom of a firm that does not know what it wants and therefore cannot make a decision. Increasing the number of interview...

When Booz was acquired by PwC, many consultants joined rival firms. BCG Middle East was a major recipient of Booz employees. In this podcast we explain a promotion tenure limit imposed by the BCG Middle East practice, which we believe was driven by the hiring of so many Booz consultants, and, with greatest respect to BCG, hurts the firm and its culture. We discuss the policy, why it defeats the pr...

Too many clients panic when they are managed out of McKinsey, BCG or Bain. They assume the worst and imagine a tattered reputation. This could not be further from the truth. In this podcast we explain why it is in McKinsey’s and BCG’s best interest to never disclose you were managed out. It is part of their business models that the market never knows you may have been the world’s most ridiculous c...