Dr. Sidi Koné and Dr. Jörn Kobus: How to ensure success in job interviews with top Strategy Consulting firms
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Dr. Sidi Koné and Dr. Jörn Kobus have worked as senior consultants and interviewers at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and McKinsey & Company for many years. Now they have made it their business to prepare applicants for job interviews at leading strategy consultancies like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain & Company. In the following you can find out what the job as a strategy consultant entails, what skills are necessary and how the application process basically works.
Working for a reputable Strategy Consulting firm is not only lucrative from a financial point of view - it also offers attractive opportunities and great future career prospects. Hence, it comes hardly as a surprise that jobs in this sector are in such high demand. Accordingly, it is not easy to stand out versus other applicants and secure the job of your dreams. After all, in addition to basic qualifications, exceptional personal qualities are also required to convince recruiters and interviewers at these firms. "The large majority of applicants receive a rejection," explains Dr. Sidi Koné.
"Applicants must show that they are capable of cutting through problems in an efficient manner and creating innovative solutions to these problems," he continues. Sidi Koné began his career at Boston Consulting Group before switching to McKinsey & Company. Dr. Jörn Kobus also worked as a senior consultant at McKinsey for many years. During their time as consultants, Sidi Koné and Jörn Kobus conducted numerous job interviews with a wide variety of candidates. Today, the experts use their experience to prepare applicants to master the challenging selection process of large strategy consultancies. They have developed a specific program, "The MBB Offer Machine", which significantly increases applicants' chances of being hired by one of these top consulting firms.
This is what a strategy consultant's job looks like
The core task in Strategy Consulting is to address unforeseen problems and unexpected challenges with innovative approaches. The difficulty here is that these challenges are oftentimes completely new, and there are usually no proven solutions yet. Thus, strategy consultants are usually confronted with obstacles that are initially new for them as well as for their clients.
By working closely with their clients, consultants try to address any given problem in a sustainable way. To do this, they have to carefully analyze the situation in order to recognize all the complexities and interrelationships - thus avoiding possible stumbling blocks. Thereby, a consultant constantly gains new insights into a wide variety of industries and corporate functions.
Applicants should have a rich set of skills
"There are many inaccuracies and plain untruths circulating on the Internet, particularly with regard to the educational requirements for a job in strategy consulting," warns Dr. Jörn Kobus. For example, it is not mandatory to have a business or a finance degree. It is rather the overall picture of personal qualities and qualifications that counts. It is also helpful if applicants are resilient to stress and enjoy taking on new challenges.
In addition, the major strategy consulting firms like to see a results-oriented work approach by candidates. After all, what matters to them is finding workable solutions and answers for their clients. Recognizing correlations quickly, and identifying the principle levers of impact in various problem settings is key.
The application process in Strategy Consulting
A special feature of the consulting industry is that interviews with candidates are often not conducted by traditional recruiters. Instead, applicants interact with experienced consultants. These consultants have a comprehensive insight into the job. Hence, they are best suited to assess whether a candidate brings the required mix of qualities to the table or not.
Finding out whether the applicant has what it takes is the principal goal of the interviewer. Similar to traditional job interviews, applicants are usually asked about their personal wishes and professional goals. However, the essential foundation for the decision-making process is an individual case study. During this case study, a concrete business problem and its potential solution is discussed between the interviewer and the applicant.
A career in Strategy Consulting offers a wide range of opportunities
The consulting industry attracts the interest of many people, also due to its comparatively high salaries. "The salary level depends primarily on the applicant's seniority in terms of academic degree and professional experience" explains Sidi Koné. In Germany, Master's graduates earn up to EUR 80,000 in the first year, especially at large strategy consultancies such as McKinsey or BCG. Applicants with a doctorate or MBA from a renowned international business school start with well above EUR 100,000.
Moreover, working in Strategy Consulting opens up a large variety of opportunities for the future. This profession allows to gain extensive experience across a wide range of industries. As consultants progress through their career, this expertise is typically deepened by specializing in a particular industry sector or functional area. Thanks to the experience and knowledge gained in this job, consultants will almost inevitably draw the attention of attractive employers.
Are you also interested in a job in consulting and would like to set yourself up for success in the interview process? The mbb-offer-machine.com can help you. Contact Dr. Sidi Koné and Dr. Jörn Kobus and arrange an initial consultation session!
Pressekontakt:
The MBB Offer Machine
Dr. Sidi Koné and Dr. Jörn Kobus
contact@mbb-offer-machine.com
Original content of: Sidi Koné, transmitted by news aktuell