You’ll find in this article 14 sample questions you can ask at the end of your interview.
At the end of all your consulting interviews, whether at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain & Company, you will have the opportunity to ask some questions to your interviewer.
You must prepare between 2 and 4 questions (taken from the list of 14 questions presented in this article) that can help you:
- Strengthen your connection with your interviewers.
- Fine-tune your answers for your next interviews.
- Show your drive to excel as a Consultant.
This is an important part of your interview:
If you don’t prepare smart questions, your interviewers may think you are not genuinely interested in joining their firm or are poorly prepared.
As a Consultant, you’ll spend much time interviewing clients and experts.
Thus, the questions you’ll ask can be seen as a test of asking insightful questions.
That’s why:
This article will show you a list of focused and open-ended questions to ask at the end of your consulting interviews.
Let’s start now!
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When to ask questions in a consulting interview?
The opportunity to ask questions usually comes at the end of your consulting interviews.
You’ll have about 5 minutes to ask a couple of questions to your interviewers.
The terrible truth
The terrible truth?
If you were terrible (or even just average) during your fit or case interview, asking the best questions presented in this article won’t move you to the next round.
On the other hand:
If you’ve been great in your fit and case interviews but asked the wrong questions at the end, your interviewer may decide not to move you to the next round.
So that’s simple: you are not done yet after your case interview!
Three reasons why you should ask questions in an interview
Reason #1: strengthen your connection with your interviewer
Consultants spend a lot of time with their colleagues.
Imagine you are a McKinsey Consultant based at the NYC office and living in an apartment in Brooklyn with a nice view of Manhattan.
Imagine you are part of a team sent to Rochester (400km from NYC) to work on a big project for an important client.
You will probably spend the full week at the hotel, having breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with your colleagues.
Bottom line?
Your interviewers want to know if they can spend all this time – at work, in airplanes, hotels, restaurants – with you.
Thus, you want your interviewers to like you.
Paragraph 4 of this article shows you some sample questions to ask that will make your interviewers like you.
Reason #2: fine-tune your answers for your next interviews
You can find here and here why having a compelling and tailored answer to the ‘Why firm X’ question is so important.
I strongly believe that, for the last round of interviews, this question makes a difference between a job offer and a rejection.
Think about this:
You have one final interview with a Partner at the Boston Consulting Group.
This Partner will interview 5 or 6 other candidates in the same week.
These other candidates, like you, are probably good at cracking cases and presenting themselves (otherwise, they would not make it until here).
Thus, the main differentiating factor between all these candidates is their interest in joining the Boston Consulting Group.
Paragraph 5 of this article shows you some sample questions to ask that will help you fine-tune your answer to the ‘Why firm X?’ Question.
Reason #3: show your motivation for the job
As stated in this free course, your interviewers are asking themselves two key questions during the interview:
Can you do the job?
Are you a good fit?
The first question – ‘Can you do the job?’ – is mainly answered with the infamous case interviews.
However, your interviewers will try to answer the second question – ‘Are you a good fit?’ – all along the interview, including by assessing your questions.
Paragraph 6 of this article shows you some sample questions to ask that will express your motivations to excel as a Consultant.
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Make them like you: interviewer-related questions to ask in an interview
Case interviews are based on REAL cases.
Let me share this insight with you:
The case studies given by your interviewers are somehow emotionally important for them.
For instance, as an interviewer, I was giving the case I played a Managerial role for the first time.
That’s why:
I recommend ALWAYS asking these questions right after the case interview:
Then, if your interviewer has a junior position (up to Manager level), you can decide to ask one of the following questions:
On the other hand, if your interviewer has a senior position (for instance: Senior Manager, Principal, or Partner), you can decide to ask one of the following questions:
Regarding the last question, you’ll impress your interviewers big time if you can have an interesting, insightful conversation about their areas of expertise.
The secrets?
Check this article that tells you how to know the areas of expertise of your interviewers before the interview.
Read articles (sometimes written by your interviewers) about that topic before your interviews.
Fine-tune your answers: company-related questions to ask in a consulting interview
With the following questions, you can get insightful information about the company and fine-tune your answer to questions such as ‘Why firm X.’
If your interviewer has a junior position (up to Manager level), you can decide to ask one of the following questions:
On the other hand, if your interviewer has a senior position (for instance: Senior Manager, Principal, or Partner), you can decide to ask one of the following questions:
Show your drive: job-related questions to ask in a consulting interview
Show your desire to excel and become a top company performer.
To do so, here are some examples of questions you can ask:
Synthesis: the questions I'd ask in McKinsey interviews
If you are looking for good questions to ask in McKinsey interviews, you can find hereafter the four questions I would choose from the above list.
4 questions to ask McKinsey Partner
4 questions to ask McKinsey Consultant
Synthesis: the questions I'd ask in BCG interviews
If you are looking for good questions to ask in BCG interviews, you can find hereafter the four questions I would choose from the above list.
4 questions to ask BCG Partner
4 questions to ask BCG Consultant
Four mistakes to avoid at all costs
Mistake #1: Skipping this part and not asking any questions
This is simple: ALWAYS ask questions to your interviewers.
In other words, do not think:
I did my homework or already asked other Consultants these questions, and I have the information I need.
If you don’t ask a question, you’ll give a strong impression that can lead to rejection.
Mistake #2: Asking ‘basic’ questions for which the answers can be easily found
This is like screaming at your interviewer’s face:
I HAVEN’T DONE MY HOMEWORK. I CAME COMPLETELY UNPREPARED.
Needless to say, how consulting-unfriendly this looks.
Please note:
You can find an answer to some of the above questions on their website.
Yet, it can be interesting to get the view from an insider (your interviewer).
That’s why you can say, ‘ I already get some information about this, but I’d love to have your view on…’.
Mistake #3: Looking unprofessional by asking of one these questions
There are some topics that you don’t want to talk about during your interviews:
- Salary or welcome bonuses.
- Working hours.
- Work-from-home policy.
- Holidays.
- Chance to get an MBA sponsored.
- Time spent traveling.
- Opportunity to move to an office abroad.
Thus, do not ask a question about any of these topics above.
Plus, I’d not ask any questions about the hiring process.
For instance: ‘When will I hear back from you?’.
For a simple reason: they don’t know. It depends on other factors that your interviewer has no control over.
Mistake #4: Asking questions about your interview performance
Your interviewer can feel uncomfortable if you ask a question like: ‘How do I compare with the other candidates you’ve interviewed?’.
So, remember, when you have to ask questions at the end of your consulting interviews, do NOT talk about your performance.
Questions to ask in a consulting interview: final thoughts
Ok, now you have a list of questions for consulting interviews.
Remember that your goal must be to end your interview on a strong, positive note.
Thus, you want to appear like someone who understands the company’s specificities, is enthusiastic about the job (and about Consulting), and is eager to get started.
On the other hand, you don’t want to raise any red flags by asking a question that would make your interviewer uncomfortable.
To do so, ask up to 4 of the consulting job interview questions presented in this article, and you will be good!
Now it’s your turn:
Leave a comment to tell me if there is another important question you like to ask in a consulting interview.
Get 4 Complete Case Interview Courses For Free
You need 4 skills to be successful in all case interviews: Case Structuring, Case Leadership, Case Analytics, and Communication. Join this free training and learn how to ace ANY case questions.
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This really made me understand the insight of interviewer perception. Blog has a superb clarification
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