Dear community
I am currently practicing my answer to "why consulting" and was wondering how long my answer should be? Some articles say 5 minutes are fine, some say 2 minutes are the absolute maximum.
What do you think?
Get Active in Our Amazing Community of Over 453,000 Peers!
Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!
Why consulting - How much time do I have to answer the question?
Overview of answers
Upvotes
Best answer
Hey there,
As a general rule, these types of questions should be answered in an effective and succinct manner. 1-2 minutes would be an appropriate length!
Whenever you are asked: ''Why this, Why that?'', your answer should follow a top-down structure and link your experience, achievements, and skills to the outcome.
''I want to work in consulting for three reasons, First [relevant skill]......Second [relevant achievement]......Third [relevant experience]....''
Cheers,
Florian
Was this answer helpful?
Hi there,
I agree with Adi and Ian, 5 minutes is definitely too long for “Why consulting”. I just tested myself answering that question and took me 1.5 minutes with three bullets and an explanation for each.
You can use 5 minutes to deliver a PEI story – but for almost all the other questions that would be too long.
A total of 2 minutes would be fine to answer that question (slightly more or less would not be an issue). The interviewer may then have some questions and you may go deeper into some parts.
Best,
Francesco
Was this answer helpful?
Hello!
Why consulting is one of the key questions in the "motivational questions", one of the families of questions in FIT.
If you want to deep dive on the topic, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)
It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.
Furthermore, you can find 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:
- Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200
- Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201
- Behavioural questions (LEADERSHIP) >https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-211
- Behavioural questions (ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE) > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-238
- Behavioural questions (LEADERSHIP) > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/advanced/behavioral-questions-personal-impact-fit-interview-preparation-239
Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch!
Was this answer helpful?
Hi there,
I agree with Adi.
5 minutes is an eternity in an interview. Try to keep it to 2-3 minutes.
The most important thing is: "Am I getting my key/core skills across to the interviewer while demonstrating real desire/drive/thought to enter consulting, and doing so in a concise, clear, and engaging manner"
^This shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes if you practice being clear and to the point!
Was this answer helpful?
A 2-3 min precise & engaging answer is good. Any longer it will be a drag. Record yourself and listen to your answer..you will know.
Please search the Q&A forum as there are tons of threads on this question with tips/tricks.
Check this one - https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/why-consulting-9435
(edited)
Was this answer helpful?
Less than a minute - too short
More than 4/5 minutes - too verbose
Is it genuine, engaging and have you run it by a number of different people? That is more important than optimising the timing
Was this answer helpful?
Sign up for free to read all answers.
Sign up for free to read all answers.
Related Cases
Expert case by Francesco
Style:
Our client is a German-owned water provider company based in the southwest of the United States. As the biggest water provider in the region, they serve the majority of the southwest region.Profit growth has slowed down considerably in recent years, and the company is finding it difficult to co
...
Our client is a German-owned water provider company based in the southwest of the United States. As the biggest water provider in the region, they serve the majority of the southwest re
...
(Open whole case)
7.6k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Style:
Our client today is AirService – a service provider for a number of airlines and airports. Their management recently realized a decrease in profits that is linked to increasing costs.Accordingly, they have engaged our firm to help address this issue. How would you approach this problem?
Our client today is AirService – a service provider for a number of airlines and airports. Their management recently realized a decrease in profits that is linked to increasing costs.Accordingly, they have engaged our firm to help address this issue. How would you approach this problem?
(Open whole case)
7.5k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Style:
Our client is an Italian multinational manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products. One of their most popular products is Hazella, a hazelnut spread.Despite its worldwide popularity, Hazella is considered to be high in calories by some customers. For this reason, our client has deve
...
Our client is an Italian multinational manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products. One of their most popular products is Hazella, a hazelnut spread.Despite its worldwide po
...
(Open whole case)
4.7k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Our client is Party Burger, a restaurant chain in the US serving premium burgers and salads for lunch. They rely on the quality of their products to attract customers, and they are usually fully booked. However, reviews have pointed out that the service offered could be improved. Our client is conce
...
Our client is Party Burger, a restaurant chain in the US serving premium burgers and salads for lunch. They rely on the quality of their products to attract customers, and they are usually f
...
(Open whole case)
4.7k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Style:
Our client is an Indian sugar producer exporting solely to Indonesia. Indonesia imports 5m tons of raw sugar per year.To make raw sugar, our client processes sugarcane at a cost of $25 per ton and they have a capacity of 1.5m tons per year. The only competitor that has lower production costs is from
...
Our client is an Indian sugar producer exporting solely to Indonesia. Indonesia imports 5m tons of raw sugar per year.To make raw sugar, our client processes sugarcane at a cost of $25 per t
...
(Open whole case)
2.8k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
