Consultancy Interview Questions & Answers

A very straightforward interview that allowed the interviewer and candiadate to build a relationship from word go. A phone interview that lasted 20 minutes, covering basic university and career desires. We covered Maths exams, diagramatic reasoning and verbal reasoning tests that revealed how numerical we were.

Describe success in three words. This was hard because it was subjective and personal. Therefore, it put you on your back foot. Another question was describe what differentiates you from someone else.

Prepare early, practice Venn Diagrams. Mock interviews and take care to look at your interviewers. Ensure that you dress smartly with a CV with you, this helps to stand you out instantly. Ensure that you know the organisation inside out covering their mission, vision, company values and concepts.

Venn Diagram test, 1 hour test whereby you describe set notations. A Maths test, 1 hour long test that tries to understand your level of basic Mathematics skills. 5 min interviews, times 3. Speed dating in an interview context.

After completing both a numerical and psychometric test online, I was invited down to attend an assessment centre. At the assessment centre there was around 12 of us. We started the morning by all presenting on a topic of our choice for 3 minutes. After we had to complete a problem solving task individually and also a numerical and physics based tests. Then you either had to do a business analytics or supply chain test. During these we were called out for a quick interview with a member of the function you would be most suited to. Once these were done, they sent approx 70% of people home just after lunch.

The most difficult part was the physics test as I had not done physics since GCSE level.

Make sure you have solid knowledge of physics because the physics test was particularly hard for me, as I hadn't done any since year 11. You also have to be comfortable with presenting as it was apparent they liked people who could present not from any prompts.

Had to prepare a three minute presentation on anything we wanted. Three tests (physics, numerical and analytics or supply chain). Whilst doing these we had to complete a problem solving task. Ending with an interview.

1st Round Interview and 3 Tests. 2 hours total

20 minute face to face interview on my history, motivation for consulting role, why I want to work for FactSet and a few competency based questions. I didn't like my interview much, I felt like my interviewer was just rushing through and not really bothering to listen or even converse with me much.
How did you come across FactSet?
Had you heard of FactSet before?
What do you know about FactSet and what they do?
Why do you want to work at FactSet?
Why do you want to work in finance?
What specific parts of finance are you interested in?
What do FactSet consultants do on a day to day basis?
Why did you choice you degree subject?
What transferable skills did your degree give you which would be relevant for this role?
What did you gain from your work experience?
Why are you interested in a technology/software based role?
Where else have you applied to?
How might an investment management or investment banker use FactSet programs?
Why FactSet is better than its competitors?

Which particular part of finance are you interested in?

Show a keen interest in finance and have a lot to say about it and really do your research about finance. This will be useful for the interview and the finance test. The finance test covered a range of topics. Moneyweek YouTube channel maybe useful or chat to friends who work in the industry. If you really impress with finance knowledge they are more likely to have you as it seems to be what they are looking for. The numeracy and excel tests were not hard granted you have used Excel sufficiently before. The numeracy test was not difficult, definitely not harder than GCSE level maths.

1 and a half hours to do a Numeracy, Excel and Finance test for the 1st Round assessment centre

Numeracy Test - percentages, ratios, fractions, foreign currency, algebra and problem solving questions.
x(x+3)=28

Excel test - formatting cells (Bold and date), formulae - MAX() SUM() MIN() STDEV, VLOOKUP, Freeze panes, making charts, conditional formatting

Finance Test - testing my interest in finanacial markets. This could be challenging or easy, it depends on your background. It was multiple choice though, which made it easier. CAC - French. also central banks change interest rates due to inflation.

The 2nd round assessment centre will feature a whole other range of tests, including a mini teach, exclusive to FactSet

We had three different stages in the day, the first was a group activity of about six of us. We were handed a pile of about twenty solutions to go through with a budget of 4.5 million and to agree as a group which ones to implement. We split them between us and fed back. There is a time limit on this as well.

After that, there is a project planning exercise which is basically a gantt chart of when you would implement aspects of a project like when you do plan to plot strategy, when on a 12 month plan do you plot what tech you're going to use. They have allotted blocks of time.

After that is a one to one with senior manager who will re-ask competency questions, ask how you think you've done through the day and also to defend your project plan.

Evaluating your own contribution is difficult but don't make you were awesome if you weren't And if your plan gets pulled apart, at least come up with reasons why its still not the worst thing in the world.

Work as a team, make sure you're heard, stick to time constraints, don't talk over people, make a note of what your contribution was, what solutions you wanted to implement because you'll need the numbers later, really sell why you'll be a great addition to Accenture.

Group exercise, one to one interview, project plan.

The telephone part of the interview for graduate analyst positions at Accenture is conducted via HireVue, which is a webcam interview. The interviewers will tell you via email that ou have gotten through to telephone interview stage after you have completed your applications and situational judgment (CAN'T RECOMMEND ENOUGH, GO TO THEIR CAREERS EVENTS. You get a free moleskin journal, a chance to network with current employees and recruiters and FAST TRACKED through the application so the actual form is shorter and you can often skip out the preliminary testing and go straight to telephone interview). The recruiters then send you a link to the HireVue program which only is live for five days. If you're not going to complete it in that time, let them know. The actual HireVue consists of a question coming up on the screen for about 30 seconds and then it will start automatically recording you for a maximum of 3 minutes. You can stop it earlier than that if you finish speaking early but I took up the whole 3 minutes everytime. There are about five or six questions, very basic stuff like what do you know about Accenture, who are the competitors, how do businesses use technology, what makes Accenture different. Its over in a flash.

How do businesses use technology?

As I said, go to their recruitment events, you get so many good tips and it's good to hear about their business because its more in depth than it first appears and you can start using buzzwords about their different practises like instead of Accenture provide technological solutions, you can learn enough to talk about Accenture being the lead implementer of SAP and Oracle solutions.

I would clean your room! Take down posters if they're semi naked women, obvious stuff. I moved all my law books around so they were behind me and hid the mess of junk! Think about really why you want to work HERE and what makes them different. Look up some of their business areas and who are their competitors in those fields. Dress smart even if you are just going to be sat in front of the computer. Make sure you don't get disturbed. The webcam will display a outline going around for you to align yourself with like when you get your passport photos taken so make sure you're trying to stay within that instead of bobbing all over the place.

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It was a very friendly interview with 2 interviewers from EC Harris. I had a few questions on economically related questions such as "what happens if the interest rates change" or "how does government lending affect small businesses". I was also asked to tell them about what I found important in a career and what made me apply to EC Harris. They wanted me to make a short 5 minute presentation on a time when I had suggested a change to an already established procedure and how I went about it and also did a group excersise with one other applicant where they asked me to come up with an answer to how many people passed through the key venues of the 2012 London Olympics.

"How would you go about determining the amount of light bulbs in London?"

prepare a good answer to what inspires you about the company and the role. Also try and think analytically and use logical reasoning to answer the questions that they ask.

You will have to do a numerical test, so maybe apply to a few other companies that you are not as interested in, but also require you to do one. This will give you some good practice and prepare you for the one with EC Harris.

Perform a 5 minute presentation on what I described earlier, and determine how many people passed through the key venues of the 2012 Olympics in London. For the 2nd task, I had 10 minutes to prepare with the other applicant.

The interview consisted of 3 parts:
1) Knowledge about Accenture, recent client stories and its competitors.
2) Competency-based questions. (the usual things)
3) Mini case study.
Overall, it lasted for 50min and it was pretty simple.

The mini case study was basically about a water supplier that had customer complaints about leaking pipes. The problem was that it was hard for the company to identify which fieldworker is closest to the problematic pipe. After that the company would call the worker to assign the task of fixing the pipe. Then, the workers had to call back to inform about the work that was undertaken at the site. All this information was written down on paper and sometimes documents would go missing.

Questions:
-Identify the 3 main problems of this company.
-Suggest solutions to the problems.
-How could the company fix the problem quickly (ie. quicker that the suggestions you already made)
-What will the result be after the problem is fixed.

What was your greatest achievement?

This question is a bit tricky because on one hand you want to answer it on the other you don't want them to think that you're showing off.

Find out as much as possible about the company, what they offer, their structure, client stories etc.
It is especially important to know how Accenture can help clients with technology!

Also, when replying to competency-based questions try to use various examples from different parts of your life rather than just focusing on the academic side. Examples are internships, volunteer work, sports, societies, trips etc. They like to hear variety otherwise they feel that you don't have enough experience.

I was invited to the assessment centre but it will be tomorrow!

The good thing is that you are given the contact details of an analyst that is assigned as your "Recruitment Buddy" and you can ask for tips and advice.

I have only had a telephone interview so far but it was quite nice and relaxed. The lady I spoke to was friendly and easy to talk to. We spoke for around 20 minutes.

These are the questions I was asked:

From your CV, Tell us the main skills you have that are relevant to the role?
Why Market Research?
Why Kantar Worldpanel?

Tell us a brand you like and why?
What is this brands main threat?
How could they improve?

Where do you do your grocery shop?
Why do you shop there?
How do you go about shopping there and how do you go about making decisions on what to buy?
How could they improve their store?

Tell us about a news article you have read recently?

What advice would you give clients for surviving the recession?

What advice would you give clients for surviving the recession?

Research business concepts relevant to current market trends. Research ideas and strategies to improve businesses. I was told the interview would be based on knowledge of the company so to research the company well. However it was more like understanding and using their principles and what they do in case studies with the brand or grocery store I chose.

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The final partner interview was very relaxed. The questions were based on the core PwC values, which are posted on their website. Mainly competency based, with some background questions about interests out of the university, opinion on latest business news. You have to be prepared to present what you know about the qualification you will be working towards, if any, and also for your short and long-term plans.

Which piece of latest business news you think will affect PwC's business, how and why?

Prepare very well and read the core values. Read the latest business news, think on them and how they can affect different business and market spheres.

The online tests were done once again, this time more questions for more time. The minimum result for success was lower than of the online tests. At the end there was a group discussion, you have to be able to work under pressure, when the facts change and should be able to communicate well and efficiently in a team to succeed on this one.

The interview consisted of me being asked questions by a recent graduate in the same position and the head of the sector I was intending to get into.

The initial telephone interview was more of a background check on me and what my CV showed about me. This lasted about 20 minutes. No competency based questions and no questions regarding my motives for applying, goals in the future or anything of that variety. This was all left for the later interview in London.

The interview in London included me having to prepare a presentation on something technical I had learned in my previous work experiences or, most applicably, in my degree. My decision was on the Black-Scholes Equation, having recently applied and used this equation vastly in my recent Finance modules.

The presentation was to be 15 minutes long and was to prove I could put over complex ideas to a non-technical audience.

The interview that preceded this presentation was again mostly about myself, into my personal experiences, my work experience, my degree and the two interviewers explained their roles and their histories with the company.

After the presentation and initial interview, competency questions were asked of me. My motive, goals in my career, drive in life and other such things were discussed. (Look at the questions written in the section below for an idea).

Following this, an exercise was put in front of me by the two interviewers to replicate a potential project basis if I were to get the position. The exercise was regarding how individuals are linked via social media and other mediums and how these connections can help in fraud investigations and further investigations into crime etc. This was supposed to test your ability to spot trends and patterns on the spot, with no prior discussion or preparation, and was to see the interviewee's intellectual and analytical skills.

After this exercise, feedback was given about the presentation, my general demeanour, the interview and the exercise. Lastly, I was given a short tour of the offices before being told I would hear back in a number of days.

What do you know of BAE and its clients?

Explain a recent piece of news or a project that BAE have been a part of.

Describe a situation where you had to show your flexibility and adaptability to new surroundings, a new industry or a new subject matter. How did you react? How did you go about it? Why were you successful?

Describe a situation when you had to act with courage to solve a problem or a challenge. What did you do? Who were you working with? What was the conclusion?

Describe a situation where you have had to compromise.

Describe a situation where you have been the leader of a team.

Describe a situation when you have had to use your communication skills to help you get to a goal in a project/piece of work/activity.

Explain what you would do if you were in a team with a troubling individual and the team's goals were being affected. How would you go about the situation? Which skills would you have to use?

What is your greatest strength?

What is your greatest weakness?

If I were to ask a reference individual, what would they say you were like as individual?

Why have you been unsuccessful with previous interviews?

PRESENTATION QUESTION: Where would this equation have been utilised in a business? How would it be used? When has it been used? Any examples of it's use?

Be vastly prepared on your history.

Research into recent company news and events to discuss.

Don't think you can get away with a shoddy presentation style: be bold, be attentive to questions, be heavily prepared on it, prepare answers for questions the interviewers may ask.

Don't be scared about the exercise: it will need no prior knowledge and is about how you adapt to a new situation. Don't panic if no assumptions are easily visible - the interviewers are exceptionally helpful and understand your position.

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