Preparing for your Interview

A.T. Kearney's interview process typically consists of up to three rounds conducted by our senior consultants.

If you are invited to participate in the process, you can expect that all rounds will include a combination of case and fit interviews. The case study interview means that in addition to discussing our firm and your future with us, the A.T. Kearney consultants you meet will also present you with real-world business problems and ask you to develop solutions. While we look for many qualities in our applicants, we will be most interested in your ability to think and communicate as we believe a successful consultant should. A case interview gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your consulting potential.

The cases you encounter, whether in the standard case interview or case presentation format, are based in part on actual A.T. Kearney engagements and focus on areas such as industry analysis, market expansion, profit improvement, pricing alternatives, merger planning, and investments. In general, the best way to approach a case interview is to enter it as a consultant would enter a client's office or board room—ready to gather and analyse information, arrive at solid conclusions, and communicate them persuasively. A.T. Kearney consultants who have conducted case interviews offer the following advice:

Approach the Case Logically

• Listen and clarify. Be certain that you have and understand all the relevant facts.
• Think "top down." Work from the most to least critical issues.
• Hypothesise. Develop alternate solutions, questioning until you see the most promising answers.
• Develop the solution. Test and refine your chosen hypothesis through further questioning.
• Communicate. In presenting your solution, be authentic, poised, clear, and concise. Avoid jargon.
• Adjust. If things aren't going well, be willing to back up and try a different approach.
• Verify. Be sure you are answering the right question.

Think Creatively

• Challenge conventions. We seek people who can see creative, workable solutions to problems.
• Look beyond the numbers. Consider the products, processes, and people behind them.
• Adopt the CEO's perspective. Don't just solve a problem. Solve it for the client.
• Look at organisational and cultural issues. Consider a solution's impact on people.
• Don't force your solution to fit a standard framework. Fit it to the problem.
• Don't search for the "silver bullet." Complex problems rarely have simple solutions.
• Be coachable. Listen to the interviewer's feedback and ask for help if you need it.