<p>Are there any management consulting companies that don't use the case interview when interviewing/hiring? Or are they all ten rounds of interviews with case study questions? I find it a bit ridiculous that they expect you to buy a book and train your mind to think a certain way, even if you're most likely never going to think that way in the field. It's like the SAT's or GRE's...you never end up using the material in the long run...
Thanks</p>
<p>The kids who get these jobs are happy to play their intellectual game.</p>
<p>i wouldn’t want to invite anyone to join my firm without testing how they think - and a case interview is a great way to get a read on an interviewee within 10-15 minutes</p>
<p>also, if you join a strategy firm, then you might very well need that kind of random critical thinking ability (i’m using it right now on my project)</p>
<p>litslaf, that is exactly what management consulting is. A company will typically hire you to reduce costs, restructuring, implement a new system, or solve a management issue. Cases are a great way for recruiters to see how you can contribute to specific situations.</p>
<p>If you are willing to start off as something different (ie: marketing) then maybe you could bypass it. However, marketing = sales and that is pretty much cold-calling. It really depends on the firm though and how fluid the trajectory is. </p>
<p>Aon Consulting does not require any special preparation for some of the positions as far as I know.</p>
<p>Quality > Speed
On-The-Spot Case Interviews = (Speed > Quality)</p>
<p>I am sure it is one of the reasons why Management Consulting is not completely accepted as a useful service - too many people are hired based on their ability to navigate frivolous hiring practices and reduce the quality of the service. I am not saying that timeliness is unimportant - obviously it is in any type of organizational environment, business or otherwise. I am just saying that from what I have heard/read about these case problems given in interviews - they emphasize making up as much nonsense as you can, as fast as you can, while making it sound like sense as much as possible.</p>
<p>aon consulting isn’t a management strategy consulting firm =p</p>
<p>Well they offer some management consulting services, but its mainly human capitol/benefits/etc. I just assumed the OP would want to look broader, because any decent strategic management firm is going to require a rigorous interviewing process/case studies.</p>
<p>okay, that should lead to a broader question…</p>
<p>what kind of consulting work do you want to do? when you say “management consulting”, what kinds of projects, clients, locations does that bring to mind?</p>
<p>Thanks all for your responses.
To Redroses’ response: Don’t you think it’s pretty sad that this is what it comes down to?
To tenebrousfire’s response: Is it really 10-15 minutes only? I’ve heard of horror stories where they can take a minimum of 30 minutes, and most of the time upwards of an hour. Also, as far as random critical thinking…isn’t that more for leadership rather than every day problems that arise.
To commentcomment’s response and feeding off the last: If a company hires a mgmt consulting firm to reduce costs, restructuring etc., is it really something that 10-15 or even 1 hour case interviews will test?
To willmingtonwave’s response: the marketing/sales aspect of consulting seems much more intriguing to me than solving problems. I believe Gallup has an entrepreneurial side structured in this manner. Could you expand more on your knowledge of the sales/business development side of mgmt consulting?</p>
<p>in a 30-45 min interview it could be 15-30 minutes of cases, which test ability to think logically, creatively, and exhaustively (these abilities are important in cost reduction or restructuring, though i hope you don’t necessarily aspire to only those kinds of projects)</p>
<p>and critical thinking is useful all the time in structuring approaches to challenges</p>
<p>When you get hired by a management consulting firm, you have a long way before you lead a project. Unless you have an advanced degree and exceptional work experience, entry level jobs at a consulting firm is plenty of spreadsheet analysis and research just like many entry level jobs.</p>
<p>With that being said, firms want “smart” people. Just because you have a high GPA does not mean you are smart and logical and can think efficiently. A case study lets the recruiter see how the candidate thinks.</p>