Grow Further.

Experienced Hires
Interview Guide
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 CONTENTS

The Interview Process

Interviewer’s Perspective

Why We Use Case Studies and How to Prepare

Sample Case

Practice Advice and Logistics

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 WELCOME TO BCG

Congratulations on being offered an interview with The

Boston Consulting Group (BCG). To make it this far, you
are already an outstanding candidate with the education,
background and experience we value.

This document is designed to help you prepare for your

upcoming interviews and to help answer some of the
questions you may have at this stage.

About The Boston Consulting Group

BCG is a global management consulting firm and the
world’s leading advisor on business strategy. We partner
with clients in all sectors and regions to identify their
highest-value opportunities, address their most critical
challenges, and transform their businesses.

Our customised approach combines deep insight into the

dynamics of companies and markets with close collabo-
ration at all levels of the client organisation. This ensures
that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage,
build more capable organisations, and secure lasting
results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with
more than 65 offices in over 40 countries and around
4,500 consultants worldwide

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 INTERVIEW
PROCESS

The interview process consists of three rounds of
interviews, with six individual interviews in total.
Our Interviews
Each interview will be conducted by a senior BCG
consultant, oen a Principal or Partner, and will last
about 45 minutes:
◊ 10-25 mins: The personal interview – an open
discussion on your prior experiences,accomplishments
and motivations
◊ 20-25 mins: The case study – work through a typical
business problem that you would confront at BCG
◊ 5-10 mins: Q&A – your chance to ask questions
How You Will be Evaluated
Each interviewer will try to develop a comprehensive
understanding of your potential for BCG. To achieve this,
they will seek to evaluate you against three broad
criteria.
Can You Solve Complex Problems
and Generate Insight?
Consulting requires you to structure problems and
resolve ambiguity. You need to show business judgment
and the ability to prioritise. You need to be rigorous,
accurate and quantitatively sound. We are looking for
individuals who are curious and creative, who go beyond
the obvious. Finally you need to be able to synthesise
and develop conclusions.
Do You Have the Communication Skills
and Presence Needed for Consulting?
Do you project self-assurance and credibility? You should
communicate concisely and eff ectively, actively listen,
and show that you can build relationships and trust.

How Eff ective and Impactful are You?

We are looking for self-motivated and tenacious
individuals who are both leaders and team players.
We will test that your answers have substance and
that you can back up your claims. Do you actively
pursue self-development and drive to deliver results?

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 INTERVIEWER’S
PERSPECTIVE

“
Name: Anne It’s not just what you say, but how you say it.
Role: Principal, Head of Experienced Hires Recruiting Know what you want to say, say it clearly, and
Education: Bachelor, Economics and Government, Claremont
then stop.
Mckenna College; MBA, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
Prior Experience: Sr. Associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers;

“
Director of Corp. Fin., CarsDirect.com, Inc.
BCG Experience: Anne focuses on Technology, Media &
Telecom and has also worked in Consumer and Financial
institution strategy.
Focus on the question being asked and use the
opportunity to really make your achievements
or skills shine through. Veering off topic is an
easy but avoidable mistake.

“
At the start of case interviews, stick to the
basics and don’t over-complicate. Lay out
your structure for the interviewer and use
questions to test your thinking. Follow a clear
and logical path and don’t jump to the answer.
Don’t be afraid to test complex solutions but
let the interaction take you there so that the
interviewer can follow your logic.

“
Make an impression with your questions to
your interviewer – use them to show you have
done your research and that you are keen to be
a consultant but more importantly a BCG
consultant!

Picture of Paddy

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 GIVING A GOOD
IMPRESSION
“
This is a chance to show the interviewer the
unique qualities that you can bring to BCG.
Whatever your background is – take time to
think about your past experiences. Focus on
the skills and perspectives that they have
given you.
Clare, Consultant
Don’t worry about whether your experience to date really
‘fits’ with BCG; people here come from a wide range of
backgrounds, and diversity is actively encouraged.
Sell yourself; think in advance about how the skills
you’ve acquired will be useful in the consulting world.
Drive and determination are highly valued at BCG, so
think about how you have shown these in your
previous experience.
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Come prepared for questions on, for example, what
motivated you to do certain things; what you learnt, what
you might do differently next time around – in your
extra-curricular as well as working life.
Let your enthusiasm and passion for what you do and
have done come through.
Take the time to really listen to the interviewer and to
reflect on the question if you need to. A considered
response shows confidence.
Don’t hold back from asking questions. Curiosity is a
positive characteristic, and the interview is of course a
two-way process – it’s another opportunity for you to find
out more about BCG and the people who work here.
Role: Consultant
Education: BA, English, Cambridge University
Prior Experience: Six years in Brand Management at Procter
& Gamble
BCG Experience: Since joining BCG, Clare has worked mainly
in the Pharmaceuticals industry across projects as diverse as
organisation design, sales effectiveness and training
development. She has also worked within the Retail and
Financial services sectors on portfolio/category design and
optimisation
02/02/2011 09:55:22
 THE PERSONAL
INTERVIEW

The Personal Interview

The personal interview is an open discussion on your
prior experiences, accomplishments and motivations.
While we recommend that you prepare for some of the
more obvious questions, try to be yourself and let your
own personality shine through. Be ready to think on your
feet for any unexpected questions.

Some typical questions that you should be ready to

answer include

◊ Why strategy consulting? Why BCG?

◊ What attributes do you have which would make you a
valuable addition to BCG?
◊ What is your greatest strength? Your greatest weakness?
◊ When have you demonstrated leadership?

The interviewer will spend time talking to you about

your application, so you should know it inside-out.

It might be helpful to prepare the following to ensure

you communicate your ‘story’ effectively in one minute,
two minute, five minute versions: What you did at each
job, what you learned, how you got the next position
- tie your experiences into a career. What sets you
apart? Be prepared to guide the conversation if
appropriate.

The interviewer will also try to determine what you

would be like to work with and whether you will fit in
with the BCG culture which is open and collaborative.
Keep it conversational and fun. Show energy and
confidence – smile and engage the interviewer.

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 THE PERSONAL
INTERVIEW
“
Before the interview, make sure you are clear
on your rationale behind your choice to be
there. Being able to clearly and genuinely
articulate your desire to be at BCG should
naturally spring up from your self awareness.
Sasa, Project Leader
Refl ect on the qualities that you bring to the table,
the ones specifi c to a career in strategy consulting as
well as broader ones. Also, be clear on where your
developmental areas are. O en an interviewer will
ask a generic personal question like “How do you
think your peers see you?”. The point here is to get to
know you, so be elaborate and bring out the unique
person that you are. At BCG, respect for the individual
is a strong undercurrent of our culture and this starts
with respect for oneself – do be authenticand genuine.
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Use your CV to bring out anecdotal evidence of your own
set of strengths and weaknesses. This is an opportunity
to bring out the true you in a real life scenario.
Do ask questions when off ered the chance toward the
end of the interview. Take this opportunity to build a
rapport with the interviewer. Try to get to know the
person behind the face, what drives and motivates them.
While every interview is somewhat a performance, the
point is to get to know the true you. I found that
reminding myself that the interviewer is just another
person helped me relax and be myself.
Role: Project Leader
Education: BSc, International Business & Computer Science,
Charles Sturt University, Australia; MBA, London
Business School
Prior Experience: Five years as co-founder of an
IT consultancy
BCG Experience: Sasa has recently been working on an
oilfield services case for a Private Equity client
02/02/2011 09:55:25
 WHY WE USE
CASE STUDIES

Why We Use Case Studies

Case studies help us gain insight into how you might
approach and analyse a typical business issue. We want
to assess your problem-solving capabilities, analytics
and business judgment. We find that case studies are
the best way of evaluating this.

Case studies also give you a perspective of what

consultants do. The case studies are representative of our
work. Our interview cases are generally taken from real
BCG case work.

Similar to a case study, as a consultant at BCG, you would

be trusted to lead case team knowledge and thinking on
a specific module. You would encounter complex problems
and be expected to gather and synthesise data and find
innovative solutions. Above all you are expected to think
strategically and go beyond the obvious.

However, keep in mind that in the interview there are not

always clear ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers. To do well on the
case, the interviewer is looking for you to

◊ Provide a clear structure for your analysis

◊ Prioritise the components of the problem
◊ Listen and use relevant information to develop
a clear recommendation

Case performance is not the only metric BCG uses to

evaluate candidates; others include education, work and
life experiences as well as interpersonal and
communication skills.

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 HOW TO PREPARE
FOR THE CASE

How to Prepare for and Approach the Case Some Tips for Practising Case Studies
Generally, the case interview will follow 5 broad stages. We recommend that when practising the case studies,
Below we have identified some typical areas that may be you make it as realistic as possible (e.g. timing, write
covered in each, but be aware that case studies are a down ideas/approach, talk out loud). If practising with
discussion rather than of a set format. friends, playing the interviewer role may help to see
things from the “other side”.
Introduction
Understand the situation and question. Organise the Ask friends who have experience with case interviews for
facts and ensure they are current. Ask questions to advice or for mock interviews.
clarify any details of which you are unsure.
For further problem solving practice, you could
Approach investigate
Take some time to think and structure how you want ◊ Publications such as Vault, Wet Feet
to tackle the case. Use what makes sense to you - not ◊ Interview workshops and mock interviews
necessarily a traditional framework. Develop some ◊ Student peers, current and former BCG-ers
working hypotheses and prioritise!

Analytics
Practising this approach through the example cases in this brochure and online at
Investigate the case and focus on the question posed.
www.bcg.com, should help you familiarise yourself with case studies and perform
Follow a fact-based approach. Ground any assumptions to the best of your ability on the day.
in logic. Summarise your thinking at regular intervals
and outline explicitly the direction of your argument.
Remember to sense check your results.
Introduction Approach Analytics Recommendations Next Steps

Recommendation • Pose problem to • Provide guidance • Ask questions to check • Prompt for recom- • May prompt with

BCG Role
be solved and steer discus- logic and rationale mendation “is there anything
Summarise your findings and drive to conclusions. • Provide basic facts sion • Provide data and • Test and validate else that should be
(will vary in detail) context recommendations considered?”

Next Steps • Clarify details as • Explain approach • Ask for relevant • Conclude analyses • Identify next steps
If appropriate, outline any gaps in the approach/ necessary to make • State and prioriti- data; explain any with actionable for investigation,
Your Role

sure you under- se hypotheses assumptions recommendations assumptions to

analytics. What else should be considered? stand the problem • Identify which ana- • Execute computa- • Tie back to initial verify
• Take some time lyses you think you tions hypotheses • Possible imple-
to develop an ap- need and why • Explain the impact mentation steps
proach
Evaluation

• N/A • Logical, structured • Accuracy and effici- • Clarity and succinct- • Creativity, broader
thinking ency of computations ness of recommenda- thinking, ability
• Able to translate tions to translate into
into meaning actionable steps

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 ANSWERING THE
CASE STUDY
“
Don’t worry if you don’t have any specific
knowledge relating to the case. If you are
uncertain of an answer, focus on explaining
your proposed approach. In my final
interview I was set a problem on an industry
of which I had no prior knowledge.
Mary, Project Leader
Having thought for a while about how to start I explained
what I understood to be the key issues. The interviewer
then provided guidance on how I could delve deeper into
the problem.
Make sure you structure your response before you start.
Avoid the temptation to rush into solving the problem, as
creating a structure will ensure you break down the
problem and off er a concise answer. Start by laying out
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the structure you will follow, for example saying "There
are three key issues to consider: Firstly,...". This provides
the interviewer an opportunity to help you re-focus on a
sub-set of these issues. Having established a structure,
do not feel the need to rigorously stick with it as your
interviewer may want to take you on a diff erent path.
Discuss the case with the interviewer and let them know
what your approach is at each stage. Use them to discuss
the problem. If you make an error, the interviewer will
help you to correct it quickly. Don’t worry – it is not about
reaching a specifi c answer but showing the interviewer
how you think.
Interviewers will not want you to simply recite
frameworks; it is important that they can see how you
structure problems. I used some frameworks in my
interviews but no case ever stuck to these completely so
don’t be limited by them and don’t worry if the case
doesn’t go in the direction you had prepared for.
Role: Project Leader
Education: BA, Social Anthropology, Cambridge University
Prior Experience: Five years with Unilever working across sales
and finance
BCG Experience: Mary has worked on cases in private equity
and retail since joining; most recently she has been focusing on
strategy within the energy industry
02/02/2011 09:55:28
 CASE EXAMPLE

Our client is a leading UK mobile phone network operator Interviewee Question/Response

with slowing revenue growth and falling profits. They want
our help to increase the profitability of their core business
(ie phone calls and SMS) in the UK. On which factors do
you think they should focus?
Interviewee Question/Response
Ask clarifying questions if necessary
“Do we want to focus only on phone calls and SMS - is
exploring new revenue streams part of the case?”
Interviewer’s Thoughts and Responses
Candidate is ensuring he/she understands case and
asking for clarification before answering question
“Yes, that is a good point but the client only wants us to
focus on phone and SMS revenues. Also consider that the
case is UK specific.”
Exhibit 1: UK Mobile Phone Market
Take some time to digest the information and come up
with some quick hypotheses
“Increasing profitability means increasing revenue and/
or decreasing costs. Some things I’d like to look into are:
◊ Growing the number of customers
◊ Increasing the amount each customer spends
◊ Reducing costs”
Interviewer’s Thoughts and Responses
Structures the problem. A good start with some clear
hypotheses but could go into a little more depth
“OK. We have some basic market data in Exhibit 1.
Have a look – does this change your thinking?”
Interviewee Question/Response
“It seems the number of active users is flattening off, but
only two thirds of the 60m people in the UK are active users.
So the client could try to win non-users as customers or
poach customers from other networks.”

Active Users (M) Interviewer’s Thoughts and Responses

Shows creativity in thinking about the problem.
37 37 38
40 36 36 Identifies two sources of new customers.
34 35
32 “Good point. I can tell you that there’s little room to cut
costs and winning non-users has proved tough. So let’s
26 take this idea of poaching customers forward.”
Pre-paid
20 25 25 25 26 Interviewer is steering conversation towards one
17 23 24
12 particular hypothesis. If this happens, go with it!
20
15 “Where would you start with this idea?”
9 4
2 14 15 Subscription
11 14 12 12 12 12 12
12
7

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

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 CASE EXAMPLE

Interviewee Question/Response Interviewer’s Thoughts and Responses

Feel free to take some time to think about this – you “Good. So to get to profitability by customer type you’re
don’t need to jump in straight away! assuming each customer type costs the same to serve,
“The client could do a number of things including: which is a fair assumption.”
◊ Reducing pricing to get more customers Candidate made this implicit assumption – a strong
◊ Better marketing and advertising” candidate would point this out
“Can you rank how profitable these customer types are?”
Interviewer’s Thoughts and Responses
“That sounds logical and the client is keen to do both. Do Interviewee Question/Response
you think there are differences between customers which “Yes, that’s the assumption. Give me a moment.”
need to be thought about?” Divide revenue contribution by client customers by
segment to get revenue per customer. Explain your
Interviewee Question/Response answer (shown on next page).
“The client should target the most profitable customers. One
place to start might be looking at pre-paid vs subscription Interviewer’s Thoughts and Responses
customers. Do we know anything about the profitability of Demonstrates rigour in analysis
these customers?” “Good. So you now know how profitable these customer
types are. What should the client do then?”
Interviewer’s Thoughts and Responses
Shows business judgement. Excellent. Honed in on the key Exhibit 2: Subscription Customer Segmentation
issue of profitability of different customer types
“Great. Pre-paid customers are on the average less profitable
than subscription customers. Have a look at Exhibit 2 which Average Market Client Revenue Customers
Age in Share by Customers by Contribution Leaving Each
shows different subscription customer types for the client. Customer Segments Segment Segment in % Segment in % by Segment in % Year in %
We call these ‘segments’. Can you tell anything about the
Older Sleepers 50 20 25 25 20
profitability of different types of customers here?”
Hyperactives 35 5 10 30 20

Interviewee Question/Response Incomers 45 10 10 10 20

Take a moment to look at this carefully
Moderns 35 30 30 15 30
“Yes – there’s a column with revenue contribution from the
client segment and also segment share for client. That tells Careful 40 15 15 5 30
you how much revenue you get from a typical customer in
Young Movers 22 20 10 15 50
each segment.”
39 100 100 100 28

Total Customers – 12M 4M £1.5Bn

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 CASE EXAMPLE

Interviewee Question/Response
“Go aer the most profitable customers – Hyperactives and
Young Movers are the top two.”
Interviewer’s Thoughts and Responses
Able to digest the information to prioritise the customer
segments. A strong candidate would also have
proactively considered the differences in retention
between customer segments.
“This sounds fair. We had some information earlier in
Exhibit 2. Can you use that to recommend what the client
could do to go aer these customer segments?”
Interviewee Question/Response
“The client’s doing well with Hyperactives with a higher
than market share of these customers and below average
percent leaving each year. On the contrary, the client has
below average penetration with Young Movers with a very
high percentage leaving each year. The client should assess
what it is doing well with Hyperactives and further
consolidate these customers and also look more closely at
what Young Movers want and address the high percentage
leaving each year.”
Interviewer’s Thoughts and Responses
Synthesises and able to develop conclusion
Accurately described the issues with these two customer
segments
“Excellent. Now have a think of what could be done to
improve the client’s share of Young Movers and how to
retain these customers. And if the CEO of the client walks
in and asks you for a 15 second summary of your latest
thinking, what would you say?”
Interviewer wants to close off the interview and push
towards a concise recommendation

Interviewee Question/Response
Profitability of the Customer Segments
“I’d say, the client needs to focus on the highly profitable
Hyperactives and Young Movers segments. Consolidate with
Client Customer Client Revenue Estimated Revenue Estimated Hyperactives and improve penetration and loyalty of Young
Customer Segments Share in % Contribution in % per Customer in £ Profitability Rank
Movers”.
Older Sleepers 25 25 375 3rd

Hyperactives 10 30 1,125 1st

Interviewer’s Thoughts and Responses
Concise and to the point. A strong candidate would have
Incomers 10 10 375 3rd also proactively described ways to improve loyalty of
Moderns 30 15 187.5 5th Young Movers, such as loyalty rewards and/or upgraded
handsets.
Careful 15 5 125 6th

Young Movers 10 15 562.5 2nd

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 SOME FINAL TIPS
Practical Advice and Logistics
If staying overnight before the interview, familiarise
yourself with the route and time from your hotel to the
office/interview location.
Aim to arrive ten to fieen minutes before the interview.
You’ll be given short biographies of your interviewers
when you arrive; in addition to presenting a good
impression and allowing you time to relax, arriving early
will give you a chance to familiarise yourself with your
interviewers’ backgrounds.
BCG consultants may be in the interview waiting area
and if so, are happy to discuss any aspect of BCG or the
interview. Do let them know if you would prefer some
peace and quiet however!
General Do’s ...
◊ Listen to the interviewer and interact with him/her
◊ Structure the problem by developing a customised
framework
◊ Focus on issues where most impact can be brought
◊ Explore a variety of options with creative thinking
◊ Demonstrate business judgment
◊ Make quick and accurate calculations
◊ Synthesise your thoughts and conclude your analysis
LON_Recruiting_Booklet_Jan2011.indd 28-29
... and Don’ts
◊ Jump immediately into the analysis without
the proper level of understanding
◊ Panic if the answer isn’t readily apparent
◊ Defend your own solution at all cost
◊ Internalise your thought process
◊ Stick to an artificial framework (3 C’s, 4 P’s, ...)
◊ Circulate cases or use advance knowledge
Finally – be confident in yourself. We are oen unable
to offer excellent candidates an interview due to the
very competitive process. Getting this far is already very
impressive. We hope that together with the information
presented here, you will be able to enjoy the experience
and perform to the best of your ability.
Good luck, and we look forward to
meeting you soon.
02/02/2011 09:55:30
 Any further questions?
If you would like to find out more about BCG London,
please visit our website www.bcg.com or contact the
London recruiting team.
Phone: +44 207 753 5353

BCG is an equal opportunity employer.

© The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. 2008. All rights reserved.

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