Consultancy Interview Questions & Answers

From start to finish the Celsius Recruitment process has been very smooth. I write this as I am about to begin a role in London in April.

Brayden was excellent over the course of the phone interview. Guiding me through the questions, and thoroughly describing the role requirements and what celsius could offer. Brayden has been a fantastic guide throughout.

N/A all questions are very standard - having never worked in sales some of the concepts were at first difficult to process.

My only advice here would be to perhaps make more information available about the companies attending the assessment centre. Whilst I had a vague understanding of what they did, I was not sure if my research was relevant.

Both assessment centres I attended were very well organised and relaxing. Directions given to the offices were also very helpful.

The day began with introductions to fellow candidates before being asked to fill out a psychometric test. After this each candidate was asked to deliver their pre-prepared official introduction to the assessors and remaining group. I found this to be a very supportive environment compared to other, more cutthroat assessment centre environments.

Will introductions complete, we moved on to a group assignment based around the concept of selling red-letter days to a fictional company. This was excellently introduced and compered by company CEO - David Shields.

Once the group task was complete, we returned to discuss our chosen paths. This smalls sales exercise gave a clear indication of what would be required later in the day.

With the morning session complete, we broke for lunch where candidates were told if they'd passed the exercises or not. At this point, we were told who would be having a face-to-face interview with the external client or if we had been taken on by Celsius who would set up future interviews for us.

The telephone interview was the third step in the recruitment process, after application and online tests. It lasted around 25 minutes, although I was told it would last between 40-60 minutes. I was asked a set of basic competency questions. I had prepared using various forums so I was able to answer all of the questions with relative ease.

The scenario questions were difficult as you cannot really prepare for them. I was asked 2 of these types of questions. The interviewer will first describe the scenario both of which were quite long and boring. One was about amending a task and the other a group situation.

Prepare thoroughly using popular forums where participants have usually described in detail what to expect. However there will always be tests you cannot fully prep for, such as role play and e-tray. Which is where I think I struggled - so make sure the preparation is there and then the rest is a bit up to luck!

Report writing, role play and e-tray. I think the e-tray is where I failed. The report writing is straightforward, candidates are given various texts and then asked to write a report with recommendations. Role play involved two situations, one with an unhappy client and another with your manager. E-tray was particularly difficult for me, there were numerical questions, voice mails, video messages.

I was interviewed by two senior consultants. The interview questions were mostly competency based. For example, to describe myself, why I decided to apply to Columbus, how do I manage my time, what are my strength and what are the weaknesses. The interview lasted about 40 minutes. I was asked to provide detailed responses to the questions.

How many balloons does it take to fill a room? What is more important for a business - making a profit or providing a great customer service?

Have a good night sleep before the assestment day and try to be confident in yourself. I I was very nervous and therefore, was unable to deliver the presentation up to my full potential. Also I would advice to research as much as possible about the company and its competitors.

The assessment centre was based in Nottingham at one of the company's offices. The activities included an individual presentation, an interview, a group exercise and a written exercise. At the end the company provided a lunch for the contestants and assessors.

It was a one on one interview covering some competency questions and going over your interest in the role, and CV. You are pulled aside during the group task at any time so you need to plan ahead for that. It was a laid back atmosphere, they're not trying to catch you out with any of the questions.

Why are you interested in Technology? Can you tell me about a time you experienced conflict in the workplace?

Make sure your role in the group task is well defined and that you contribute without talking over others. For your presentation at the end plan to have some time to practice it with your group so it looks more professional. The booklet you are provided with is very thorough, make sure all the main points they are looking for are adressed, get started with the task early (don't spend too long on the name or logo although these are important too)

We were given the job of splitting ourselves up into two teams. We were then given approximately four hours to come up with a product and a business plan, and a presentation that should be ready by the end of the day. We had to present to each other.

The initial interview was 45 minutes long conducted by an outside company on behalf of the organisation I applied for. After successfully passing this stage I went on to the Assessment Centre which was a 9-5 event at one of the Company's offices. Here we had to conduct 4 tasks throughout the day. A written one, a role play, a group task and a one to one interview. The Interview was conducted by a member of staff who worked in your chosen area. It covered both competency based questions as well as a chat about what I knew about the company and why I had chosen to apply for the position within their organisation. This is a good time to not only put yourself across as positively as possible but also learn more about the job role itself and see if you are right for the company.

What would you say was your biggest weakness and how do you combat this?

Do your research. It is integral you know what they do and why you want the role with them. I would also say relax and be confident as it shows. A positive, determined mindset definitely helps portray the right impression.

One part was the group exercise. We were split into two groups and had to read and discuss case studies. The aim was to weigh up pros and cons of both and come to an informed, agreed decision by working together.

We also had a role play exercise where we had twenty minutes to digest some information and make notes in order to go into a 'meeting' to present our findings / discuss resources.

We also had a written exercise. This was a simple exercise that showed off our comprehension, analysis and written skills. We had ample time to complete this task.

One interview happened at the assessment day. This was very relaxed. We discussed how I thought I had performed in the Assessment Day, and my background in a very general way. Importantly I was asked why I wanted to join IBM which I had a few prepared reasons, avoid the typical 'Big company, lots of opportunities' answer.
Second/final interview was more in depth. Skills and competency based questions. Going through my CV and asking for examples of where I have shown leadership/ dealt with a difficult client/ how I would deal with certain situations.....

Describe an occasion where you have thought outside the box to come up with a new way of doing something?

Prepare for the numerical tests - they are hard! Read up on the company, make sure you know about its history and its current state. Stay on top of any news articles about IBM and what it is currently working on. Speak to people who work there if you can.

Spilt into groups for two group activities - planning a client event and a task going though information and deducting an answer. A short numerical test. A business based small group exercise and an interview.

After an initial telephone interview which covered basic questions to see if I was a fit for the firm, and vice versa; I had a final interview in the offices.
The format was:
1) a presentation from a member of senior management - this contained information about the firm as a whole, and the department I was applying for. There was ample opportunity for questions along throughout.

2) a prepared 20 minute presentation from myself. The options were:
- a subject that interests you: including a brief description of the subject, how you are involved in that subject and what involvement in the subject shows about you that you think is relevant to working at the firm.
- an experience in which you were part of a team set a challenging target: describing the role you played in the team, obstacles that were encountered, how they were overcome, how you would have done things differently in hindsight and what you feel you gained from the experience.
- an experience where you have had to sell an idea or concept to other people: describing the idea, who you had to persuade, the approach you took, how the other people reacted and what you feel you gained from the experience.

This was followed by questions from the panel about my presentation.

3) a case study. A small set of data was uploaded to my laptop and I had 1 hour by myself to analyse and interpret it in any way I saw fit. After the hour I had to present my findings back to the panel and answer questions about it. The panel did give some helpful hints as to things I may have missed out in my analyzes.

4) the final stage was a competency based interview with the panel. This involved going through my CV; questioning skills which I had gained from previous jobs and giving examples of such.
I was also asked what I thought the hardest and easiest bit would be in starting the role, if I was offered it.
I had been given a sample list of competency questions prior to my interview, and as such, the questions asked did not deviate majorly from this list.

What I would find most difficult about starting the role and why? - this was difficult to answer as you had to identify a weak spot in yourself, let the panel know it, and turn it into a strong point at the same time. I combated this by acknowledging this weak point and describing how I would deal with it.

Focus on gaining knowledge of the company as a whole in preparation for your interview and not just of the department and role you are applying for.
I found it useful that during the presentation from senior management, I was able to ask questions on points they made, following what I had read myself before. This made their presentation more of a discussion, which was great.

as in the interview process above.

Why you chose to study the modules you did at university?
What do you do in your spare time?
About my pervious work on my CV?
Why I want to work in property?
Why did I apply for this job?

First was a phone interview, once though to that we were invited to the head office where we were greeted and watched a presentation about the company, the perks and jobs available. We were then asked to 'mingle' with the directors and other interviewees whilst people were in one on one interviews. The one on one interview lasted about 20 minutes, formal/casual! We were then asked to return to the room after the one on one interview. All together lasted about 2/3 hours, dress code very smart!

You find out the next day whether you got the job or not! Which is great! No waiting around for weeks!

About my pervious work on my CV? - Being a graduate, I did not have much - but luckily I have worked within the property industry before, therefore held well.

Dress code very smart!

Be yourself! Make sure you are passionate and communicate clearly.

Be prepared to ask you about what you think the role contains! Read the current workers thoughts on the jobs on the Foxtons website!! Prepares you for what to expect in the office.

All the interviewees were put in a room with 6 senior management/ directors and asked to 'mingle'. They were basically assessing our personalities and communication skills, which I thought was done in a very good way as interviewees felt conformable. In addition a one on one interview, it was very quick - but once again management made employees feel very comfortable and relaxed.

My final stage interview lasted just under an hour. I was asked questions about both the company and my own personal experience for each of the competency areas available on the website. The panel consisted of two senior managers. The format of the interview involved a series of questions which they read from a booklet and marked my answers from 1 to 5.

Describe how you have been following a recent business issue.

You should prepare answers to each of the competencies explained on the website and think about how the experiences you have had relate. The process is extremely transparent and it is just a case of preparing well in advance to avoid feeling nervous.

I firstly had to retake the online assessments (numerical and logical) before completing a written report. There was then a group exercise with 7 others in which we had to decide what steps a case study business should take.