If you are on this page, we assume that you are one of those sincere candidates preparing for a Consulting Interview. You are aware that the Consulting hiring process needs a lot of research, analysis, and networking. Upon choosing this career, you might have asked yourself, “Why Consulting?” And a majority of the time, interviewers ask this question. There might be several personal reasons for choosing this field. However, they might not be the answers that you should be sharing in the interview.
In this article we will be discussing things:
- Why the question “Why Consulting is asked in the interviews often
- Reasons for “Why consulting”
- Do’s and Don’t of How to answer “Why Consulting.”
- A sample pitch for reference.
So let’s dive into each topic by exploring each of them in detail.
Why is the “Why Consulting” Question Often Asked In The Interview?
Initially, you might think that this question is so often asked doesn’t hold much value. But mind you! Just a simple question can give the interviewer a good idea about your whole personality!
You might be wondering how but let us tell you. Asking this question will give them a sense of:
- What your understanding about consulting is
- What excites you the most about consulting
- How well your understanding aligns with the firm’s values
- How well you are good at researching
- Your thought process and how well you can structure it.
- Your communication, comprehension, and most importantly, presentation skills
- To check if you are not trying to fake it(Yes, the consequent questions asked to you will depend on how you answer this question). So the moment you start exaggerating, remember that the person opposite you is an expert in that field.
A single question will form the base of so many upcoming questions and reflect upon your personality. Moreover, the interviewer will truly know if you are interested in this field or not.
But why?
It is because it takes a lot of expenditure to train a consultant. Moreover, they are aware that many candidates apply “Just for the sake” of applying without concrete knowledge.
So now, since you are aware of why this question is important, let’s move ahead to the reasons for Why consulting.
Why Consulting? Here Are The Reasons You Should Mention
- Opportunity To Solve Complex Problems And Proving Impactfulness
Had solving problems been an easy task, there wouldn’t exist the Top Management Consulting firms. There would be no need for the companies to hire such experts. So if you are into consulting, problem-solving should be a romantic saga for you. There has to be a quench for finding optimal solutions. However, the main idea to solve a problem is to break a complex problem into small chunks. Then those small chunks need to be solved (keeping the necessary conditions in mind) while putting back the entire thing together.
- Getting a Chance To Work With Seniors And Executives Like CEO, COO
If exposure excites you, consulting might be the best partner for you to spend your life with. At the starting of your career, you may have to focus entirely on your project such that you master it. However, you will be investing more in networking in the long run, building relations with senior heads. There will be an “n” number of times when you will have to attend meetings, interact with the seniors, and exchange ideas. You will have to understand their goals, vision, and missions to keep those relationships last.
- Being a Part of New Projects In a Short period
Usually, consulting projects have a lifespan of 4 weeks to 30 weeks. Here you will get to learn about an industry more than it appears to be. You will be facing ample challenges that will form the stepping stones of your career. But how?
If you are successful in helping businesses solve their challenges, be ready as they will be again referring back to you in the future. This is the best way in which a project will help you gain knowledge, think creatively, implement solutions and build long-term relations.
- Traveling
It might not be applicable for several firms, but most of them find that it is essential to spend time with the clients on-site. But why?
This would help the consultant understand the client’s environment, values, and the hurdles they face while meeting their business objectives.
Do’s And Don’t Of How To Answer “ Why Consulting?”
Every question asked in the interview will be a test of your communicating skills. However, the same isn’t true with this question. This 2-word question definitely will not have a crisp 2- line answer. Let’s get started with what you should be doing.
Do’s While Answering The Question
- Structure The Answer Into Chunks.
How well you can break the answer into different structures will create a lasting impact on your interviewer. Now that you are aware of why you want to be a consultant mention 2 reasons. To justify that, state the reasons behind “ Why Consulting? ”and give a short introduction about that reason. Then, to justify that reason, mention all the necessary skills to possess or plan to inculcate sooner. You need to give examples of HOW, WHEN, WHY you implemented this skill in real life. You have you walk him through your experience. And even if you are acquiring some, what plans and actions have you thought of to do so.
- Give Your Personal Answer.
Remember that the interviewer might have interviewed hundreds of candidates in the past. And honestly speaking, they all get bored upon hearing the generic information on Google over and over again. This is why sharing your personal experience and thoughts is extremely important, along with citing reasons. You know why you like Problem-solving, right? Justify that using your own set of sentences.
But how to personalize the answers?
Question yourself.
Now that you know the reasons for “Why Consulting”, you should be able to relate it to your experiences.
Just citing the reasons will portray that you have mugged up Google. Don’t let it happen! While framing out the perfect answer to Why Consulting, ask yourself the following questions:
- What does consulting provide, which other industries don’t: Learn about the different aspects of consulting and compare them with other industries.
- What will consulting provide to me which other industries will not: After all, you are your decision-maker. The aspects of consulting will help you make this decision.
- Am I excited about consulting? But why?: If you have the desired skills and knowledge, you will most likely enjoy it.
- What is the career path of consultants?: Ten years from now, you don’t want to see yourself as an entry-level consultant. That is why knowing the career path is essential.
- Will the firm’s values align with mine?: You are going to spend 50% of your day with the organization you are working for. This is the most important question to research for.
All these questions will give you a personalized approach while framing the answer.
- Your Body Language And Gestures Should Speak For You.
Research shows that body language has 55%, tone- modulation has 38% impact, and words have a mere 7% impact on communication. That doesn’t mean you will neglect the usage of more words. Upon comprehension, the structuring and presentation and the next highly important factors as mentioned above. You might have crafted the best answer to the question. However, if your voice and body language don’t support this, then be assured that your interviewer isn’t convinced with your answer. So, after crafting your answer, ensure to read it out loud in front of the mirror. Practice 3-4 times. It would surely make a difference.
Don’ts While Answering The Question
- Sharing a Set Of Generic Answers
Sharing generic information is never a good sign. Neither are canned answers. ENsure to do proper research about the firm before mentioning them in your answer. This will reflect your awareness and prove your solid research skills. For example, Deloitte provides several travel opportunities to Consultants. It is a part of their job. But the same is not with Accenture. So, if traveling excites you as a part of consulting, don’t mention it while answering to Accenture.
- Don’t Mention These Reasons At All
There are a number of reasons why people choose consulting. However, it is never a good option to mention these reasons:
- Exploring different industries to finally realize your passion and what you would like to do as a professional clearly shows your lack of interest and awareness about the responsibilities a consultant does. It also shows that you haven’t researched much about the position you are applying for.
- Getting highly paid: Who doesn’t want money? But your answer shouldn’t be money-oriented. This will imply that once you get a career option with more money involved, you wouldn’t mind switching over to that role.
- Pursuing higher studies sooner: This statement is a red flag. Never make the mistake of saying this in an interview. It may be for the role of Software Developer or a Business Analyst. This will point out two things.
Firstly: You are applying for the consultant role just because you have not secured any scholarship or seat for postgraduate. Secondly, it shows that you are joining to gain some experience and leave the company soon after it.
Sample Answer to Why Consulting?
Keeping the above-mentioned points in our mind, we have framed a sample answer. But remember! Ensure to add your own flavor to this sample.
“While pursuing my Graduation, I had several career options in front of me. However, Today I am convinced that consulting is the best for me. (if you have some experience, consider saying this line: My past experiences as a consultant have made me realize that this is something I would love to pursue for the rest of my life).
The first reason being, I have a knack for the different roles and responsibilities of this job. Secondly, I believe that I possess the necessary skills to be a successful consultant and add value to this firm.
Let me start with why I have a knack for the different roles and responsibilities. Upon coming across different sources and from your website, I understand the importance of these projects from your client’s perspective.
For example, I got to know that when Unilever was your client, your sales enhanced considerably after improvising the pricing strategy. This is the work that excites me. I will get a chance to work on the most pressing problems from a business perspective and devise solutions.
The second reason is that I will get ample exposure to several projects and executives. I have always been open to learning new things. In the past also, I was a part of Music society that helped me gain exposure to new projects and build relationships with the most influential people in that field.
As far as my skill set is concerned, I love problem-solving. During my experiences with my society, I had to figure out why there was a fall in our social media engagement rate.
I jotted down the potential reasons and collected insights to determine what was hampering the engagement. As a result, I worked with the Social Media managers to provide them with the solutions.
I also tend to meet the deadlines within the required timeframe. Even though I was an engineering student, I had submitted all my assignments, presentations, and project work on time to avoid the last-minute unnecessary hustle.
I also believe to possess leadership skills because of my intuitiveness, sense of responsibility, and bringing harmony among all my team members.
Thus, keeping these points in mind and learning with experience, I am convinced that Consulting is the best fit for me regarding the skillset, past experiences, and career aspirations that I possess. I am looking forward to being a valuable asset to your firm.”
Final Thoughts
Now that you are well aware of how to answer “Why consulting,” which reasons apart from the above-mentioned excite you the most? Did this article give you the proper solution to the 2-liner complex question? Feel free to share your thoughts and answers in the comments below.
Also read Why Do You Want to Be a Dentist? – How to Answer?
