We continue our series to help you to answer interview questions which are common for management consultancy candidates.

You have explained why your interviewers should choose you (part 1) and shown that you are the best match to the job description (part 2), now you need to show that you are a good ‘fit’. Exceptional candidates will not get the role if they cannot also prove they are an excellent ‘fit’. “Culture fit” and “Teamwork” interview questions are designed to demonstrate your potential interactions with your new manager, within the team and within the company.

“Culture fit” and “Teamwork” interview questions
 
Question 1: What’s your management style?

You may be asked to “Provide an example of a time you used your management style effectively and showed leadership”.

Oddly lots of people seem to fall down on this one, partly because different companies are looking for different things. Some interviewers will be keen to understand the size/scale of teams and budgets for which you have been responsible, others are looking for people development experience and examples of managing people issues. Alternatively, they could mean leadership in the context of complex clients/stakeholders that need careful day-to-day management. In general, it is best to aim for the middle ground – people skills. Discuss a project and scenario in which you are well versed: provide context with details about the scale of the project and the client too.

If the focus is on management, an excellent place to start is to identify your leadership style. Once you have determined your style, demonstrate your effectiveness within specific successful projects/scenarios.

Question 2: Give an example of a challenge you faced and how you overcame it.

Avoid personal conflict and instead focus on project challenges and how you overcame them. Highlight your professional nature, your clear communication with colleagues and clients and ideally how you resolved the issue. Most importantly, make sure your answer refers to what YOU were responsible for, the actions you took and their impact: rather than slip into generically describing what happened on a project or what other people did.

Question 3: How do you cope under pressure?

An example to back up a general statement would be good here and avoid sounding too vague or clichéd. Use the scenario to show how your professional approach enabled you to navigate a stressful situation with ease.

Question 4: How would your friends describe you?

See the advice from part 1: ‘What are your greatest strengths?’. DO NOT repeat verbatim if this question has already been asked, however this is a superb time to highlight a strength that has not already been covered during your interview.

Question 5: What do you like to do for fun?

Use this opportunity to highlight your personality and some interests that suggest personal goals/drive beyond work. Be honest and don’t exaggerate but try to think of at least one thing that sounds interesting and indicative of a bit of “get up and go”! If you don’t have any hobbies… avoid admitting it! Statements such as ‘football – mostly from the comfort of my armchair’ would be an immediate turn-off as they suggest a lack of energy (this was a genuine response a colleague of mine received).

Although these interview questions can trip up the unwary. They are not only an opportunity for your potential employer to determine if you are a good fit. They help you decide if the role and the employer is a good fit for you.

:by Amy Burrell