"I know that for me, my conversation with my interviewer at the end of my interview convinced me even more that BCG was the right place."

About David

David Ogbechie is an Associate based in our London office. After studying Chemical Engineering at University College London, David joined BCG in April of 2021. Having recently gone through the interview process at BCG, David sat down to reflect on his experience and share what he learned.

Discovering A Passion For Consulting

When I started university, I wasn’t 100% sure of what career path I wanted to eventually follow. However, as an engineer, I did know that I was interested in problem solving. I wanted to find a role that would help me push my intellect and provide my the opportunity to solve some of the world's biggest problems. It was also important for me to find a career that would allow me to really make a difference in the world. With those interests in mind, I spent a lot of time exploring different career opportunities through my university’s career services programs. Early on in my second year of university, I ended up at a career event that BCG ran. I was instantly captivated by the scale of BCG’s work and the clients BCGers worked with across both the private and public sectors. I was intrigued by the sheer variety of areas BCGers could gain experience in, from professional services, to government work, to sustainability work. Being introduced to BCG and its work ignited both my interest in consulting and in BCG itself. After that event, I decided to start my journey to becoming a consultant at BCG.

A Learning Experience

The first time that I applied to BCG, I was truthfully very unfamiliar with the finer details of a consulting application process. The first step was clear though – I needed to fine-tune my resume and cover letter. As a second year, I wasn’t exactly too sure about how to structure my cover letter, so I prioritized getting feedback from as many places as possible. I not only took advantage of resourced provided by my university, but also attended several resume workshops hosted by BCG. Getting feedback from actual BCGers was incredibly valuable and helped shape my overall application for the better. After I felt confident in my resume and cover letter, I moved on to preparing for the interview. During my first time applying, I didn’t understand how to prepare for a case interview, and underestimated the amount of work required to actually perform well. Case interviews are unlike any other type of interview. The thinking is different and the skills you need are different. I was accustomed to preparing for a traditional interview, which for me, involved practicing answering questions in the few days leading up to the interview. Consulting interviews are much more structured and really serve to bring out the best in candidates to help interviewers make the right decisions. I ultimately realized that I did not put enough focus on developing the skills needed to ace a case interview. Though my first attempt at joining BCG was unsuccessful, I used that experience to reflect on what I needed to do better so that the next time I applied, I would achieve my goal of joining BCG.

Adapting My Strategy

When I applied to BCG again, I began preparing for the process a lot earlier. I continued seeking out feedback and iterating on my resume and put a particular emphasis on preparing for my case interview. One major change I made the second time around was making sure that my practice was really tailored to what BCG was actually looking for. A great place to find that is the careers website. This time I went beyond just reading BCG’s tips and tricks for case interviewing and actually wrote them down on a piece of paper. Before I would do a practice interview, I would look at that piece of paper to remind myself to be doing the things that BCG recommended. Afterwards, I would look at it again and reflect on what tips I had actually used and make sure to keep in mind the ones that I missed. As I continued preparing, the list of things that I needed to keep in mind got shorter and shorter.

One of the most important tips that I focused on was understanding the case context. It sounds simple, but it is so easy to assume that you understand what a case is, jump into a structure, and then a few minutes later find yourself lost. This happened to me several times. I got so caught up in giving a good initial framework that when I would hear a prompt, I would categorize it as a certain type of case that I would start to think about the framework far too quickly. I didn't take the time to think deeper about the context of the case or any important clarifying questions. It is far better to focus on understanding the case rather than giving the right answer, because developing that understanding will lead to a good answer.

It’s also not enough just to do a case, you want to be getting good feedback as well. A great way to get that feedback is by practicing cases with other people. I personally connected with several other students at my university that were interested in consulting and we really helped each other prepare. We utilized YouTube videos, case books provided by my university’s career services office, and of course, BCG’s own online case library to find our practice cases. A more structured way to practice cases that I took advantage of was BCG’s case workshops. I tried to make the most of the workshops by being as active as possible. I wanted to ensure I got feedback from actual BCGers to help me get an even greater understanding of what BCG is looking for in interview answers. Talking to BCGers also gave me the opportunity to learn about the more nuanced parts of an interview that I would not have learned otherwise.

Implementing My Learnings

Replicating what you do in practice is not always easy when it comes to the real thing. Nerves can definitely get in the way. But to try to combat those nerves, I wouldn’t do a case the day before my interview. Instead, I would focus on prepping for the behavioral questions to keep my mind off the case and avoid overthinking it. I used the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method when practicing answering behavioral questions, which I found to be very useful in my actual interview. That method allows me to highlight the best points in all of my personal experiences to an interviewer. Right before my case interview, I reviewed my paper of tips and tricks one last time. Thanks to all of my prep, I had internalized those tips, and was able to remember to take my time to answer a question and really synthesize my thoughts in my actual interview.

After all of that is one of the most important elements of the interview – asking questions to find out more about BCG. This provides an opportunity to connect with the interviewer and get a feel for who your potential colleagues could be and how they feel about the company. The questions you ask and interactions you have at the end of your interview can really help you understand if you are a fit for BCG. I know that for me, my conversation with my interviewer at the end of my interview convinced me even more that BCG was the right place.

My Top Advice For How To Prepare For A Case Interview

For those who are about to embark on their own journey of applying to BCG, I’d like to offer three pieces of advice:

1. Start Preparing Early. Rather than waiting until you receive an interview invite to start preparing for the process, start when you apply. The hope is that you will get to interview, so you want to make sure you are as ready as possible for when you do.

2. Find People to Practice With. Practicing for a case interview with other people is incredibly valuable. BCG offers a variety of case prep events and workshops, but I also think it’s good to try to practice with your peers. Case interview practice can be a lot more fun if you’re working with a group of peers rather than just by yourself.

3. Take Your Time. Don’t feel pressure to answer a question straight away. Something I always did was ask my interviewer if I could take a moment to think about the question I was just asked. It really helps you give the best answer possible if you slow down.

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