We use interviews to assess your problem solving, communication and professional skills. We look for qualities including intellectual curiosity, commercial awareness, logical reasoning, creativity, analytical and numerical ability, personality, drive, and leadership.
We also assess (as indeed will you) whether you and OC&C are suited to working together. In all interviews we:
assess whether you are right for the job and whether OC&C is right for you
determine whether you would enjoy our kind of work, and how well you are likely to perform in case situations. Go to Application Tips > Case studies for more information about preparing for the case interview.
Interviews are conducted in the language of the office in which you are attending the interview. However, as most of our clients (like us) are international firms, we tend to communicate frequently in English – and being fluent in several languages certainly never hurts!
Preparing for the interviews
Forget whether you did (or did not) serve as President of the University Conker Society or spent a year nursing chimpanzees in the Ruwenzori: your CV has already done its job – you’re scheduled to come to our office for interviews. All you need to do now is look presentable, relax, and answer a few simple questions.
Of course, not all simple questions have simple answers, but a little preparation can go a long way.
Do be prepared for some obvious questions like: why do you want to be a strategy consultant and why are you interested in OC&C?
Profess a lifelong desire to write computer code for a large multinational, or to have been impressed by the calibre of OC&C’s healthcare finance division, and you may well find the rest of the interview a bit of a rocky ride. Do your research beforehand, make sure you’re clear in your own head about what you want to say and those critical first five minutes will be a breeze: your interviewers are reassured, you’re knowledgeable, relaxed, thoughtful and personable.
The interviewer will want to get a sense of who you are and what makes you tick. The trick here, of course, is that there isn’t one. Just be yourself. Do that, and it’s up to the interviewer to do his or her job and decide whether you and OC&C make a good ‘fit’.
By the same token, if you are to join our firm, you’d better be clear about what you’re getting into. The process is as much about you gauging us as it is about us getting to know you. Ask questions, probe answers, get your own feel for the firm and the people who work here. Any and every one of us will be delighted to do our best to give it to you straight about who we are and what we do.
Assessing you as a future OC&C consultant
If you’re invited to an interview it means your talent and experience have stood you in good stead: your CV has clearly come across well. The interview is now about establishing whether you’re right for us – and we for you – and whether you can do the job. That sounds pretty straightforward, but what does it actually mean? It isn’t about demonstrating in-depth knowledge of a particular industry. Nor will anyone be trying to trip you up over claims you’ve made in your CV. All you need to do is convince the interviewer that:
You think strategically and make rational, logical judgements based on a solid understanding of the fundamentals of a problem and excellent commercial acumen (a tip: your interviewer will not mistake glib sales talk for commercial acumen)
You act as a leader. Great strategies are only valuable if we can convince both our clients and our colleagues that they are correct: you will need to demonstrate your ability to communicate and motivate
You can help to build and enhance our office: we look for creative thinkers and excellent communicators, but we also require them to contribute to the fun, entrepreneurial and participative culture that prevails at OC&C
Remember: the aim of the interview is not to try and trick you or catch you out; it is to find truly exceptional individuals who will help drive our firm forward.
Do your homework, know what you want to say, and take your time. It shouldn’t be an ordeal, but an enjoyable process that enables both of us to discover whether we’re likely to get on.