First and Last Name Interview Preparation Notes and

[First and Last Name] Interview Preparation Notes and Outlines 1

Big Picture – Positioning Pillars Why Role Significant Achievement/Results Stakeholder Mgmt / Team Work Creativity / Thought Leadership Analytic Abilities Problem Solving Specific Skills – Role and Company Leadership General Skills Role Business Perspective / Passion Self-Awareness Why Firm/Company 2

Areas of Preparation ① Introduction ② Foundation ③ Function ④ Challenge ⑤ Company Expected questions for every interview Experience-based questions Variety of questions targeted to the specific role and function Topics which address individual professional history Information to discuss specific to each company TMAY Key Strengths Why this role Why this company ST and LT career goals • What motivates you • Why should we hire you • Significant achievement • Leadership experience(s) • Driving change • Driving decisions • Problem solving • Analytic abilities • Creativity • etc. • Salary expectations • Why are you leaving your current role • Why did you quit, get laid off, etc. • Why is there a gap in your resume • Failure • Conflict with team member and/or boss • Conflict with client • Relocation • Products and services • Organization and leadership • Marketing messaging • Financial information • Recent activities • Key customers • Industry analysis • Current challenges and needs • • • Role/function specific topics • Cases • Technical finance and accounting questions • Marketing knowledge and skills • Operations knowledge • Technology and IT understanding • etc. This section may be broken out as a separate document. Use the guide for Interview Preparation and also, to create your Professional Portfolio 3

① Introduction 4

1. TMAY – Content Overview Opening • • 2 -3 key themes about your background A positioning statement about your professional value Key Highlights • • Identify education (school, degree, honors) Work experience: - Role 1 (key responsibilities, 1 major accomplishment) Role 2 (key responsibilities, 1 major accomplishment) Role 3 (key responsibilities, 1 major accomplishment) Current role (key responsibilities, 1 major accomplishment) Highlights to include: • Major challenges to the business • Key pivot points • Awards, recognition • Reasons for transition to new roles/responsibilities • Use facts, #’s, and other powerful messages • May group content based on # of roles, experience – not needed to explain each role (especially with numerous experiences) Closing Information to communicate: • Why seeking a new role/desire to pursue new challenges • State interest/connect with this role • Strengths/value you would bring to this role/the company • Address any “issues” in your background The best TMAY is concise and shows your value – NOT a detail of your work history 5

1. TMAY Outline Opening • Update Key Highlights • Update Closing • Update 6

2. Key Strengths 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Examples • Strength 1: • Strength 2: • Strength 3: • Strength 4: • Strength 5: Update Update 7

3. Career Goals LT Career Goals ST How this role fits 8

② Foundation 9

② Foundation Questions Role / Function Consulting 1) Leadership (Significant accomplishment) 2) Influence 3) Initiative 4) Team Leadership 5) Team work (best team) 6) Problem Solving 7) Analytics 8) Creativity / Thought Leadership 9) Ambiguity 10) Leadership style 10

Experience Inventory (Top Stories) # 1 Experience Title Key Skills Big Deal Significant Accomplishment 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Conflict 12 Failure 11

1. Leadership (Note: Should be most significant accomplishment) Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 12

2. Influence Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 13

3. Initiative Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 14

4. Team Leadership Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 15

5. Team work (Best Team) Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 16

6. Problem Solving Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 17

7. Analytics Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 18

8. Creativity / Thought Leadership Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 19

9. Ambiguity Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 20

10. Leadership Style 3 elements of Leadership Style Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions which demonstrated your style) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 21

③ Function 22

1. Why Consulting Motivation to pursue (Story or connection) Attributes of the role Closing point 23

2. Client Relationship Management Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 24

3. Tight Deadlines Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 25

4. Ideal Project Criteria Industry • Update (Business objective/initiative) Client • Update (Business challenge) Business Issue • Update 26

5. Descriptors (How would others describe you) Descriptor 1 Descriptor 2 Descriptor 3 • Descriptor • Why Value to consulting 27

④ Challenge 28

1. Conflict Situation • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (Business challenge) Actions (Focus on your actions to resolve the conflict) • Update Results • Business result: • Individual/professional result: 29

2. Failure Situation where you failed • Update (Business objective/initiative) Obstacle / Challenge • Update (what led to the failure) Lessons Learned from the Failure • Update When have you applied that lesson since 30

3. Weaknesses Weakness 1 Weakness 2 Weakness 3 • Weakness: • How you address it/overcame it: 31

4. Worst Boss/Team Member Situation • Project description, roles Criteria to define “worst” • 3 -4 criteria (factual, not “throwing under the bus” How you dealt with the individual • Specific Actions: Takeaways / Lessons Learned 32

5. Worst Team Situation • Project description, roles Criteria to define “worst” • 3 -4 criteria (factual, not “throwing under the bus” How you dealt with the team situation • Specific Actions: Takeaways / Lessons Learned 33

⑤ Company 34

Company Research and document key information about the organization Update dynamically – after conversations, with new information Built out additional slides/content as relevant for the position 35

Why this company Company Interest in the role/function Interest in the company/firm Value you bring Other 36

1. Business Overview 37

2. Products/Services Overview 38

3. Leadership/Organization Overview 39

4. Financial Overview 40

5. Key Customers Overview 41

6. Recent Activities Overview 42

7. Industry Overview / Analysis 43

8. Key Challenges / Needs Overview 44

9. Contacts related to the Company 1 • • Name Title / Business Unit Phone / Email Discussion topics 2 • • Name Title / Business Unit Phone / Email Discussion topics 3 • • Name Title / Business Unit Phone / Email Discussion topics 45

Closing Thoughts “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my axe. ” ― Abraham Lincoln “Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good. ” ― Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success 46