Recruiting Process for Consulting

To increase your chances of landing a job, it is important for you to use all of your available resources. The recruiting process has many steps including career exploration, industry & organization research, applications, networking and interviewing. The Villanova Career Center has resources including Handshake, Big Interview, Vault Career Guides and many others (including our staff) to help you along the way.

  • Common entry-level job titles include: Analyst, Associate, Consultant
  • Applications open spring semester to late summer for following summer internships and full-time positions
  • Depending on when the application opens, some close before the end of the spring semester while others close throughout the fall semester; many employers review applications on a rolling basis
  • Check employer websites for interviewing information & application details (as they are subject to change year-to-year)
  • Search for jobs and internships on Handshake, CareerShift, company websites, social media, industry and job association sites, professional associations, through university recruiting programs and recruiters. 
  • For more information on the recruiting process, specific internship programs and professional associations, visit the “Know the Field” chapter in the Vault Career Guide to Consulting. 
  • For more information on interviews in consulting, visit the “Interviewing” chapter in the Vault Career Guide to Consulting and also refer to the Vault Guide to Case Interviews and Management Consulted.
  • The Career Center offers one-hour, behavioral mock interview appointments that can be scheduled via Handshake to further develop interview skills and receive feedback. Students can also reserve interview rooms within the Employer Engagement Suite. For more information on interviewing, please visit the Career Center’s Interviewing webpage.

Research other employers by checking out these Vault Rankings: Top 50 Consulting Firms, Best Boutique Consulting Firms, Best Consulting Internships 

Fit and Experiential Interviews

  • Behavioral Interview Questions are a set of questions to assess whether you have the soft skills and motivation to succeed at that firm. These often include general questions about your background and why you want to work for the firm, combined with behavioral-based questions asking you to give examples of past experiences. Use the S.T.A.R. approach to structure your examples; Situation/Task that you were facing, Approach and actions you took to address the issue, Result of the actions you took. Learn more about “Developing Your Interview Stories” in Big Interview.
  • Practice with Management Consulted and Big Interview

Case Study Interviews

  • Case studies are the most common (and most misunderstood) part of the consulting interview process. Candidates are given an example business problem to solve, with limited time and little information. Consulting case studies are meant to test your business acumen, mental math skills, ability to think on your feet, problem-solving skills, communication abilities and more.
  • Preparation is critical to ace the case study interview. Learn more and practice by signing up for an account with Management Consulted.

Additional Information

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