Building Your Consultant Brand: Interviewing

If you successfully followed the recommended tips on how to write a compelling resume and create a strong LinkedIn profile, then you probably got an interview! While this is great, now it is up to you to nail the interview. During the interview process, Recruiters and Hiring Managers rely heavily on their first impression of you as they consider you for their project. You no longer exist solely in one dimension, on a piece of paper or their screen.

Whether it’s in-person, via video conference or over the phone, there are a few things that consultants should do in preparation for, and during the interview, to present themselves as exceptional candidates for a consulting role. I’m not going to go over the obvious points that apply to all interviews such as being on time, bringing copies of your resume, and dressing professionally; no rock concert t-shirts. I will cover a few things that will help set you apart as a highly professional consultant, while strengthening your consultant brand. So, without further ado, here are my top 5 tips.

1)      Bring work samples

I don’t mean to suggest that you should have documents or your laptop open in front of you to show the interviewer from the get-go; I am suggesting that you come prepared. When a consultant mentions that they brought work samples as it flows into what they’re already talking about, it tells me a few things. First, it tells me that they came prepared for the interview and are taking it seriously. Second, they are confident in the quality of their work. Third, they have their heads wrapped around the nature of consulting and understand that providing examples of quality work from relevant past projects is necessary to get to the next step in being considered for a consulting role.

2)      Keep it relevant

Consultants have very unique career paths. Unlike full-timers, consultants might have been doing something completely different three years ago from what they’re currently doing. Consultants are exposed to a wider variety of projects, deliverables, industries, corporate cultures, etc. So, if you’re interviewing for a lead change management role for an organization-wide IT transformation, for a pharmaceutical client, it would be logical to omit the 4-month project you held three years ago, in which you facilitated soft-skills training for an insurance client’s call center employees. Make sure you read the job description, research the client, and listen to the interviewer closely to determine what to discuss and what to leave out of the interview.

3)      Yes, we’re back to STAR!

This is the most important and difficult application of the STAR method. It’s one thing to take time to document your experience and another to be put on the spot and talk about it. When asked to describe your work experience, let STAR click in your head, and take it from there.

One more time, STAR stands for Situation or Task, Action, and Results.

Situation or Task – describe the specific task you needed to accomplish. Be sure to provide a relevant example with enough detail for the interviewer to understand.

Ex: “I was responsible for developing the change management strategy for an IT transformation program that impacted Company XYZ’s Sales organization. This included the implementation of three SAP modules.”

Action you took – fully describe what you did in terms of the deliverables you created.  Keep the focus on you, even if you are talking about a group effort. This is a good time to suggest viewing your work samples.

Ex: “I worked closely with leadership from the CFO to various site VPs to prepare them for the new financial and management reporting capabilities. I also devised the internal change communication plan that provided a roadmap for everyone being impacted by the change that included phased announcements, appropriate methods or media, managing expectations and how to allow individuals to voice concerns.”

Results you achieved – What was the outcome? How did the project end? What did you accomplish?

Ex: “We saw successful adoption of the new IT environment for end users as seen by a 20% increase in efficiency in sales reporting activities.”

It’s just as important here as it is on your resume and LinkedIn profile to keep it concise and give only the relevant details.

4)      Tell a story

This tip is really an extension of the last one. I want to separate them to make my point clear. In an interview, you have the opportunity to talk about yourself in detail and unlike full-timers, consultants’ work experience has a clear beginning, middle, and end (Note:  If you are new to consulting, you should discuss specific projects that you worked on during your roles as a full-time employee). This means that you should tell about each experience as a story. Be conversational and maybe even pretend that you’re telling a close friend about the project you just worked on. It will come more naturally to you, and make it sound more interesting. During the interview you will have the opportunity to go into details about your work but always remember to keep it concise and only cover the relevant points.

5)      Ask well-informed questions

It always surprises me when a candidate doesn’t have any questions at the end of our conversation. Were they listening to me during our conversation? I explained a lot about our organization, how we operate, and about a specific role I’m considering them for and they are apparently 100% clear on everything? Unlikely. Maybe if everything I talked about was so overwhelming that they wouldn’t even know where to begin with questions. Well, then they probably don’t have the experience I’m looking for. It could be they aren’t interested in the role so they just want the interview to be over. That’s fine, but if that’s not the case, then I got the wrong impression. Let’s look into what you should do:

Ask questions throughout the interview so the interviewer knows you’re paying attention and keeping up.

Ex: “Just so I’m clear, you’re looking for someone to work with executives on the overall change plan at a high-level and also get hands on and devise the change communication plan?”

Come prepared with questions about the client organization. Look at their website, jot down a few points of interest.  Your interviewer will probably address many of them during your conversation, but in case they don’t, you will seem well prepared.

Ex: “Does your organization have a devoted internal change management team or do you typically bring in consultants for your change initiatives?”

Come prepared with questions about the role. It is important to understand as much as you can about the role itself so you can determine if you believe you can be successful in the position. Also, asking questions about the role tells the interviewer that you are interested and have knowledge of how consulting projects go.

Ex: “What is the reporting structure for this project? Also, what subject matter experts will I have access to throughout the different phases of the project?”

That wraps up my tips on how to enhance your consultant brand during an interview. It also wraps up my three-part blog series! I hope you found each one useful!

As always, we welcome your comments and feedback.  Is there anything you’d add?  Do you agree or disagree with any of the key elements listed?  Let us know!