The Kearney fit interview is not a behavioral interview. It’s a culture-fit screen wearing behavioral clothing. Kearney recruits aggressively against three specific cultural traits — humility, grit, and collaboration — and the questions you’ll face exist primarily to reveal whether you embody those traits, not to test storytelling polish. Candidates who treat the fit interview…
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Updated May 6, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant The Oliver Wyman fit interview, called a “conversational” interview, fools candidates into walking in underprepared. The format is more relaxed than a McKinsey PEI. The scoring isn’t. Every question you answer maps to a specific evaluation dimension, and weak answers in the conversational…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated September 2026 “Give me an example of a time you led a group to achieve a difficult goal.” It sounds like a softball question before the case. It isn’t. Most candidates reach for the story where they had a title (captain, president, project lead) and let…
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Updated June 2026 · By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant Post-interview thank-you notes in consulting will not win you any offers, and they will not rescue a weak interview performance. In structured recruiting at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain, your result is decided in a scored debrief among the people who evaluated you, usually within…
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By Dr. Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated October 2026 There is no single consulting ban period. BCG is the only MBB firm that publishes one: it recommends waiting at least 12 months after an unsuccessful application. McKinsey and Bain publish no general waiting period, so the date that counts is the one your…
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Florian spent five years at McKinsey as a Senior Consultant and is a highly experienced consulting interviewer and problem-solving coach. Having conducted interviews with hundreds of candidates, he understands exactly what top-tier firms look for in successful applicants.
He founded StrategyCase.com to make top consulting careers more accessible by providing tailored, up-to-date insights into the recruiting process. Recognized as the most successful case and fit interview coach, Florian has helped his clients secure 700+ offers at MBB, Tier-2 firms, Big 4 consulting divisions, in-house consultancies, and boutique firms over the past four years.
He is the author of “The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview,” “The 1%: Case Interview Workbook,” and “Consulting Career Secrets”, all available on Amazon.
