From Manager to Consultant: The Missing Link in Your Professional Narrative
- Jan 06, 2026
- Professional Narrative
Meet the Mentor
Shatam Bhattacharyya is a Principal Consultant at Infosys Consulting with over 13 years of experience in driving large-scale process transformations. An alumnus of IIM Bangalore, Shatam has a distinguished track record of designing business strategy roadmaps and operating models for clients across 30+ countries. Having transitioned from core engineering and project management at Tata Steel to high-level strategy consulting, he possesses a unique ability to help candidates deconstruct operational complexities into the structured business logic required by top-tier firms.
Candidates transitioning from specialized operational backgrounds—such as aviation, manufacturing, or logistics—frequently encounter a specific hurdle during the MBA placement season. There is a common tendency to forcefit consulting terminology like “value creation” or “strategic delivery” in their responses in an effort to demonstrate professional fit for consulting roles. However, focusing on these labels often obscures the candidate’s actual narrative and the specific impact of their past work.
A recent online GoCrackIt mock interview session involving a student from a top B school highlighted this challenge. With over six years of experience in airport operations, the candidate possessed a strong track record, yet the session revealed a gap in his business understanding. The ensuing dialogue revealed the difficulty of moving beyond a traditional managerial narrative to provide the structured, process-driven logic that consulting firms require.
The Mock Interview:
The practice interview began with the candidate attempting to bridge the gap between his aviation background and a consulting role. As the conversation progressed, a disconnect emerged between the mentor’s requirement for structured logic and the candidate’s operational perspective.
1. The Introduction Struggle
The mentor opened by asking for a professional summary. The candidate responded with a dense list of responsibilities across multiple locations, searching for consulting terms to justify his experience.
Mentee: “I have six-plus years of experience in airport operations… located at Pune, Srinagar, and Aurangabad airports. Value creation-wise, we created slots for international flights at Srinagar airport… Value creation-wise, during my tenure we also increased the aeronautical revenue… In my last posting I was the Nodal Officer for the G20 delegation visit as well. I’ve done branding, logistics, facilitation… I was also parallelly reporting to the DGCA and to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.”
By jumping rapidly between locations and disparate tasks the delivery appeared haphazard. The repetitive use of “value creation” as a verbal filler suggested the candidate was forcing his duties into consulting categories, rather than leading with a structured professional story.
2. The KPI Deadlock
The mentor shifted focus to a specific project: reducing security screening bottlenecks. To understand the candidate’s grasp of process improvement, the mentor probed for the specific metrics—the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)—impacted by this initiative.
Mentor: “What was your Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in this case?”
Mentee: “KPI was to basically create a slot and propose a slot whether it is possible or not. KPI was to increase aeronautical revenue.”
Mentor: “You told me about an activity. What is the KPI? What you are saying is a goal; it is not a KPI.”
Mentee: “As the airport manager, my KPI was anything I did beyond my usual shift duties. It was about the additional responsibilities I took on outside of my allocated role.”
Mentor: “What were the KPIs? Additional work cannot be a KPI. I am talking about the KPI in the process. A KPI is not person-dependent. It’s not a performance goal. I am not talking about performance appraisal KPIs. You mentioned project bottleneck reduction. So there would be some process KPIs that would be impacted.”
The candidate defined a KPI as “additional work” or his personal performance during a shift. The mentor’s line of questioning aimed to identify objective metrics that measure the efficiency of a business process regardless of the individual involved.
3. The Focus on People Skills
The mentor turned the discussion toward the security bottleneck project at Srinagar airport to see how the candidate handled a complex problem.
Mentee: “So we convinced the other stakeholders to remove the security screening. We had to write to the ministry as well. And fortunately we had some connections. At that time my boss had some connections. So, we were able to remove the additional security layer.”
Mentor: “How did you do it? I did not get that answer.”
Mentee: “I did a time study. I mapped the time that the passenger was spending at each moment. The security check, the departure gate, the check-in counter… even till he boards the flight. So we compared it with the other benchmarks and we found out that the security check was taking the most time.”
The candidate prioritized the administrative and stakeholder management aspects of the role. Only under direct questioning did he uncover the actual analytical methodology: the Time and Motion Study.
4. Framework Recitation
To test strategic thinking, the mentor asked how the candidate would handle an “airport modernization” project in a Tier 2 city like Aurangabad.
Mentee: “For that, I would like to implement a PESTEL framework. P is political. Aurangabad being a central hub for politics in Maharashtra… if I make the right connections it can ease my work and economically also there are many industries that are set there… PESTEL has a tech factor as well. So technologically it is more or less compared to other airports… I think these are more than enough for the airlines to get convinced.”
By explicitly naming the tool and focusing on “political connections,” the response felt like an academic recitation. The mentee prioritized framework labels over exploring the unique economic drivers of the city, such as tourism or specific industrial hubs.
Mentor Feedback
Following the mock session, the mentor bridged the gap between operational ‘doing’ and the high-level business thinking required in management consulting.
Experience Over Terminology
The mentor first addressed the “Value Creation” opening, highlighting that terminology should never act as a barrier to narrative depth.
Mentor: “I see you used ‘Value Creation’ as a focus area multiple times. Why? What was the thought process behind that?”
Mentee: “When I tried to categorize my previous work into Value Capture and Value Delivery, what I found was I was more concerned with the Value Creation part. I feel I created something there that impacted the revenue. I tried to bifurcate it into categories.”
Mentor: “The people who are coming to take your interview, they would know about value creation much more than you. So it does not make sense to teach them the categories. Consulting is about telling your story properly. Throwing some words is not it. They don’t know who you are. What was your experience that I did not get from your introduction.”
Consultants look for evidence of impact, not familiarity with a dictionary. Proving you have handled complexity is more valuable than labeling it.
Process Metrics vs. Job Tasks
The mentor provided a critical correction on the difference between a task and a KPI. This distinction is vital for moving from an operational perspective to a strategic one.
Mentor: “KPI is not a task. You mentioned project bottleneck reduction. So there would be some process KPIs that would be impacted. I’m asking about that KPI. Bottleneck is not a KPI anyway.”
A candidate must pivot from “person-dependent” metrics to “system-dependent” metrics. If you are reducing a bottleneck, the KPI is a metric like Cycle Time or Throughput Rate. Proving that the process improved is what demonstrates genuine business acumen.
Business Logic vs. Interpersonal Skills
The mentor challenged the candidate’s heavy reliance on stakeholder management as a primary value-addition.
Mentor: “MBA graduates are hired for their business understanding. For example, in the Srinagar security bottleneck project, you should start by explaining what was your problem statement from a process perspective. Mention the time and motion study that you performed and then mention how you convinced multiple stakeholders and hence made the project successful “
In consulting, the real value lies in identifying the core problem and building the analytical logic that makes a successful negotiation possible.
Application Over Framework Names
The final lesson focused on how to use academic tools without sounding like a textbook. Reciting a framework name often acts as a barrier to solving the actual problem.
Mentor: “It’s not about using any framework randomly. You can bring in those factors without mentioning what framework you are using. If you talk about the economy, mention that Aurangabad is close to the Ajanta and Ellora caves—a huge tourist destination. Why can’t it be a connecting hub? That is the economic potential. The name of the framework is not important; the depth is where it’s lacking.”
Depth comes from applying logic to the real world. By identifying specific local drivers—like the tourism potential of the Ajanta and Ellora caves—a candidate shows they are performing a strategic analysis without needing to name the tool.
Conclusion:
The transition from operations to consulting is not about learning a new vocabulary; it is about looking at your past work through a more rigorous, business-centric lens. As this session demonstrated, the biggest hurdles aren’t usually a lack of experience, but a failure to identify the business logic within that experience.
Confusing tasks with KPIs and over-relying on administrative narratives are blind spots that are difficult to identify alone. A mock interview with a GoCrackIt mentor can help you analyze a business process from the ground up, identifying the specific metrics that drive value.
Is your professional story being lost behind terminologies and administrative details? GoCrackIt mentors provide the pivot you need before the high-stakes interview begins.
Ready to find out what an expert sees when they look at your profile? Book your GoCrackIt reality check today.
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