What Do Recruiters Really Expect in Consulting Interviews?

Our founder, Alok Shrivastava narrated his Consulting Interview Experience. In his own words, just for you!

It was a Thursday evening, and I was about to be interviewed by one of the sharpest minds in consulting—a partner at PwC, let’s call him Atul Kulkarni.

Now Atul is not that sharp looking, intimidating Partner who kills you with their suits.

Atul is someone who walks into a room & instantly lights up the room — not just with charisma, but with this infectious curiosity. He’s warm, approachable, always smiling.

But don’t let that fool you. Behind those kind eyes is a razor-sharp brain that’s probably solving 3 complex business problems while you’re still deciding how to sit. An IIM grad himself with 20 years of experience, and an uncanny knack for turning chaos into clarity.

As I walked into the room, I saw him standing right by the door.
“Hi Alok! Good to see you,” he said, shaking my hand.

After a few pleasantries, he jumped right in:

“So, Alok, what subject did you like the most?”

I said, “Corporate Finance.”
(Big mistake—or so I thought. I should have really done a mock interview with a peer or a mentor.)

He grinned.
“Ah, good choice. So what did you learn in CF?”

I rattled off:
“Budgeting, working capital, capital structure…”

Then came the curveball.

He leaned forward and said:

“Alright then, as you know PwC is a consulting firm—how would you improve its working capital?”

Now That Was Unexpected.

I blinked. My mind went blank for a moment. This was clearly a trap—or a test—but either way, I was caught in it. I could feel the tension rise inside me.

But I knew better than to freeze. I kept a calm exterior and started to breathe. Think. Structure.

What do consultants do? Break down problems. Start somewhere. Don’t give up.

After about 30 seconds of organising my thoughts, I responded—not with complete confidence, but with clarity.

“We can improve working capital in three ways,” I began.
“Ensure crystal clear deliverables so billing gets approved faster.”
“Break large projects into smaller, quick deliverables for faster revenue realisation.”
“Invest in strong client relationships so that payment cycles are smoother.”

I finished, still unsure whether I had nailed it or just winged it with style.

Atul smiled again. That knowing smile. I thought that he liked my answer.

After some cross questions, he ended the interview.
I eventually made it to PwC as Principal Consultant.

Later on after I joined, I asked him what he liked in that interview.

He said something I’ll never forget:

“You have a good answer. But you know what I liked even more? You didn’t give up. You took a moment, structured your thoughts, & gave a logical, confident response. That’s what matters. In the real world, most problems are ambiguous. No one has a ready-made solution. What counts is how you think under pressure.”

Consultants are looking for how you think,
how you structure the chaos,
how you communicate,
and how you keep moving forward when a problem has no clear path.

Learning from his experience, Alok has now built a mock interview platform, where anyone can connect with a “Been There Done That Mentor”. It would have helped Alok better.

What Do Recruiters Really Expect in Consulting Interviews?

Now That Was Unexpected.

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