The Student’s Guide to Consulting at Deloitte: How to Land Your Dream Job

So you’ve done your research and know you want to join Deloitte’s dynamic consulting practice. Now you’re probably wondering exactly how you land your dream job. Well you’re in luck because I’m going to walk you through the top qualities we look for in candidates, how you can demonstrate these qualities in an interview, and how to prepare for your interview.

What qualities do we look for in consulting candidates?

Communication is one of the key qualities that we look for in potential candidates. We want to ensure you can clearly articulate your ideas to your team and clients so they are easily understood and can help develop actionable solutions.

Another key quality is the ability to analyze information. As a practitioner you will have an opportunity to work and learn about various industry sectors and organizations through diverse engagements. This means researching and synthesizing lots of information and articulating it in a digestible format for your stakeholders.

Leadership skills, interpersonal skills and your ability to work well on a team are a few other key traits we look for in candidates.

How do you demonstrate these qualities in an interview?

Typically, interviews cover a combination of general, technical, behavioral and case based questions.

Demonstrate your communication skills by listening to the questions, relaying that you fully understand the question, and developing a concise, well thought out response that is clearly articulated. Ask questions if you need clarity and try using the "STAR" (Situation, Task, Action, Result) approach to respond to some questions, particularly behavior based ones, because it can help keep you on track and thinking through the solution.

For case based questions, you may be asked to review and analyze information and respond to questions and/or walk through a particular solution. Think through the problem, break it down into manageable pieces and tackle each one addressing relevant issues but also maintaining a holistic view of all parts. We are not always looking for the right answer but rather how you worked through the process and your ability to articulate the response.

How do you prepare for the interview?

In preparation for a career in consulting at Deloitte, learn as much as you can about the firm, the Consulting practice and the role in advance of any meetings or interviews. Build your communication and analysis skill set by identifying strengths and development areas and look to leverage your strengths while developing other areas. Practice your skills by self-learning through seminars or webinars, course work and through friends. Locate cases via your career centre, friends or online and practice a few.

These few focus areas will hopefully help you prepare for your next interview so you can land your dream job in Consulting at Deloitte.

Serge Mather is a Campus Recruitment Specialist for Consulting in Western Canada.