Interview with Nienke from BCG
Nienke joined the Boston Consulting Group as an Associate in January 2015. Before joining BCG, Nienke obtained bachelor degrees in Econometrics and a Beta-Gamma bachelor, as well as a Masters degree in Econometrics (all at the University of Amsterdam). During her studies, Nienke worked at the Kleine Consultant as a Project Manager and a Director. She was also active as a board member for the Varsity committee at KNSRB and as a Marketing Intelligence Analyst at MIcompany.
Nienke consulted the Inside Coach at its foundation and her insights have been vital – thank you Nienke!
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Experiences before consultancy
“At BCG, everybody has something special, but there is not one standard that all consultants have to meet“
What did you do before you joined BCG?
I have always had broad interests. I started studying Medicine …but soon realized it was not what I wanted, and changed to Beta-gamma studies…in Amsterdam. Within Beta-gamma I chose a major in Econometrics, since I wanted to challenge myself. I enjoyed it a lot, but…I already knew I didn’t want to be an econometrician for the rest of my life.
Next to my studies, I really enjoyed other activities as well. One of the things I did was organizing the Varsity, a national rowing regatta, with a team of 10 people from my rowing association. We all had completely different personalities and backgrounds, but we had the same goal in mind. I really enjoyed the dynamics in a group like that. Furthermore, I was active at De Kleine Consultant for almost 2 years. This was my first actual experience with consultancy. I have learned a lot during this period. For example, I got the change do develop some leadership skills in my role as a Project Manager, where I tried to make sure that each team member was developing himself and functioning at his or her best in order to achieve our shared goals.
My part time job was in the field of econometrics. . I analyzed large databases for our clients, in order to generate new and useful insights about their marketing activities. The quantitative part was very interesting, but I knew that I would like to have a more qualitative part in my job as well.
What would you recommend to a student interested in consultancy with 2 more years before graduation?
Do not worry too much. There is not “one list” of things consultancy firms are looking for. Everybody has something special, but there is not one standard that all consultants have to meet. Nor is there a typical profile, so don’t force yourself into doing something that will be worth mentioning on your CV, but that you don’t really enjoy!
Speaking for myself, I have learnt a lot from De Kleine Consultant, not only about consultancy, but also about how to add value to a team.
There many events that can be a very nice way to get to know companies. I enjoyed participating in business courses and in-house days. It is a great opportunity to experience differences between industries and companies. If you already like consultancy, it can still be good to have a look at companies in other industries to compare the different ways of working.
Career orientation
“I like the fact that my colleagues are young and all broadly interested. Conversations that are not work related can be about more or less anything. I really like this diverse environment“
How did you get to the firm you are working for now?
I already knew most of the consultancy firms to some extent through De Kleine Consultant or career events. But I did not yet know BCG. When I saw their 1-week business course about the World Food Program, I decided to apply. It was a great week. The case was very interesting and I got to know many people from BCG. I felt like I fit in. Nevertheless, I continued to explore other firms as well.
I also joined the McKinsey business course about Tony Chocolonely. It was a great experience as well! I enjoyed meeting all people from McKinsey, and we got to eat a lot of chocolate..
What did you find were the differences between consultancy firms?
I think there are differences between the consultancy firms, although they are rather small: for example the typical career path, MBA opportunities and opportunities for going abroad can slightly differ between firms. However, I did not base my decision on those factors, but chose the firm where I felt most comfortable personally. I based my decision on the business course and the interviews where you get to see new people too. Obviously, this is very personal to each individual. You only get to know your own preference by meeting people from different firms.
What do you think of your time as a consultant so far?
Amazing! I am working on my second project now, and I am learning new things every day. The work is very diverse. On the one hand it is very analytical, for example building an excel model. On the other hand, the qualitative part, such as discussions with your team and client, are an important part of your work as well. I like the fact that my colleagues are young and all broadly interested. Conversations that are not work related can be about more or less anything. I really like this diverse environment.
I already noticed that we are developing certain skills. For example, I realized that we learn to communicate effectively. We get to the point more quickly and display messages very clearly. It surprises me how quickly you learn these things.
I also need to work on some skills. In consultancy we work hypothesis-driven, and use source such as market reports mainly for checking our hypothesis. However, However, sometimes I catch myself on reading other interesting parts as well, although it won’t help me with the hypotheses I am working on in that moment.
Preparation for the consultancy interview
“In the beginning my thoughts were unstructured, but after a couple of cases I… began to see some kind of pattern; most cases have similarities”
How did you prepare for your interview?
I started 3 weeks before my first interview. In total, I think I practiced about 20 cases. In the beginning my thoughts were unstructured, but after a couple of cases I… began to see some kind of pattern; most cases have similarities. It also helps to see a couple of example solutions. All this experience helps in setting up a structure for new cases.
I practiced with friends, but I also met with people who were preparing for their interview as well through Facebook. Finally, I practiced cases with 4 people who work for one of the consultancy firms (not only BCG). I got the feedback of being a little bit too slow, so I tried to work on that.
For preparing the personality part of the interviews, I started with thinking about the competences that consultancy firms would probably like to see in a candidate. Then I thought about examples from my own experiences which might illustrate those competences. I also thought about what stories I would like to tell during the interview, regardless of the questions. Most interviews are a dialogue so you can influence the subjects. Furthermore, I discussed the examples with my parents and some friends who know me really well. I practiced telling my stories as concisely as possible. Finally, I ran my stories by a couple of people I knew at BCG and McKinsey.
How would you recommend students to prepare for their application and interview?
I think your preparation is very personal. I practiced quite a lot of cases, and in the end I was pretty confident about it. You should go on until you have that feeling, and then it is okay to stop practicing.
What are your plans and dreams for the future?
My big dream is to end up in healthcare at some point; possibly in the management of a hospital or in a consulting role. But at the moment I’m already doing so many interesting things, also in other industries… Let’s just see what the future brings!
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