C1 Consulting Associate Consultant interview questions

There was a three step interview process: 1.) Fit-based phone interview (30 minutes), 2.) Skype interview (1.5-2 hours), and 3.) 5-6 hour in-person interview. The phone interview was mostly basic behavioral/fit questions you would expect (why consulting, why C1), with a large emphasis on experience working in teams and multi-tasking. I didn't really get a feel for the company at this point. The Skype interview included a 30 minute SAT-type online exam (quant, spelling, grammar, etc), followed by more behavioral/fit questions, and then case-style questions about data presented on PowerPoint slides with one consultant. The consultant was very nice, and I actually thought this interview was really fun. I would say that if you don't enjoy this phase of the interview process, your background and personality are probably not a good fit for C1. The in-person interview consisted of more short behavioral/fit interviews, two case interviews, lunch, and a 15 minute presentation. This was my first time through this process so it was a bit nerve wracking, but everyone I spoke with was really nice and not at all what I expected based on the reviews (but what I was hoping for based on the second interview). Appears to be a pretty tight-knit group, so personality/fit is (probably) really important. My opinion: The behavioral/fit questions and presentation should come pretty naturally to you to succeed in this environment, but definitely practice for the case interviews. They are a twist on the traditional case interviews you'll find at bigger firms. Give yourself plenty of time to practice. Definitely bummed I messed this one up.

I applied online and was contacted by an HR rep for an initial phone screen, followed by a phone interview, and Skype interview. After the phone interview I was asked to schedule the Skype session for an hour and a half during afternoon. When I let them know that the time requested would not work due to a meeting conflict, I simply never heard from HR again. Glad to know they really valued experience, education and skillset. Very unprofessional and insulting. Overall the process was not that impressive and very degrading, The majority of associates they take on have little or no business experience. During the interview my extensive background and education was continually discounted and talked about as though it was a footnote on my resume. I asked specific questions about the role, the type of project I was being hired for, and what direction the office was headed in... Very standard interview questions. The interviewer I was speaking with said it was "surprising" that I knew what "XYZ" was and asked if I meant C1's or a clients "XYZ"... meaning one of their main consulting services. Seriously? Honestly, I don't think C1 is a good place for anyone to invest a significant amount of time with. If your desperate to break into consulting... look elsewhere. If a company has a take it or leave it attitude during recruitment how do you think they will treat you when your career is invested with them?