
Case Interview Preparation & Management Consulting | Strategy | Critical Thinking
Firmsconsulting maintains a 80% success rate at placing clients within McKinsey, BCG and Bain. This is the highest in the industry and the rate is higher if we include other firms. We achieve this rate because we only use former partners from McKinsey, BCG et al to develop our clients. This makes us unique. We never use analysts, associates, engagement managers or associate principals. We also carefully select and develop clients on their communication, image, technical and case interview skills. This podcast channel describes our lessons from training our clients.
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Latest episodes

Dec 11, 2023 • 46min
635: How to Disrupt a System That Was Built to Hold You Back (with Northwestern University Professor, Lan Nguyen Chaplin)
Welcome to an interview with a Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications, at Northwestern University, Lan Nguyen Chaplin. In this episode, we focused on how to disrupt a system that was built to hold you back. We also touched on to move past an embarrassing moment at work. Lan Nguyen Chaplin, Ph.D. is Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications, at Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. She is also a member of the Core Faculty, Golub Capital Social Impact Lab at Kellogg School of Management. She received her Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Minnesota (Carlson School of Management), and her B.A. in neuroscience with a concentration in behavioral medicine from the University of Pennsylvania. She was named one of the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors in the world by Poets & Quants (November 2018) and set a new record for top undergraduate professor nominations in the process. She has taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Villanova School of Business, University of Arizona, Eller College of Management, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she was also the Head Coach of the Illinois Women’s Lacrosse Club team, and the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management. Professor Nguyen Chaplin conducts research in the areas of children’s consumer behavior and branding. She publishes in outlets including, Science, Harvard Business Review, Journal of Consumer Research, Psychological Science, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Child Development, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. Her research has been covered by TIME, Forbes, National Geographic, The New York Times, Fortune, Esquire Magazine, MSN, NBC Boston, ABC news radio, CBS news, Washington Times, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Parenting, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, New York Magazine, Popular Science, Psychology Today, and Glamour. Her article with Marsha Richins titled “Material Parenting: How the Use of Goods in Parenting Fosters Materialism in the Next Generation,” won Best Paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research (Financial Times top 50 business journals), in 2018 and was one of the most highly cited JCR articles in 2016. Her work on the development of materialism in children won one of the most prestigious awards in the marketing discipline—the ACR-Sheth award for public purpose research. She and her collaborators have presented their research throughout the USA and around the globe (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, and Singapore). She serves on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of Consumer Affairs, and Journal of Positive Psychology. Professor Nguyen Chaplin teaches at the Ph.D., MBA, and undergraduate levels and has received numerous teaching accolades. Visit Lan’s website: https://lanchaplin.com/ Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Dec 6, 2023 • 23min
635: How to influence your interviewer (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
The podcast discusses the importance of communication and how to influence interviewers during interviews. They analyze a candidate who creates a strong first impression but struggles with further questioning. The importance of creating the right impression and understanding signals is emphasized. Strategies for creating a positive first impression in case interviews are discussed. The impact of the initial moments in an interview on the interviewer's perception and behavior is highlighted.

Dec 4, 2023 • 12min
634: How do you gain more experience? (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we discuss how to gain more experience. Many candidates are declined with the suggestion to gain more work experience. Unfortunately, candidates take this feedback at face value. This podcast explains what this feedback means and suggests a vital shortcut to fix this problem. Hint, it does not require work experience at all. Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Nov 29, 2023 • 13min
633: Key differences in Bain FIT questions (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we discuss key differences in Bain FIT questions. In looking through our database of over 240 former clients and speaking to Bain partners we know, we see two unique ways a Bain fit interview differs from a McKinsey PEI. The first relates to way in which you interact with the interviewer as you deliver your response, and the second relates to a very specific attribute that Bain seeks in your fit responses. Both differ substantially from a McKinsey or BCG interview. In fact, EVERY single client we placed at Bain strongly displayed these two characteristics. It is uncanny how close a correlation exists. Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Nov 27, 2023 • 40min
632: A guide to hiring the best talent (with CEO and Founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group, William Vanderbloemen)
Welcome to an interview with the author of Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest, William Vanderbloemen. In his book, William reveals how job seekers, employees, hiring managers and company leaders everywhere can stand out from their peers and become irreplaceable, building the careers they've always wanted. William Vanderbloemen has been leading the Vanderbloemen Search Group for 15 years, where they are regularly retained to identify the best talent for teams, manage succession planning, and consult on all issues regarding teams. This year, Vanderbloemen will complete their 3,000th executive search. Prior to founding Vanderbloemen Search Group, William studied executive search under a mentor with 25+ years of executive search at the highest level. His learning taught him the very best corporate practices, including the search strategies used by the internationally known firm Russell Reynolds. Prior to that, William served as a Senior Pastor at one of the largest Presbyterian Churches in the United States. Get William’s book here: https://rb.gy/45lms Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Nov 22, 2023 • 52min
631: The Power of Conscious Connection (with CEO OF KUSI Global, Inc. and Harvard University Fellow, Talia Fox)
In this podcast, Talia Fox, CEO of KUSI Global, Inc. and Harvard University Fellow, shares insights from her book 'The Power of Conscious Connection'. She discusses building a professional and personal brand, developing conscious engagement, the power of surrender, testing ideas and effective time management, the importance of rest and relaxation, and her book's availability on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Nov 20, 2023 • 43min
630: Leadership and the Longing to Belong (with CEO and co-founder of Reboot.io, Jerry Colonna)
Jerry Colonna, CEO and co-founder of Reboot.io, discusses leadership, belonging, and personal growth. Topics include embracing family stories, the need for changes in the workplace and educational system, and questioning self-imposed rules. The conversation emphasizes the importance of empathy, understanding the past, and creating a sense of belonging and connection in organizations.

Nov 15, 2023 • 8min
629: Bonus vs. salary resume editing (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
In this episode, the speaker discusses the significance of including accomplishment-driven bullet points in resumes. They introduce the concept of categorizing bullet points into salary and bonus discussions and encourage listeners to assess their resumes for bonus-worthy achievements. Learn how to showcase accomplishments above job expectations and the importance of personal drive in succeeding in a consulting firm.

Nov 13, 2023 • 8min
628: Economic impact of poor business judgement (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
The podcast discusses the economic impact of poor business judgement in the field of consulting. It highlights the importance of accurate knowledge and information, and the consequences of making erroneous business judgment calls. The speaker emphasizes the significance of general knowledge in solving case problems and the need for verifying assumptions and applying basic logic in decision-making processes.

Nov 8, 2023 • 49min
627: USA Champion Gymnast turned entrepreneur & VC, Lisa Carmen Wang — Overcoming Good Girl Brainwashing
Former USA champion gymnast turned entrepreneur & VC, Lisa Carmen Wang, discusses the power of discipline, her unconventional path to Wall Street, living in China, creating a community for female entrepreneurs, overcoming 'good girl behaviors', replacing negative behaviors with confidence-building ones, and ways to connect with the speaker for exclusive content.