BCG Platinion Consultant Interview Questions
& Process

The whole process dragged on for about 2 months. It included 2 rounds with MDs, each lasting 30 minutes, and 2 case study rounds with SMs and M. It was annoying because one interviewer didn't seem to know much about current ERP tech, Cloud, or Analytics. They were super slow with feedback, and I had to keep chasing them for updates, even though the recruiter made it sound like they wanted to hire quickly. After getting good feedback, I was suddenly rejected. It felt like a big waste of my time and energy because they seemed unsure about what they were looking for and weren't serious about hiring. Honestly, don't bother interviewing with them.

The hiring process typically involves two rounds, with two interviews in each round. Every interview includes a case study, conducted in both English and German. My initial interviews were in Frankfurt with a Senior Consultant and a Manager. They were both friendly and seemed to know their stuff. The case studies were related to the energy industry, like choosing a vendor for IT outsourcing. The second round took place in Cologne with a Senior Consultant and a Managing Director. They were also very nice and seemed genuinely interested in me as a candidate. One case study was again from the energy sector, focusing on reducing IT costs. Even though each interviewer tried to create pressure, all the questions and case studies were fair, though some of the twists were a bit challenging. For case preparation, I'd recommend really digging into BCG and PLA's offerings and publications. It felt like the personal questions were more about why I want to work in consulting and specifically for BCG PLA, rather than direct cultural fit inquiries. Overall, the hiring process was quite quick. HR was very responsive and efficient in scheduling interviews.

A headhunter contacted me and the first interview was scheduled pretty quickly. The interview was split into two parts, with two separate conversations. There were two real-life case studies to solve. It's worth noting that the first round is basically a peer interview, and some interviewers might not be very experienced with interview etiquette. Specifically, I found my first interviewer quite arrogant and I was constantly interrupted. Still, I found the case studies interesting. The company is a subsidiary of BCG and has a good market reputation.