Mars & Co Consultant Interview Questions
& Process

We met at a university event, everyone was really friendly and we even went for drinks afterward. After that, I was invited to what they called a "last round interview" at their London office. It involved three rounds with people of different seniorities. The interviews were case study based and the people were generally very friendly. However, they never got back to me. I asked several times about a decision but was always told they were still deciding, and apparently, there was only one overworked HR person in London. I even reached out to someone on LinkedIn who confirmed the same, and despite promises to email me, nothing came. It feels unprofessional to waste people's time and then just ghost them.

The interview process was quite disorganized. My interview got rescheduled multiple times, and the interviewers kept changing. Ultimately, I had two interviewers who were junior consultants, and they weren't well-prepared with either behavioral or case questions. They hadn't reviewed my resume and didn't even know which office I was applying to. Earlier, HR had scheduled a 10-minute intro call that ended up being an unannounced 1-hour interview. Overall, communication was poor throughout, and the firm seemed disorganized.

I connected with Mars & co at the Columbia University career fair, then applied online and secured an interview. The interview process began with an initial phone screen focusing on fit, followed by two more rounds. Mars & co was very responsive, extending an offer just two days after my first round, and they extended it on the spot during the second round. The interviewers were approachable and the cases presented were manageable, especially since I had prepared for over 75 consulting cases, making me a seasoned case solver. Ultimately, I declined the offer due to several factors: 1) The company's sole proprietorship structure, which I find less suitable for a consulting firm. 2) Limited career progression opportunities compared to larger firms like BCG or McKinsey, given Mars & co's smaller size and less widespread recognition. 3) The compensation package was below industry standards, with an offer of $110k base salary, a $10k signing bonus, and no annual bonus. 4) A perceived unfairness in pay scales, where PhDs were placed below MBAs, despite PhDs often possessing stronger analytical skills, which contradicts Mars & co's emphasis on analytics. 5) The daily commute of one hour each way from Manhattan to Greenwich, CT, which seemed quite demanding and the location less appealing for young professionals.