NeuroLeadership Institute Consultant Interview Questions
& Process

This interview process had several stages: an initial chat, a virtual inbox exercise, some tests, and then a final interview. The last interview was with two consultants who asked pretty standard questions to see if I had the experience and would be a good fit for the team. Even though I felt a connection with them, they didn't seem super enthusiastic about their jobs. The initial interview mentioned salary expectations around $55k-$60k, which honestly felt a bit low for an associate consultant. I questioned them about whether the CEO actually practices what he preaches regarding employee voice and idea consideration. One consultant sort of dodged it, saying there's freedom in how you do your work, but don't expect to change anything. The two consultants in the final interview didn't seem to care much about the role. When I asked about work-life balance, they gave a vague 'kind of' answer, then later changed it to 'yes definitely.' Based on my experience, it seems like they don't really 'walk the walk,' aligning with other reviews. So, I'm actually glad they didn't offer me the job given the low pay, lack of energy, and apparent hypocrisy.

It was a very long and draining interview process. Everything was done virtually, which felt odd considering they focus on consulting skills. It started with a recruiter phone screen, then there was a half-day online test, a Spark video, and a business case. It wrapped up with a mock presentation. They were really vague with instructions, making preparation super time-consuming. They care a lot about consulting experience, specifically if you were trained by a major firm like Deloitte. If you don't have that background, it's not worth the huge time commitment. NLI doesn't value other types of experience much, which is funny given their research on diverse perspectives.

It kicks off with a 25-minute call about your background, resume, your interest in the role, and NLI. All calls and presentations are about 20-25 minutes. Then you'll have another interview with a different talent specialist, followed by their SCARF assessment and an IQ test. Next, a 45-minute timed task with three assignments that are emailed to you. You'll need to research, develop, and send these back in order of priority. After that, there's a 25-minute interview with the hiring manager. This is followed by a 20-minute mock presentation of a second call, which is full of ambiguity about the first call. You're expected to decide and drive the entire scenario. There are three different stakeholders who have little coordination or agreement on what they need, and NLI wants to see if you can ask hard questions to move the sales cycle forward in those 20 minutes. This isn't consultative selling; it's headhunter selling, like 'we have what you need.' Lauren, the talent specialist, guided me through the whole thing and was excellent, informative, polite, and supportive. The whole thing took about three weeks. Everyone I talked to was polite, personable, and supportive. I didn't meet their sales approach profile, but they encouraged me to look for a different role at the firm.