Optimity Interview Questions
& Process

Applied online with CV, Cover Letter, and a 1-page answer to a topic. About a week later, I was invited to an Assessment Centre in London. I had 6 assessments back to back: Presentation of a past project/dissertation, Data Interpretation test (easy, 20-30 min), Group Task (4-5 candidates), Formal 1:1 interview (CV review, 1-2 competency questions, why join this firm), Case Study (management consulting type), and Economics case study (easy Cost-Benefit Analysis). I was shortlisted but didn't get an offer. It was a really positive experience.

The process started with an online application where I submitted my CV, a cover letter, and a one-page essay on a topic related to the company's work. This was followed by an assessment center, which was an 8-hour day. It included a competency interview, an HR interview about salary expectations, a written case study where we had to decide on an investment for a hypothetical company, a numerical test, a group exercise, and a presentation. The presentation topic was provided a week prior and seemed to assess presentation skills. Finally, there was an interview with a senior member, which felt like a competency-based interview with a 'get to know you' vibe. The whole process was well-organized and despite being stressful, the assessors were calm. We also interacted with some company members during the assessment center, which helped us understand the company better.

It was a 3-week process. The first round, which happened on campus, was all standard behavioral questions. Then, there was an in-office superday at the DC office. The interviews during the superday were also pretty informal and mostly behavioral. Honestly, the interviewers seemed kind of disengaged, and it felt like they already had their minds made up about who they were going to hire before the interviews even started. So, don't expect too much from the interviews, it's kind of a gamble. They do a good job of trying to sell the company, but it's obvious that Optimity doesn't have much brand recognition yet and can't really compete with the big consulting firms. The employees also don't come across as very serious or professional, which I would expect from a consulting firm. On the plus side, everyone is quite friendly. My advice is to not go in expecting a super rigorous evaluation and just enjoy the free food and the trip to DC.

First I had a phone screen with a long-tenured consultant. Then, I was invited for an in-person interview that involved back-to-back meetings with at least 5 people, ranging from Associate to Partner level. This part focused heavily on my experience and behavioral aspects, and included one case study of low to medium difficulty. I thought it was good they focused on cultural fit. However, I wasn't happy with how long HR took to respond after the interview; they only became more responsive when I mentioned another offer. If my interview experience with the team hadn't been great, I would have likely accepted the other offer due to the frustrating back-and-forth with HR.