How to answer the "why consulting" interview question

To prepare to answer the question "why consulting" in an interview, use this guide:

Understand it is not a throwaway question

Many who are asked this in an interview brush it off as just a standard question, one that the answer can be trite and canned. This is a mistake. Your interviewer wants to know your reasoning for consulting and how you excel at it.

So it is important to give this question its necessary weight and thought when formulating an answer.

Show you are motivated for the consulting role

Enthusiasm and motivation are key to answering this question. You can exhibit this by going into your knowledge of the role and the skills you can bring to it. This will demonstrate that you have done your research and point to and verify your motivation for getting the consulting position.

In addition, you can also go into detail about your knowledge of the specific company you are interviewing with. This shows the interviewer that you do care about the company and consulting.

Be aware of your body language, demeanor, and mannerisms when answering this question. You should seek to appear genuinely excited about the role and consulting in general.

Build in a personal story in your answer

You should also approach this question in the context of a narrative, the story of yourself, and consulting. Pull from personal anecdotes from your career history and even earlier. Reveal the path of your life that led you to want to consult.

Don't be too long-winded with this angle, but giving your interviewer a glimpse of your journey can make you stand out as a candidate.

Highlight your potential

Make sure to highlight your skills from previous consulting positions, or positions in general, and explain how they can be utilized in the role you are being interviewed for.

Also try to structure your answer succinctly, as the ability to structure complex information is often one of the premier skills of a consultant.