Booz Allen Hamilton: An insider guide - Gymkhana

At a Glance“We look for good structure, validated assumptions, and other things such ascreativity and business sense.”“We want someone who can think logically, who is responsible and a self-starter.”“You have to be very self-motivated: No one is going to tell you what to do; noone is going to make sure that you show up; no one is going to hold your hand.You have to find the motivation to do it yourself.”“When we recruit, we look for not only strong generalists, we also look forpeople who have good functional expertise.”In the Interview• Typically, you’ll be asked to discuss in detail some aspect of your workexperience, interests, or resume. You may be asked to describe a particularassignment or discuss an industry or current trend. If interviewing with thecommercial side of the firm, you’ll also be asked one or more case questions.These are usually based on an actual client engagement on which theinterviewer has worked.• Your interviewer will be looking for what sets you apart. Think about waysyou’ve demonstrated your ability to meet a unique challenge—whether throughyour involvement in sports, during a previous work experience, or in the courseof your education.What Insiders Say“In contrast to our competitors, we want to be able to bring not only the bigideas, but also the ability to make things happen.”“There’s nothing better than when the [client team] gets the accolades at theend of an engagement. I don’t need that recognition. I’ll get that internallywhen the client CEO calls the partner and says, ‘Your team did a great job.’ Mypartner will know that I did that. I think that’s very different from some of theother firms.”“Coming into consulting from industry, I was pleasantly surprised by howmuch cooperation there really is. I was worried that ‘up-or-out’ would drive alot of negative behaviors, but that’s not the case at all. I think a lot of it just hasto do with the fact that if a team is successful in their work, they all look good.If not, no one really looks good. So there’s little reward in anything less than acooperative outlook.”2