Interviewing Role Play – Interviewer Instructions Your Identity You are a Sloan alum who graduated four years ago. This is your second year recruiting on campus. You have been with Niche Play Consulting Group (NPC—see below for background) for three years. The first year was great. The second was a bit grueling given a tough client and lots of travel. Now, you only travel 50% of the time and you recruit locally for the remaining 50%. The truth is that you had to fight almost a year to get off the road. Also, you have a terrible cold today. This is your fifth interview of the day and you have two more to go. About the Interview The purpose of the first interview is to rate the interviewee on the three qualities described in the following section. Your company will do 50 first rounds and choose 10 people for second rounds. Five will be chosen after an “around the office” third round. While the interviews vary, the first question is to ask the interviewee to briefly summarize (in a couple of minutes) his or her resume and experience as it relates to being a consultant to high tech clients. You will usually ask only two more broad questions such as: • Why do you want to work for NPC? • Why do you want to be a consultant? • What’s important to you in your job? You may ask other questions if you wish, but be as realistic as possible. You might end by providing the candidate with a few minutes to ask questions. About the Company Niche Play Consulting Group (NPC) is a mid-sized firm specializing in strategy consulting for mid-sized high tech firms. Founded in 1990, it generates about 150 million in revenue and is now growing at 15% per year. It is known for helping EMC and Cisco in their early stages. The firm typically recruits about five MBAs a year (this year, it is more likely to be three), and it pays exceptionally well. It looks for candidates who show evidence of three qualities: strong problem solving and analytical skills, business and technology acumen, and exceptional and “likable” personal characteristics (e.g., integrity and sense of humor). It is also rumored to have a culture that is flexible and focused on helping employees maintain life-balance (i.e., sabbaticals, flex time, limited travel). The firm also is unusual in that it doesn’t have a partnership organizational structure but a traditional Manager, Director, VP, and EVP hierarchy. About the Job Associate Consultant. Individuals with this title are expected to play multiple roles, including consulting to clients as part of small teams, researching and publishing intellectual capital, contributing to business development, and participating in the firm’s strategic planning. About the Interviewees You are interviewing students with a wide variety of backgrounds, some of which might not seem well suited to the job at first glance.