“So, why do you want to be a consultant?” – It sounds like a straightforward question, yet it’s one that causes many candidates to stumble or launch into clichés.
When I was a Bain interviewer, I loved asking this question because the answers were so revealing. I remember one candidate who absolutely nailed it: she connected her passion for problem-solving with a personal story and tied it specifically to Bain’s culture. In two minutes, she convinced me she genuinely wanted consulting and our firm.
On the flip side, I’ve seen candidates flub this by giving generic answers (“Um, I like working with smart people and learning new things…”) that could apply to any job. Don’t underestimate “Why consulting?” – it’s often a make-or-break moment where you showcase your motivations and how well you’ve done your homework on the firm.
In the real world of consulting interviews, motivation matters. Firms invest heavily in hiring and training; they want to be sure you’re committed to the consulting path and specifically interested in their firm. Your answer needs to assure them you’re not just applying on a whim or solely for the prestige. It’s about showing that you understand what consulting entails and you’re excited for it, and that there’s a strong match between the firm’s DNA and your own values and goals.
A strong approach to “Why consulting?” (and its sibling “Why this firm?”) is to use a structured 2-part response:
First, articulate your overarching motivation for pursuing consulting as a career.
Second, highlight why you’re drawn to this particular firm (firm fit).
This structure ensures you cover both bases. It also naturally organizes your answer, which makes it easier for the interviewer to follow and remember.
Start with a brief statement of why consulting is your top career choice. This is your thesis. Then support it with 2–3 key reasons or themes that genuinely excite you about consulting. Each reason can be a short paragraph or a few sentences, ideally backed by a quick example from your experiences or observations.
Impact & Problem-Solving: Perhaps you love tackling challenging problems and making a tangible impact. For example, you might say: “I’m pursuing consulting because I thrive on solving complex problems and delivering results. In my last role as an engineer, the moments I loved most were when I got to dig into a thorny problem, figure out a solution, and see it make a difference. In consulting, every project is a new problem to crack – like a series of exciting puzzles with real stakes. I find that incredibly motivating.” If you have a quick anecdote (like a project where your analysis saved costs or improved a process), briefly mention it to reinforce that this isn’t abstract for you – you’ve lived the joy of problem-solving.
Continuous Learning & Variety: Consulting offers a crash course in business and exposure to many industries. For instance: “Another big reason is the continuous learning. I’m someone who’s curious and gets bored doing the same thing repeatedly. Consulting promises a steep learning curve – in just a few years you rotate through industries and challenges that would take decades to experience in another field. One week you’re learning about healthcare, the next about retail supply chains. As an avid learner, that variety excites me. In fact, during my internship at XYZ Corp, I jumped at opportunities outside my core role – I once volunteered to assist a marketing project just to learn something new. I can’t wait to be in a role where learning isn’t just incidental but the whole point of the job.” This shows you value the breadth and won’t tire when projects change.
Mentorship & Teamwork: Maybe you’re drawn to the people aspect – working in tight-knit teams with smart colleagues. “I’m also motivated by the chance to work closely with diverse, talented teams. In business school, my favorite experiences were the intense group projects where we’d brainstorm late into the night – I found that I learn the most from peers. Consulting not only gives that team experience but also formal mentorship from seasoned consultants. I’ve spoken to a few alumni at Firm X who said they grew as much from team collaborations and feedback as from the projects themselves. That collaborative learning environment is exactly what I’m looking for.” Here you’re signaling that you value teamwork and will be a good team player (critical in consulting, where you practically live with your team).
Client Service & Impact on Organizations: Perhaps you get a thrill from helping clients and seeing your recommendations make a difference in real companies. For example: “I come from a family of teachers and doctors – helping others is deeply ingrained in me. In the business context, consultants help organizations solve problems that they can’t solve alone. The idea that I could advise a company through a transformation or help a non-profit expand its reach is really inspiring. During my undergrad consulting club project, we helped a local business rework its pricing strategy; seeing the owner’s gratitude when her sales improved was incredibly rewarding. It made me think, ‘I want to do this kind of work full-time, at a bigger scale.’ Consulting offers that opportunity for impactful service, which really motivates me.”
Entrepreneurial Drive & Variety of Skills: Some view consulting as an ideal training ground to become a well-rounded business leader or entrepreneur. You might say: “Long term, I aspire to be an entrepreneur (or a senior leader), and I see consulting as unparalleled training for that. The range of problems, the need to think on your feet, and the high standard of execution – it’s like a business bootcamp. I’m excited by consulting because I’ll build a toolkit that prepares me to tackle any business challenge. For instance, I’ve already tried to cultivate that mindset: when I led my college’s hackathon team, I found myself acting as a mini-consultant – scoping the problem, analyzing data for our pitch, dividing tasks, etc. I loved wearing all those hats, and consulting would let me do that every day.”
Avoid weak or generic reasons: “It seems prestigious,” “I want to make a lot of money,” “I’m not sure what I want so I figured I’d try consulting,” or “My friend said I’d be good at it.” Even if some of those are true internally, they should not be your narrative. Also, simply saying “I like problem-solving and working with people” without any personal context will sound cookie-cutter. Always try to personalize the reason – why do you, given your background and personality, find that aspect appealing?
After stating your 2–3 big reasons, you can conclude this part by reaffirming enthusiasm: e.g., “For me, those factors – the constant learning, the team-based problem-solving, and the chance to create real impact – are why consulting isn’t just an attractive option, but honestly my top career choice.”
Now you pivot to why you’re interested in this specific firm. Every firm likes to believe they’re unique (and they are, in subtle ways), and they want candidates who genuinely want them, not just any company with “Consulting” on the door. This is where your research and networking pay off.
Firm Culture and Values: Perhaps you’ve learned that the firm has a particular culture you fit with. For example: “I’m drawn to Bain because of its unabashedly supportive culture. The phrase I keep hearing from Bain folks is ‘A Bainee never lets another Bainee fail.’ I saw how real that was when a Bain consultant, whom I met through an alumni chat, followed up to offer me prep help without me even asking – it showed me the collaborative spirit isn’t just a slogan. I know I’d thrive in an environment where colleagues have each other’s backs like that, because that’s how I love to work too.” Here, you not only named a known Bain cultural value, but you also gave a mini personal anecdote demonstrating you’ve experienced it and value it.
Training and Professional Development: McKinsey, for instance, is known for structured training and a global staffing model, Bain for its home office model and early leadership opportunities, BCG for its apprenticeship and intellectual rigor. If a firm’s approach to development appeals to you, mention it: “I’m particularly interested in McKinsey’s commitment to apprenticeship and formal training. The idea of being part of a global network and learning from experts via programs like McKinsey’s Mini-MBA training excites me – I love structured learning. It aligns with my own experience in the military where training and mentorship were continuous; I see McKinsey providing a similar structure in a business context.”
Industry or Practice Area Strengths: Maybe a firm leads in an area you’re passionate about. “One big reason I’m targeting BCG is its strength in digital and analytics (like BCG Gamma). My background is in data science, and I’m excited about how BCG integrates advanced analytics into strategy work. I attended a BCG webinar on AI in consulting and was impressed by how cutting-edge the projects were. That intersection of tech and strategy is where I want to be, and BCG’s the frontrunner there.” This demonstrates you know the firm’s offerings and see a fit with your interests.
Notable Work or Clients: You could reference something specific the firm has done that impressed you (without breaching confidentiality – stick to public info or general knowledge). “I was inspired reading about how BCG helped stand up emergency hospitals during COVID-19 (public case example), and it made me appreciate the real-world impact consulting can have. It showed me BCG walks the talk on its value of creating positive impact, which is something I strongly share.”
Geographic or Office Appeal with a Personal Twist: If you’re interviewing for a specific office that has something unique, you can mention it. “I’m excited about Bain’s Seattle office due to its close- knit size and focus on tech clients – having grown up in the Pacific Northwest and worked in a startup, I’m eager to contribute to the growing tech consulting scene here. Every Bain Seattle consultant I’ve spoken with mentions how entrepreneurial the office vibe is. That really appeals to me.”
People You’ve Met: Dropping names (if done respectfully) can be powerful. “I’ve also been fortunate to speak with several people at Firm X – for example, Jane Doe and John Smith from the Chicago office – and what struck me was how down-to-earth and genuinely enthusiastic they are. Conversations with them convinced me that the firm’s culture encourages real friendships and humility even among high achievers. That’s exactly the kind of team environment I want to join.” Mentioning employees by name shows you’ve made the effort to connect, and any insight they gave you can be gold in demonstrating fit.
Tip: When giving reasons, frame them as “I’m impressed by X and it matters to me because Y.” This ties the firm attribute to something personal. For instance, “BCG’s emphasis on intellectual rigor appeals to me
because I’ve always enjoyed digging deep into research and data to find insights – like in my thesis project, I loved the analytical challenge. I see that same intellectual challenge being a core part of BCG’s work.”
Be mindful to make it specific. A litmus test: if you can swap out the firm name for another and the answer still holds, it’s not specific enough. Saying “I want to join McKinsey because of its great reputation, smart people, and global opportunities” – that could describe any MBB firm. Instead, zero in: reputation in what, what about the people, what kind of opportunities?
Here’s a quick composite example integrating both parts:
Candidate: “Why consulting? For me, it boils down to three things. First, I love solving complex problems and I thrive in fast-paced environments – consulting offers that in spades. In my current job, the most satisfying project was when I had to analyze declining sales for a product line and propose a turnaround strategy; I realized I want to do that kind of high-impact problem-solving all the time, across different industries. Second, I’m hungry to keep learning. I considered roles in one industry, but I kept coming back to consulting because in two years I’ll see more business challenges than I might in ten years elsewhere. I’m one of those people who’s always reading case studies and business books out of curiosity, so I can’t imagine a better training ground than consulting. Lastly, I enjoy working closely with teams – I was a college athlete and that team mindset never left me. Consulting’s apprenticeship model and team-based approach really appeals to me, because I know I do my best work collaboratively and I value learning from teammates.
Now, why Bain specifically? A few reasons stand out. Culture is a big one – every interaction I’ve had with Bainies showed me a culture of mentorship and fun. The fact that Bain has the ‘home office’ model tells me the firm invests in building community; that’s important to me. I actually attended a Bain virtual info session and one of the speakers talked about how they do weekly office breakfasts to share what everyone’s working on. That sense of camaraderie resonated with me. I also am excited by Bain’s impact work – I know Bain does a lot in private equity (which interests me), but I was also impressed by its social impact commitment. A mentor of mine from my undergrad joined Bain and mentioned how he got to spend a rotation with Bain’s pro-bono group for an education nonprofit. That combination of high-impact commercial work and values-driven projects is exactly what I’m looking for. Lastly, on a personal note, I’m targeting Bain’s Chicago office because I have family in the area and I plan to settle there. I’ve spoken with two consultants from that office, and they emphasized how it’s a tight-knit group with a lot of mentorship for new consultants – hearing that only reinforced that Bain Chicago is my top choice.”
Notice how that answer weaved in personal elements (college athlete, specific anecdote from a Bain info session, a mentor’s story) with the reasons. It name-dropped interactions with Bain people, mentioned a known Bain practice (home office model, private equity strength, social impact commitment), and tailored to an office. It feels genuinely customized to Bain, and it tells the interviewer this candidate has sincerely reflected on their fit.
It might help to call out a few things not to do, given my experience interviewing:
One more insight from the interviewer’s perspective: when I asked “Why Bain?” I was also indirectly evaluating how this person would fit into our teams. If a candidate talked passionately about our culture of feedback and how they crave constant feedback to improve, I’d think, “Great, they’ll mesh well here.” If another talked about loving our results-oriented approach and mentioned a Bain case study they resonated with, I’d think, “They’ve done their homework and they get what we do.” This gave me ammunition to advocate for them later – “This candidate really wants to be here, and they align with what we value.”
So, think of your answer as giving your interviewer points to write in their notes about you:
Those little notes can tip a marginal case in your favor when decisions are made. Make it easy for them to see you as one of the team.
Everyone’s motivations are a bit different. Take time to reflect on yours. Write them down. Then ask yourself “why” several times to each, to drill to specificity. For example: “I want to do consulting to keep learning.” Why? “Because I get bored doing the same thing.” Why is that important? “Because I have broad interests and eventually want to run a business, so I want exposure to everything.” Aha – now tie it: “Consulting will give me broad exposure that suits my curiosity and entrepreneurial goals.” That’s more specific and personal.
If you have a unique angle, lean into it. Maybe you had a former career as a professional athlete or artist – you might say, “I experienced the power of coaching and iteration in my prior career, and consulting’s heavy feedback culture actually attracts me for that reason – it feels familiar.” That’s cool and different. Or maybe
you grew up in a family business – “I saw firsthand how a great advisor can change the trajectory of a business, because my parents hired a consultant once, and it saved our company.” If true, that’s a compelling narrative that no one else will have.
By the end of your “Why consulting/Why firm” answer, the interviewer should have zero doubt that: – You understand what you’re getting into. – You are excited and driven to be a consultant. – You specifically want to join their firm, not just any that will have you.
If you accomplish that, you’ve done your job. Speak with passion, smile when appropriate (yes, even in a serious interview, letting your excitement show in your expression and tone makes a positive impression). Consultants are passionate about their work (we wouldn’t do it otherwise), so they want to hire people who share that spark.
Remember, this question is also a chance to differentiate yourself. Many candidates will have somewhat similar reasons. How can yours stand out? Usually by being concrete and anchored in your life story. That’s what makes it memorable.
Takeaway: “Why consulting? Why this firm?” isn’t a trap; it’s an opportunity to shine and connect your story with the firm’s story. It’s where you move from being a resume to being a potential colleague. Preparation is key, but so is authenticity. Do your research, know your reasons, and deliver them with confidence and heart. If you can convince the interviewer that consulting is truly your calling and their firm is your top choice, you’re one big step closer to the offer.
You don’t have to do it alone. Want expert support navigating your unique path to MBB? Book a free intro call with my team today, and let’s turn your consulting dreams into reality.
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