Training Badge
Submitted by techmgr on
in

Forums

Hello all,

I would appreciate help preparing for an interview the purpose of which is to get a better understanding of my experience, motivation and ‘fit’ within their culture. I generally interview well, but I have trouble with these types of interviews. I own the interview series and have listened to every interview-related podcast several times.

It will be a phone interview for a consultant role. I have never worked for a consulting firm. I don't have a good track record for these culture fit interviews. I don't believe that I overthink it and try to make myself into something I'm not. And I'm not naive about extreme candor. I'm honest. I try to present the best "me" that I can and be energetic and warm. I really like this firm and I think my enthusiasm will come through. But I'm very anxious about how to prepare.

I will have a well practiced "tell me about yourself" answer. And I'll practice talking about career decisons, why I left a job, why I took a job etc. Any additonal thoughts on how to prepare or what to expect would be helpful and appreciated.

Thank you. J (7115)

The interview process: 1st) candidate’s experience, motivation and ‘fit’ within our culture; 2nd) skills/knowledge; 3rd) Case Study Presentation

mmcconkie's picture

Culter fit interviews will basically measure how much the other team members like you. To help them feel like you are a good fit, I recommend focusing on DISC. If you communicate in a way that makes sense to them, then I think they will feel more comfortable with you and you'll have a much higher chance of moving forward in the process. I would start with this cast as a reference: 

https://www.manager-tools.com/2006/11/pay-better-attention-disc

Now there are tons of casts on DISC in the Map of the Universe, so you may want to look at some others as well depending on how much time you have to prepare - but this is a good start. 

Good luck on the interview! 

mmcconkie

techmgr's picture
Training Badge

Thanks for the reply. I'm well versed in disc and have attended the ECC. Certainly it's good to try and pick up on disc behaviors and use that info to adjust my communication style. And I think in a phone interview with multiple people there's only so much I can do with disc. I appreciate the remainder to use disc as much as possible. 

techmgr's picture
Training Badge

Hi, I have my interview tomorrow. One last ask if anyone has suggestions for questions to prep for. I just googled and found a lot to be prepared to answer, but would love to hear from people who have either asked questions geared towards assessing culture fit or answered them. Thanks