Interviews are a crucial part of any consulting application - in fact, it is likely to be a significant part of any job application process. Given these interviews represent limited moments of contact you will have with the recruiter, it is not only important to demonstrate job-specific knowledge, but also convey a mastery of general, transferable skills, such as verbal communication, leadership and time management. To help you with your interview preparations, here are 4 big tips for selling your transferable skills at a job interview!
Identify what skills to sell
Recruiters tend to seek for all-rounded applicants, and it is advantageous to possess a diversified set of transferable skills. Thus, it pays to be thoughtful when choosing what skills to prioritise - while you should aim to stand out as a candidate by catering to your strengths, you should avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. If you’re having trouble finding appropriate skills, or finding the language to verbalise them, here are a few links for inspiration:
2. Give context behind your skills
When explaining your transferable skills, it is tempting to fit in all of them into your answer. However, don’t be disillusioned by quantity - presenting all these skills as a list without further elaboration or context can leave the interviewer skeptical as to how you acquired them. Thus, during an interview, make sure to prioritise giving context when presenting your transferable skills. For example, you might have learnt to communicate well by reaching out to 50 firms when finding sponsorships for your society, or developed leadership when leading a volunteer team for a social initiative. Demonstrating that you have acquired your skills through personal examples will be more effective at convincing the interviewer that you are a suitable candidate.
3. Tie skills to the demands of the job
Although transferable skills are by literal definition transferable, it is still important to explain the relevance of the skills you have highlighted. After all, interviewers are seeking for candidates with profiles that best suit the role in question. Therefore, when preparing for a consulting interview, look up the role description, and have a think about how your transferable skills will assist you in performing the role’s responsibilities. For example, being able to communicate well will allow you to persuade clients to follow your recommendation, whilst analytical skills will assist you in developing innovative, yet rigorously evaluated solutions to an existing problem.
4. Demonstrate skills both actively and passively
Apart from how you explain your skills, it is also important that your non-verbal actions, such as body language and initiative, reflect the skills that you have described. Even if you were to explain that you would make a good hire for your communication skills, the interviewer would be led to question that if you didn’t maintain eye contact, or came off as uncertain during the interview. Want to show leadership in a case interview? Make sure to ask questions, actively express your thought process, and drive the interview. Or would you like to show communication skills? Be wary of your tone and pacing when speaking, and adopt confident body language during the interview. Combining both verbal and non-verbal forms of expression will likely make for a more compelling case in support of your transferable skills.
Hopefully this has been useful, and good luck with your applications!