- "Why consulting?" checks three things: that you understand the work, that your reasons are genuinely yours, and that you have thought about the hard parts of the job.
- Build the answer from two or three reasons, the most important first. Each one needs a fact from your own path behind it and a link to what consultants actually do.
- Variety, learning and exploring different industries can be good reasons if you explain them well. Prestige, salary and exit options should not be the centre of your answer.
- For experienced hires the question becomes "why consulting, why now": what has changed, what your current role cannot give you, and what you will bring.
- Prepare talking points, not a script. Aim for about 60 to 90 seconds, then expect follow-up questions that test whether the reasons hold.
Almost every consulting process asks "why consulting?" in some form: in a recruiter call, in the first minutes of an interview, folded into "tell me about yourself", or as a pointed question from a partner in the final round. The answers interviewers hear are remarkably similar, so the ones that stand out are rarely the most original. They are the ones where every reason is backed by something the candidate has done and can discuss.
The advice below combines what interviewers at large consulting firms consistently describe, recurring patterns from coaching sessions and the recruiter's perspective of Franco Borgonovo, a former BCG Principal and global lead recruiter. All examples are fictional and written for this guide.
The short answer: a structure you can use today
If you have an interview tomorrow, this is the structure to prepare. The rest of the guide explains each part and shows it in practice.
- A one-sentence opening. Announce how many reasons you will give: "There are two main reasons, and both come from things I have already done."
- Your first reason, with proof. The reason that matters most to you, followed by a specific experience that shows it is real, and what it has to do with consulting work.
- Your second reason, with proof. Same pattern. Add a third only if it is as strong as the first two.
- A short close. What you want to learn or contribute in the next few years, and, if it fits naturally, one sign that you understand the demands of the job.
Spoken at a calm pace of about 150 words a minute, 60 to 90 seconds corresponds to roughly 150 to 220 words. Treat that as a practical reference, not a rule: a clear answer of 50 seconds is better than a padded one of 90.
What the interviewer is really checking
The question sounds like small talk, but the interviewer is collecting evidence on a few points that matter for the hiring decision.
| What they check | What a good answer shows | What raises doubts |
|---|---|---|
| You understand the job | Reasons that fit what consultants actually do day to day | Reasons that would fit any well-paid job |
| Your reasons are genuine | Facts from your own path behind each reason | Phrases that could come from a careers website |
| You know the hard parts | Calm awareness of hours, travel and constant feedback | Surprise when the interviewer mentions them |
| You will be motivated on a bad day | A reason linked to the work itself | A reason linked only to status or the next job |
The last row is the one candidates rarely think about. Consulting projects include long weeks, sudden changes of direction and clients who disagree with you. Interviewers want a sense that your reasons will still hold in the third month of a difficult project, which is why reasons rooted in the work itself carry more weight than reasons rooted in the label.
From the recruiter's side, most answers name similar reasons: problem solving, learning, impact, people. What separates them is almost never the choice of reason. It is whether the candidate can back each one with something concrete, and whether the follow-up questions find a real person behind the words.
Know the work before you explain why you want it
A credible answer needs a realistic picture of the job. In strategy and management consulting, a typical project puts a small team, often three to five consultants, on one client problem for a period of weeks or months. The work usually combines:
- Defining the problem with the client and breaking it into questions that can be answered.
- Analysis: data, interviews with client staff and experts, market research, models.
- Synthesis: turning findings into a recommendation, usually on slides, and testing it with the client along the way.
- Working with the client to agree the decision and, increasingly, to start implementing it.
Then there are the parts that are less often mentioned in recruiting brochures. Hours can be long and hard to predict. Travel depends heavily on the office and its staffing model, from weekly flights to mostly local work. You receive feedback after every project, and sometimes every day. Early on you are usually a generalist, working in industries you did not choose, and you specialise later.
You do not need to list any of this in your answer. But if your reasons contradict it ("I want a stable routine and deep expertise in one field"), the interviewer will notice, and if a follow-up question raises it, you should be able to discuss it calmly. The best preparation for this is a few conversations with people who do the job, covered later in this guide.
From a generic motive to a personal reason
Most candidates start from the same generic motives, and that is fine. The work is turning each motive into a reason that only you could give. Three steps do it:
- Start from the motive, even if it sounds generic: "I like solving problems."
- Add the personal proof: the moment in your own path where you discovered or showed it.
- Connect it to consulting: why consulting gives you more of that than the alternatives you have.
The table shows the transformation with fictional examples.
| Generic motive | Personal proof | Concrete reason |
|---|---|---|
| "I like solving problems" | An internship project on why a bus operator's fuel costs rose faster than mileage | A new problem of that kind every few months, with a client who acts on the answer |
| "I want to learn fast" | Applying pricing logic from snacks to a medical devices project during an MBA | Several industries in the first years, before choosing where to specialise |
| "I want impact" | A process change that cut a hospital's discharge delays | Working on decisions that affect a whole organisation, not one department |
| "I like teamwork" | Running a student consulting project with four people and a tight deadline | Small teams solving one problem together, with daily feedback |
"I really enjoy solving complex problems, and consulting is all about solving complex problems for clients."
"What I enjoyed most in my internship was a single question: why our fuel costs had risen faster than mileage. I split it by route, bus age and driver, found that two hilly routes explained most of the gap, and the operations director changed the vehicle allocation the following month. Consulting is that cycle, a defined problem, analysis and a decision, repeated with different clients."
The first version is true of almost every job and gives the interviewer nothing to ask about. The second shows how the candidate approaches a problem, includes a result, and explains why consulting in particular offers more of the same. It also opens easy follow-up questions on the analysis.
Which reasons work, and which do not
There is no list of approved reasons. What matters is whether the reason is true for you, supported by evidence and connected to the work. Still, some reasons are easier to defend than others.
| Reason | Works when | Fails when |
|---|---|---|
| The type of problems | You show a problem you enjoyed and how you approached it | It stays at "I like challenges" |
| Learning pace | You say what you want to learn and why it matters now | It sounds like a training course you want someone to pay for |
| Impact on decisions | You give an example of influencing a decision | It implies you will advise CEOs from day one |
| Teamwork and people | You describe how you like to work, with an example | It is only "the people I met were nice" |
| Variety and exploration | You explain what you want to explore and what you will do with it | It sounds like you have no idea what you want |
| Working with clients | You show an experience of persuading or serving someone | It ignores that clients can be difficult |
Variety and exploration can be good reasons
Many guides tell candidates never to say they want to explore. That is too strict. Early in a career, wanting to see several industries and functions before committing is a sensible reason, and consulting is one of the few jobs that offers it in a structured way. The answer only fails when exploration sounds like indecision.
The difference is in the explanation. "I'm not sure what I want, so consulting keeps my options open" sounds like indecision. "I have enjoyed both my operations internship and my strategy coursework, and I want to test which kind of problem I am best at before specialising; consulting lets me do that with real clients and feedback on every project" sounds like a plan. The same applies to learning: say what you want to learn and why, not only that you like learning.
Prestige, salary and exit options
Pay, the firm's reputation and the options consulting opens later are real factors in most candidates' decisions, and interviewers know it. The problem is making them the centre of the answer. They say nothing about whether you will enjoy or be good at the work, and they invite the thought that you will leave as soon as a better label comes along.
If an interviewer asks directly, an honest and brief answer is fine: "The training and the options it opens matter to me too, but they are not why I want to do the work." Then return to your real reasons. The same applies to describing consulting as a stepping stone; you may well leave one day, but presenting the job as a stop on the way to something else is a weak opening for an employer that is about to invest in you.
Other reasons to avoid as the main point
- Travel and glamour. Travel is part of the job for many, not a perk, and it can be the hardest part.
- "I am good at frameworks" or "I like slides". These describe tools, not why you want the work.
- A long personal story without a link to the job. Personal motivation is welcome, but the interviewer needs to hear why it leads to consulting.
- Reasons that apply equally to banking, private equity or a corporate strategy team. If an interviewer can ask "why not there?", have an answer.
How to structure and deliver the answer
Interviewers listen to a lot of answers in a day. A structure they can follow without effort helps them note your reasons, and it also shows the top-down communication consulting work requires.
Signpost first
"Two reasons" tells the interviewer how much is coming and makes the answer easier to note down.
Most important first
If you are interrupted after the first reason, the interviewer should already have the strongest one.
Proof in one or two sentences
Enough to make the reason concrete. Details can come with follow-up questions.
Close briefly
One sentence on what you want to learn or contribute. No summary of what you just said.
Two or three reasons are enough. With one reason the answer sounds thin; with four or five, none of them gets the proof it needs. If you have more, keep the extra ones for follow-up questions.
Speak the answer, do not recite it. Interviewers can tell within seconds when a candidate is reproducing a memorised paragraph, and the rapport goes with it. Prepare the backbone in bullet points (the reasons, the proof for each, the close) and practise saying it differently each time.
Example answers by profile
The answers below are fictional and written for this guide. They show the structure applied to different starting points. Use them to understand the pattern, not as text to adapt: an answer built on someone else's experience will not survive the first follow-up question.
An undergraduate student
"I want to work in consulting because I love solving complex problems, I want to work with smart people, and consulting offers great career growth and exit opportunities."
"There are two main reasons, and both come from things I have already tried.
The first is the kind of work. Last summer I interned in the finance team of a regional bus operator, and my project was to find out why fuel costs had risen faster than mileage. I split the problem by route, bus age and driver, and found that older buses on two hilly routes explained most of the gap. What I enjoyed most was presenting it to the operations director and seeing the vehicle allocation change the next month. Consulting is that cycle, repeated across clients.
The second is the pace of learning. I don't yet know which industry I want to build a career in. Two consultants I spoke to at a campus event had each worked in three sectors in their first two years, with feedback on every project, and that is the start I want. I also asked them about the hours and the travel, so I know what that pace costs."
The weaker answer lists four motives without evidence and ends on exit options. The stronger one has two reasons, each with proof, frames exploration as a deliberate choice and shows awareness of the demands of the job. It is about 170 words, roughly 70 seconds spoken.
An MBA candidate
"Two reasons. First, I want to work on the decisions above the ones I used to make. For five years I ran brand marketing for a snacks company in Brazil. My best year came when I convinced the commercial director to cut a third of our product range: sales held and margin rose. That analysis took me four months alongside my day job, and it showed me that the cross-functional questions, which products, which channels, which prices, are the work I enjoy most. In consulting they are the core of the job, not a side project.
Second, breadth. My experience is deep in one category and one country. During the MBA I joined a project with a medical devices company and found that the same portfolio and pricing questions apply, with very different economics. I want a few years of that breadth before choosing where to specialise, and the consultants I met through the school described exactly that path."
Why it works: the first reason uses a result from the candidate's previous career as proof, and explains why consulting gives more of that work than their old job. The second reason is about learning, made concrete by an MBA project. About 160 words.
For MBA candidates, interviewers often listen for whether the move is a coherent next step from the previous career rather than a reset. Showing what carries over, as this candidate does with portfolio decisions, answers that without being asked.
A career changer
"Two reasons. First, I want to work on the question before the one I work on now. In M&A I am usually asked how to structure and document a deal. On my last transaction I led the due diligence for the legal workstream, and I kept finding commercial issues, a customer contract that could be cancelled on a change of ownership, a supplier dependency nobody had priced. Summarising those for the client's board was the most valuable thing I did all year, and it was not legal work. Consulting is where I can work on whether and why to do something, not only how.
Second, I want to work in small teams that solve problems together. Legal work is often individual and sequential. The best weeks of my career were on a joint project with the client's strategy team, where we built the answer together every day. I know I would start in a role where my legal expertise counts for less, and I have discussed that with two former lawyers now in consulting."
Why it works: the candidate explains what is missing from the current job without criticising it, uses a concrete episode as proof, and addresses the obvious doubt (starting over in a new field) before the interviewer raises it. About 175 words.
A technical profile
"Two reasons. The first is that I want to work closer to decisions. My research is on electrode materials for batteries, and the part of my PhD I enjoyed most was a six-month collaboration with a car maker, where I had to explain which of our results mattered for their cost and which did not. Seeing them redesign a test programme around one of our findings was more satisfying than the paper we published later. Consulting would put that translation, from analysis to decision, at the centre of my work.
The second is speed and breadth. A research project runs for years on one question. I have tested that I enjoy shorter cycles: I led a twelve-week student consulting project for an energy start-up and found I liked defining the problem as much as solving it. I know that means leaving deep specialisation for now, and that my chemistry will rarely be the main point of a project; my analytical training will be."
Why it works: technical candidates are often asked why they are leaving their field. This answer shows a deliberate move towards decisions, with evidence from inside the PhD, and is honest about what the candidate gives up. About 165 words.
If you want to keep working hands-on with code, data or models, several firms have technical roles alongside generalist consulting. In that case your answer needs to explain why that role, not only why consulting, because the interviewer will ask why you did not apply to the generalist track or stay in industry.
Experienced hires: why consulting, why now
For candidates with several years of work, the question changes. Interviewers know you have a career that is going somewhere, so they want to understand why you would leave it now. A motivation that would be fine from a graduate can sound unconvincing from someone with seven years of experience, especially in a final round with a partner.
A good "why consulting, why now" covers four points, briefly:
- What you want to do more of, with proof from your current career.
- Why now: what has changed, or what your current path offers next and why that is not what you want.
- What you bring: the expertise or experience that will be useful from your first project.
- That you have thought about the trade-offs: starting a new job, the travel, the pace, a different kind of career path.
"For the last three years I have run supply chain for one of our plants, and for nine months of that we worked with an external consulting team on a network redesign. What I realised is that the part of the project I enjoyed most was the diagnosis and the redesign, which they do across many companies, while my next role here would be running a larger version of the system I already run. That is why now: the programme is complete, and I want the next ten years to be about solving that kind of problem, not operating the result.
I would bring something specific. I have implemented a redesign, so I know what makes a recommendation survive on the shop floor and what makes it fail. And I have thought about the change: more travel, a new role at a later stage of my career, and working on industries I don't know. I discussed all three with my family and with two people who made the same move."
Why it works: the answer gives a real trigger, explains why staying is less attractive without criticising the employer, names a concrete contribution and shows that the trade-offs have been considered. It does not promise to stay forever, and it does not need to; it shows the move is a considered career choice rather than an escape.
Two things weaken experienced-hire answers more than anything else: presenting consulting as a way to learn "strategy" that will later be taken back to industry, and making the answer about leaving a bad situation rather than going towards something. Be honest about your situation, then explain the positive work and career reasons for the move rather than inventing a motivation or focusing on complaints.
The follow-up questions that test your answer
A good first answer is only the start. Interviewers often ask one or two questions to check whether the reasons hold. You cannot control which ones, but you can make sure your reasons are solid enough to discuss.
| Follow-up question | What it tests |
|---|---|
| "What do you think a typical week looks like?" | Whether your picture of the job is realistic |
| "You could learn that in a corporate strategy team. Why consulting?" | Whether your reason is specific to consulting |
| "What will you miss about your current job or studies?" | Self-awareness and honesty about the trade-off |
| "How do you feel about the hours and the travel?" | Whether you have thought about the hard parts |
| "Who have you spoken to, and what did they tell you?" | Whether your interest goes beyond reading websites |
| "Where do you see yourself in five years?" | Whether the move fits a direction you can explain |
| "What will you do if consulting does not work out?" | Maturity and a sense of perspective |
"Consulting is more prestigious, and the learning curve is steeper."
"That's a fair point, and I did consider it. A strategy team would let me go deeper on one company. What I want at this stage is the opposite: several companies and problems in a few years, and feedback from people who have seen many of them. I might well choose depth later, but I'd rather choose it knowing what else is out there."
The weaker answer falls back on prestige and an unsupported claim. The stronger one takes the alternative seriously, explains the trade-off and connects it to the candidate's stated reason. It also stays calm, which is what the question is partly testing.
"No problem at all, I'm used to working hard."
"I asked three consultants about it, and the honest answer was that it varies a lot by project. Some weeks are intense; one of them described a three-week stretch before a board meeting where she barely saw home. I've had long periods like that during my thesis and they were fine when the work mattered. What I would want to protect is one fixed evening a week, and they all said that is realistic most of the time."
"No problem at all" sounds like the candidate has not thought about it. The stronger answer shows real information gathered from people in the job, a reasonable expectation and a calm, honest view of the trade-off.
Talk to consultants, and use what they tell you
Conversations with people who do the job are the single most useful input for this answer. They give you a realistic picture of the work, details no website has, and proof you can mention ("one consultant described..."). Coffee chats, campus events, alumni networks and recruiter calls all count.
A few questions give you material you can actually use:
- What does a normal week look like on your current project, and on your hardest one?
- What surprised you most in your first year?
- What kind of person struggles here, and what kind thrives?
- How are projects and industries assigned in this office?
- What would you tell yourself before you joined?
Ask several people the same questions, for example a recent joiner, someone more senior and someone who has left. Comparing their answers tells you more than any single conversation. There is no fixed number of conversations to have; what matters is that you learned something that changed or confirmed your reasons, and that you can say what it was.
Then use it with care. Mentioning a conversation works when it supports a reason ("two consultants told me they had worked in three sectors in two years, and that is the start I want"). It does not work as name-dropping, and interviewers may know the people you mention.
Prepare talking points, not a script
- Write your reasons and proof in bullet points, not full sentences: two or three reasons, one fact for each, one closing line.
- Check each reason with three questions: is it true for me, can I give a specific example, and does it explain why consulting rather than a similar job?
- Say it aloud and record it. Listen for generic phrases, for reasons without proof and for anything that sounds memorised.
- Time it. If it runs well over 90 seconds, cut the proof to one sentence each and drop the weakest reason.
- Practise with someone who asks follow-up questions, using the table above. Where you hesitate is where your reason needs more thought.
- Make it consistent with your CV, cover letter and "tell me about yourself". Interviewers read your application before the interview, and the same reasons should appear in all of them.
Your answer to "why consulting" usually sits next to two others: "tell me about yourself", which often comes just before, and "why this firm", which often comes just after. Keep them distinct. "Why consulting" is about the work; "why this firm" is about what makes this firm and office the right place for you to do it. In practice, strong candidates apply to several firms, so the firm question often means "why consulting here", and it builds naturally on the reasons you give here.
Common mistakes
- Reasons without proof. "I love problem solving" with nothing behind it gives the interviewer nothing to note down.
- Too many reasons. Five reasons in 60 seconds means none of them is convincing.
- Prestige, salary or exit options at the centre. Real factors, but not reasons to do the work.
- A picture of the job that is not realistic. Strategy with CEOs every day, no mention of analysis, slides or feedback.
- Criticising your current employer or field. Explain what you want more of, not what you are escaping.
- A memorised paragraph. It sounds rehearsed, and it breaks as soon as the interviewer interrupts.
- An answer that does not match your path. If your CV points to deep specialisation, explain the change rather than ignoring it.
- Overselling. Trying to sound brilliant or unique matters less than sounding thoughtful and honest.
When coaching helps
An experienced interviewer can test your answer in conversation: whether a reason comes across as genuine or generic, whether the proof is convincing, and which follow-up question would expose a gap. Friends and other candidates are useful listeners, but they rarely push back the way an interviewer would.
1:1 coaching with Franco covers the whole personal side of the interview, not only the case. A session can test your "why consulting", "why this firm" and "tell me about yourself" with realistic follow-up questions, then move on to your experience stories or a case. Franco spent ten years at BCG, from intern to Principal, interviewing and selecting candidates as a global lead recruiter, and still coaches BCG's new hires as an official BCG coach in the Consulting Foundation Training. After every session you receive a written report with your priorities.
"I got into BCG! So glad I did those sessions with you."
A., BCG offer after coaching with Franco. One candidate's experience; results depend on each candidate and process.
1:1 interview coaching
Test your motivation answers with a former recruiter
Franco Borgonovo has conducted more than 1,500 interviews, over 800 of them for MBB firms. Every session is with him, and it is built around your profile and your target firms.
- One session to test your "why consulting", "why this firm" and introduction, with follow-up questions, US$249
- Packages of 3, 5 or 10 sessions add a progress dashboard, practice materials and email support
- A written report after every session; money-back guarantee if the coaching does not meet your expectations
Send your draft reasons before the session, and it can start from the follow-up questions that would test them.
Frequently asked questions
How long should my answer to "why consulting" be?
About 60 to 90 seconds as a practical reference, roughly 150 to 220 words spoken at a calm pace. Shorter is fine if the answer is complete. The interviewer will ask for more if they want it.
How many reasons should I give?
Two or three, the most important first. Each needs a fact from your own experience behind it. Keep extra reasons for follow-up questions.
Can I say I want to explore different industries?
Yes, if you explain what you want to explore and why it matters at this point in your career. It becomes a weak answer only when it sounds like you have no direction.
Should I mention salary or exit options?
Not as your main reasons. If the interviewer asks directly, acknowledge briefly that they matter and return to the reasons that concern the work itself.
Is "why consulting" the same as "why this firm"?
No. "Why consulting" is about the work; "why this firm" is about why this firm and office are the right place for you to do it. Prepare them separately, but make sure they are consistent.
Should I use the same answer for every firm?
Your reasons for consulting can stay the same across firms, as long as they are genuinely yours. What changes from firm to firm is the "why this firm" answer that usually follows.
I am an experienced hire. What changes?
The question becomes "why consulting, why now". Explain what has changed, what your current path offers next and why that is not what you want, what you will bring, and that you have thought about the trade-offs.
Should I memorise my answer?
No. Memorise the structure and the facts, not the words. A memorised paragraph sounds rehearsed and is hard to adapt when the interviewer interrupts.
Your next step
Write down your two or three reasons today, with one specific fact from your own path for each. Then say the answer aloud to someone and ask them to challenge it with "why not a corporate strategy role?" and "how do you feel about the hours?". If either question makes you hesitate, that is the reason to work on next.
Coaching with Franco
Find out how your answer sounds to an interviewer
A realistic fit interview with follow-up questions, a debrief and a written report with your priorities. Start with one session, or talk it through for free first.
About Franco
Franco Borgonovo
Former BCG Principal · 10-year tenure · Official BCG coachFranco spent ten years at BCG, from intern to Principal, interviewing and selecting candidates as a global lead recruiter. He is still an official BCG coach for new hires, and today works one to one with candidates on applications, McKinsey Solve and interviews.
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