Explore every episode of the podcast Strategy Simplified
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S24E26: The 3-Part Case Interview Closing That Can Rescue Your Score | 02 Oct 2026 | 00:05:40 | |
In most cases, your interviewer already knows how they'll score you by the time you reach the closing. But when it's a close one, the closing is the tiebreaker, and it can rescue your score. Namaan breaks down the 3 parts of a closing that works: the recap, the recommendation, and the risks and next steps. Practice it in every case, so the closing is ready to rescue your score when you need it. Resources:
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| S24E25: Ex-Deloitte and Bain Coach: Big 4 Interview Formats You Haven't Practiced | 01 Oct 2026 | 00:25:53 | |
Big 4 interviews are around the corner – and most candidates need 6–8 weeks of prep to be ready. Mitali Jalan spent years at Deloitte and Bain, then coached 400+ candidates. She sees one gap sink strong applicants again and again: they practice 1-on-1 cases and never practice the other formats the Big 4 use. Think group cases, written cases, presentations, and AI-assisted or Excel cases. And behavioral prep matters just as much – at some firms, it carries equal weight to the case. So if your interview is coming up, this episode shows you where to start. Resources:
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| S24E24: 80% of AI Projects Fail. These 2 Firms Explain Why. | 25 Sep 2026 | 00:56:22 | |
80% of AI projects fail. Only 10 to 20% of enterprise AI pilots reach production, and 2 firms break down why. Ugo Philippart of Emerton Data calls his firm the fire squad companies phone after an AI project has failed. Damien Chan of Adastra says over 75% of its pilots make it. Both measure performance from day 1. Most teams wait until a system is underperforming. That gap turns a pilot into a failed project. And if you want a career in consulting, this is what the work looks like. 80% of Emerton Data's people pair technical depth with strategy skills, and Damien expects analyst work like slide building to look very different soon. Useful context if AI consulting is on your shortlist. Resources:
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| S24E23: 3 Case Interview Math Mistakes That Cost You the McKinsey Offer | 23 Sep 2026 | 00:40:54 | |
Midway through a practice case, one of George Cary's clients did the math and said 90,000 when he meant 900,000. George didn't care. After 5 years and 100+ interviews at McKinsey, George will tell you the right answer is the bare minimum. The offer comes from how you got there and what the answer means for the client. In this episode, he walks through the 3 case math mistakes that cost strong candidates the offer, even with the math right. If case math is the part you dread, all 3 are fixable with the system George lays out. Resources:
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| S24E22: Ex-McKinsey Coach Says This Case Passes Round 1 | 18 Sep 2026 | 00:48:46 | |
Divya spent 8 years at McKinsey. She sat down with Sanya, a senior at Penn, and ran a case with her, live. Divya told her afterward it would've passed a McKinsey Round 1. Listen to learn how Sanya did it – built her structure, worked the math, and landed on a recommendation. Then Divya breaks down what worked and what she'd tighten up. Resources:
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| S24E21: Why Consulting Demand Is Outpacing Every Firm's Hiring Plan | 16 Sep 2026 | 00:24:49 | |
Over half the firms in our latest consulting industry survey said demand is outpacing their ability to hire and deliver. Healthcare, energy, PE – the same story across the board. The bottleneck is capacity. Firms can't staff fast enough to keep up with the work already in their pipeline. And that reshapes the picture for mid-market firms getting squeezed from both sides and the candidates those firms are fighting over. We cover:
Resources:
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| S24E20: Case Competition Applications Close Sunday at Midnight | 11 Sep 2026 | 00:02:53 | |
Applications for the Case Competition World Cup close this Sunday, September 13, at 11:59pm PT. More information: This is an opportunity to get in front of top employers, including Accenture, EY-Parthenon, KPMG, Kearney, Charles River Associates, OC&C Strategy Consultants, and more. Connect With Management Consulted
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| S24E19: Why BCG Is Racing to Hire Forward Deployed Engineers | 09 Sep 2026 | 00:13:35 | |
BCG is racing to hire forward deployed engineers – and the application window closes September 17. This year's pay range for campus hires is $110,000 to $190,000, up from $110,000 to $160,000 last year. Same job, new title, $30,000 more at the top of the range. Big Tech has cut entry-level hiring by more than half since 2019, opening a window for BCG to hire AI talent it usually couldn't afford. That window won't stay open forever. But BCG isn't the only firm racing through it. McKinsey and Deloitte are already building similar teams. Applications for both the AI engineer and AI scientist roles close September 17. If BCG's on your list, get moving. Resources:
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| S24E18: Deloitte, PwC, and 4,500 Firms Can't Find Adobe Talent | 04 Sep 2026 | 00:49:06 | |
Deloitte, PwC, IBM, and 4,500 other companies use Adobe Experience Cloud products. And they can't find enough people who know how to implement them. Nick Hilton, Tyler Tu, and Brian Au from Adobe's Customer Experience Certifications team named the Adobe jobs they're struggling to fill: MarTech analysts, implementation consultants, solution architects. None of them require a technical degree – what they require is proof you can use the tools. Free to enter. Applications close September 13. Resources:
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| S24E17: 3 Weeks Before McKinsey and BCG – How Not to Burn Out | 04 Sep 2026 | 00:17:45 | |
Langston got callbacks from McKinsey and BCG. His first instinct: 10 hours a day of studying for three weeks straight, a fast route to burnout. He'd applied to MBB once before and gotten nothing. But this time, two interviews landed in his inbox. Katie walked him off the cramming ledge and built a plan around the time he actually had. Three weeks is enough – if you spend it right. Resources:
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| S24E16: AI Took the Grunt Work – Consultants Are Getting Promoted Faster | 02 Sep 2026 | 00:46:15 | |
Paul Edwards has led more than 1,000 private equity deals. AI took the grunt work, and now Stax consultants are getting promoted faster. He leads the PE practice at Grant Thornton Stax. Inside the firm, that's 3 to 4 more projects a year for every consultant. But the one thing AI still can't do, he says, is teach curiosity. You either bring it or you don't. That's the exact bar Stax is judging this fall in the Case Competition World Cup Undergraduate Track – free to enter, teams of 4 to 5. So if curiosity is what gets you hired, this is where you prove it. Applications close September 13. Resources:
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| S24E15: McKinsey's Cases Are Interviewer-Led – Most Candidates Practice the Wrong Way | 01 Sep 2026 | 00:41:02 | |
Most consulting interviews let you drive the case. McKinsey doesn't. McKinsey is one of the only firms that runs interviewer-led cases – the interviewer leads the case, not you. So candidates who prep the way BCG or Bain expects walk in ready for the wrong format. And the case is only half your score – the PEI (Personal Experience Interview) is the other half. Ex-McKinsey coach Mark Di Giorgio breaks down why the interviewer-led format catches strong candidates off guard, how to build your PEI story bank, plus the 3-week prep plan when you don't have a lot of time left. Resources:
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| S24E14: Why McKinsey Asks up to 25 Follow-Up Questions in the PEI | 28 Aug 2026 | 00:11:53 | |
Most candidates prep for the McKinsey PEI like a regular behavioral interview. McKinsey built it to do more than that. One story, and up to 25 follow-up questions testing whether what you said the first time still holds. That's why memorized answers fall apart under the PEI. Scripted stories crack under repeated follow-ups. The ones that hold up are built to survive being asked the same thing five different ways. In this episode, Namaan breaks down the four traits McKinsey scores in the PEI and how to build stories that survive the follow-ups. Resources:
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| S24E13: The AI Hire Every Consulting Firm Is Struggling to Find | 26 Aug 2026 | 00:22:46 | |
Every firm on our new 2027 Top Enterprise AI Consulting Firms ranking wants to hire the same person right now. And none of them can find them. Namaan calls it the unicorn hire: technical enough to deploy AI, business-minded enough to define the problem, and clear enough to explain it to a non-technical client. That's the same skill behind telling deployment from transformation, the mistake costing firms deals right now. The people who can spot that difference are the ones every firm wants, and there aren't enough of them to go around. We cover:
Resources:
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| S24E12: A McKinsey Coach's Playbook for Winning Case Competitions | 24 Aug 2026 | 00:06:48 | |
Last year, 500 students on 100 teams competed in the Case Competition World Cup. Before they saw the case, coach Divya – 8 years at McKinsey – taught them the first move that separates winning teams from the rest. It's the day 1 answer: a hypothesis you lock in before you have the data, even though it feels premature. But skip it, and teams start boiling the ocean – expanding the question until there's no path left to a real recommendation. This fall, the competition returns with two tracks – undergraduate, presented by Grant Thornton Stax, and graduate, presented by Adobe – co-hosted with Case Questions and Marc Cosentino, author of Case in Point. Any current student can apply – completely free. Application deadline: September 13, 2026. Resources:
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| S24E11: Inside Private Equity Consulting: AI Bets, Harder Exits, and Real Diligence | 21 Aug 2026 | 01:00:28 | |
A private equity firm bought a paint company. Turned out their sales reps were handing out 50% discounts to any contractor who asked nicely.
Full speaker bios and firm profiles here.
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| S24E10: The Toothbrush Test: Why Most Case Frameworks Fail at MBB | 19 Aug 2026 | 00:43:35 | |
If your case framework doesn't pass the toothbrush test, it's too generic for McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. Ex-Bain coach Abi Chen walks through the toothbrush test, the 3 mistakes that cost most candidates their offer, and the 4-step process to build strong frameworks. Finally, she walks through two full framework examples – an M&A case and a pharma product launch. Resources:
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| S24E9: Inside a Bates White Economic Consulting Case Interview | 14 Aug 2026 | 00:59:00 | |
Bates White let us inside a real economic consulting case interview. Annie Olecki, a senior consultant in Bates White's antitrust practice, ran a live case interview with a volunteer from the MC community. And economic consulting cases don't look like the strategy cases at McKinsey or Bain. The case: a phone manufacturer suing its battery suppliers for price-fixing. The candidate has to size the damages, then revise the number - twice - as new evidence shifts the picture. That's the instinct Bates White is testing for. Annie wanted to see if the candidate would revise the estimate once new information proved it wrong. After the case wraps, Annie and Bates White recruiter Julian Pritcher take audience questions - interview rounds, what stands out in a resume, and R vs. Python. Join Bates White:
Resources:
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| S24E8: Private Equity Consulting Firms Have a Sameness Problem | 12 Aug 2026 | 00:22:36 | |
Namaan talked to dozens of PE practice leaders for our 2026 ranking. Almost every one said the same three things: 1) Cross-practice integration. 2) Strategy through execution. 3) Deep sector expertise. Strip the logo off 7 of 10 firms and you can't tell them apart. That's the sameness problem. And it's expensive. Sponsors stop evaluating and default to relationships, brand, and price instead. On this episode of The Briefing, Namaan breaks down what the standout firms did differently. Resources:
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| S24E7: MBA Case Prep in 2–4 Weeks: An Ex-Bain Interviewer's Plan | 11 Aug 2026 | 00:33:43 | |
Most 2nd-year MBA candidates have 2 to 4 weeks to get case interview-ready this cycle, not the usual 6 to 8. More cases won't close that gap for McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. Former Bain interviewer and LBS MBA Mitali Jalan compressed her prep into under 4 weeks and landed her offer. This session is her plan for doing it on a short runway. The fix isn't more volume. It's knowing what to drill, and when. Listen for:
Resources:
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| S24E6: McKinsey Solve Game 2026: What It Is and How to Prepare | 07 Aug 2026 | 00:09:49 | |
McKinsey screens candidates with a video game – McKinsey Solve – before they ever see a case interview. Most candidates either try to copy other people's answers or panic because they don't know what it's measuring. So here's the breakdown: what Solve is, what McKinsey is testing for inside it, and how to approach it. The answer isn't Solve-specific prep. It's the same problem-solving fundamentals that carry you through the entire McKinsey recruiting process. We cover:
Resources:
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| S24E5: McKinsey Case Interview Example: Electric Truck Market Entry | 06 Aug 2026 | 00:46:39 | |
George Cary spent five years as a McKinsey EM. In this live case, he coaches candidate Harvey through a real McKinsey market entry study: should a diesel truck manufacturer build and sell electric trucks. Harvey builds a framework, runs the full cost-of-ownership math, and lands a final recommendation. George pauses after every section to break down good vs. great in real time. You'll learn:
Resources:
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| S24E4: She Bombed MBB Her First Try – Then Landed 2 Offers the Next Time | 05 Aug 2026 | 00:17:30 | |
Sharon had everything going for her. Top-tier MBA. MBB interview invites across the board. She'd done 50–60 cases – but didn't make it past a single first round. What held her back wasn't her profile. It was her approach. So she came back the next year when the stakes were even higher. This time, she did it differently – and landed McKinsey and Bain. Katie breaks down what shifted and what re-recruiters (and first-timers who want to avoid the same trap) can take from Sharon's story. Resources:
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| S24E3: 3 Questions That Kill Your Case Interview Opening | 31 Jul 2026 | 00:08:35 | |
"Any other objectives?" sounds polite. But in a case interview opening, it costs you points. Namaan breaks down the 3 questions that kill candidates in the first 2 minutes of a case. The case opening is the first section that gets scored. And it's nearly identical every single time. So if there's one part of the case you can walk in ready for, it's this one. Get the opening right, and the rest of the case gets easier. Resources:
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| S24E2: How Consulting Firms Really Score Case Interviews | 29 Jul 2026 | 00:07:49 | |
You can nail every case you practice and still get rejected. That's because firms aren't grading you on vibes. McKinsey scores you piece by piece – opening, structure, math, brainstorming, closing. Other firms use 3 buckets instead: structure, problem solving, communication. Either way, a 4 out of 4 in math won't save a 1 out of 4 in brainstorming. Firms want you solid across the board. In this episode, Namaan breaks down exactly what's being scored – and why doing 100 more practice cases won't fix a gap you haven't identified. Resources:
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| S24E1: The Hottest Consulting Sectors to Target in 2026 | 24 Jul 2026 | 00:05:55 | |
McKinsey is making 12% more hires this year than last. But the jobs aren't going to the same profile of candidate. Energy and utilities is projected to grow 11% in 2026 – one of the least sexy practices in consulting, and one of the hottest right now. Healthcare, private equity, and consumer/retail are all shifting too. If you're aiming at the wrong sector or the wrong skill set, you're competing for the smallest slice of the market. Namaan breaks down where the hiring is concentrated, which skills firms are paying a premium for, and why specialists are starting to out-hire generalists. Resources:
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| S23E30: Why Retail Consulting Firms Are Losing Market Share | 22 Jul 2026 | 00:29:21 | |
Consumer and retail consulting used to be one market. Now it's 4. Each lane pulls a different lever – growth, margin, or talent. Firms that used to compete on "we do consumer and retail" are getting picked apart by specialists who can prove which lever they actually move. In this episode of The Briefing, Japheth sits down with Namaan to break down the 4 lanes reshaping a $70B market, why AI stopped being enough on its own, and why private equity's longer hold periods are turning growth and profitability into the same conversation. If you're a firm leader trying to protect market position, win the talent war, or defend margin, this one's for you. Resources: Go deeper on the data:
Go act on it:
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| S23E29: How to Build Business Acumen for Consulting | 17 Jul 2026 | 00:23:35 | |
Building business judgment is learnable – most candidates just go about it the wrong way. Tauseef Charanya spent 10 years at BCG, conducted over 300 case interviews, and coached hundreds of candidates through the process. In this episode, he explains what business acumen actually looks like in a case interview, why work experience alone doesn't build it, and the 4 layers you need to hit to get an offer. Resources:
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| S23E28: How to Use AI in Case Prep (And How Not To) | 15 Jul 2026 | 00:12:36 | |
Using AI for case prep? For most candidates, it's costing them the offer. McKinsey and Bain are already grading how you use AI in interviews this cycle. Most candidates ask AI for answers, skip the hypothesis, and accept whatever it hands back. That skips the exact skill firms are testing: how you think through a problem, not just the answer you get to. In this episode, Namaan breaks down the 3 AI case prep mistakes, and the right way to use it like a directed junior analyst instead. Resources:
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| S23E27: Former BCG Consultant Runs a Live Higher Education Case Interview | 10 Jul 2026 | 00:48:51 | |
This episode is presented by Bates White, one of the world's top economic consulting firms. If you're an undergraduate rising junior (Class of 2028), Bates White internship applications open in August. Learn more. Consulting firms are moving towards non-traditional cases. They want to see if you can think, not just if you've memorized a framework. This one is a BCG-style case built around two universities launching a joint degree from zero. Ex-BCG coach Yusuf Shaikh runs candidate Wasif through it live – the structure, the math behind a 240-student enrollment target, and the real-time correction when the numbers had no framework behind them. Wasif had the right answer and still lost the case on structure. Yusuf explains why – and what to do differently. Coaching:
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| S23E26: Everyone Thinks AI Is Killing Consulting. The Data Says the Opposite | 08 Jul 2026 | 00:26:33 | |
Everyone assumes AI is eating consulting alive – demand shrinking, firms pulling back. That's the narrative. The data from our July Consulting Market Outlook says something else entirely. In this episode of The Briefing, Japheth sits down with Namaan to unpack what's actually happening in the market right now. Demand is up. The bottleneck isn't leads or RFPs – it's delivery. And that changes who's winning in the second half of 2026, for firms and for candidates. We cover:
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| S23E25: BCG HireQuotient: What It Is, How It's Scored, and How to Pass It | 07 Jul 2026 | 00:21:00 | |
BCG's HireQuotient Online Assessment is the Online Case – same test, new platform. Katie – MC's Black Belt Advisor and ex-BCG – breaks down what's on it, how it's scored, and the thing that fails candidates outright. We walk through a live demo so you can see the mechanics before BCG sends you the real thing. Finish in time, prioritize fast, rule things out. And when you get to the final video rec – you get one shot. Whatever's recorded when the clock hits zero goes to BCG. Resources:
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| S23E24: Consumer & Retail Consulting in 2026 – What the Top Firms Are Watching | 03 Jul 2026 | 00:54:57 | |
The consumer and retail consulting market is fragmenting. Specialists are winning deals that used to go to the big firms – and the clients driving that shift aren't going back. 2 partners from this year's Top Consumer & Retail Consulting Firms ranking break it down. Keith Fogerty from Advancy and Shikha Jain from Simon-Kucher share what's actually happening in the market – revenue growth pressure, AI's real role, private equity's tightening standards, and why a pretty PowerPoint that collects dust is a failed engagement. If you're building a career in consumer or retail consulting, or running a practice in this space, this is the market intelligence you can't get anywhere else. Full speaker bios and firm profiles here. Resources:
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| S23E23: The Unsexy Habit That Landed Him a BCG Offer | 01 Jul 2026 | 00:21:38 | |
Bruno had every disadvantage on paper: international student, non-target school, three internships that didn't add up to one clear story. He didn't let it hold him back, landing a full-time offer at BCG. In this episode of Recruiting Reality Check, Katie – MC's Black Belt Advisor – breaks down what got Bruno there. Spoiler: it wasn't more cases. It was a plan he stuck to even when it felt too "boring" to work. Turns out, unsexy habits get results. We cover:
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| S23E22: Case Interviews Got Harder at MBB in 2026 – Here's What Changed | 26 Jun 2026 | 00:07:06 | |
Every McKinsey interviewee last year got at least 1 non-traditional case. Most candidates are still only prepping for standard business cases. Namaan breaks down what's actually different about case interviews in 2026, and it's not just the case types. McKinsey is piloting an AI-enabled interview round. Bain's also adding one this summer. The bar on communication and presence just went up too, because AI raised the floor on sounding prepared – but sounding ready isn't the same as being ready anymore. Resources:
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| S23E21: The Real Driver Behind the Energy Consulting Boom | 24 Jun 2026 | 00:14:12 | |
Energy consulting grew in line with the market for a decade. Flat. Unremarkable. Nobody paid attention. That changed. The market's now projected to grow 11% in 2026, and leverage for candidates with ops or technical backgrounds is higher than at any point in recent history. In this episode of The Briefing, Japheth sits down with Namaan to break down what's driving the boom. Spoiler: it's not just the data center buildout you've been reading about. Whether you're hunting for your next role or you're a firm trying to win the talent war, this one's for you. Resources: Go deeper on the data:
Go act on it:
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| S23E20: The 4 Case Prep Gaps Costing You the Offer | 19 Jun 2026 | 00:30:02 | |
The reality of MBB recruiting: 100 candidates apply. 15 get an interview. 1 gets the offer. Most of the 99 who don't get it aren't underqualified. They just had a bad plan. Kabreya Ghaderi, who coached hundreds of candidates and spent time at McKinsey, PwC, and Bridgespan, sees strong candidates still miss because their prep plan has a hole in it they can't see from the inside. In this episode, Kabreya walks through the 4 gaps that sink even candidates who are doing everything "right." What stood out:
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| S23E19: BCG Case Interview – Solar Energy Revenue Decline | 17 Jun 2026 | 00:41:32 | |
Ish Mawla ran a BCG case in front of a live audience. Real candidate, real pressure. The case: a solar company in an emerging market watching its revenue fall while the broader market keeps growing. Aditya has to figure out why – and what to do about it. Then Ish breaks down the whole thing – what Aditya did well and where he left points on the table. Here's what stood out:
Coaching:
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| S23E18: 5 Candidates Share What Actually Got Them MBB Offers | 12 Jun 2026 | 00:47:42 | |
5 people just landed offers at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, and L.E.K. We got them all in one room and asked them the same question: what actually worked? The real stuff – how many cases they did, how they networked, what they wish they'd done differently, and the misconceptions that almost cost them. Aisha did 50 cases her first recruiting cycle and didn't get the offer. She did 25 the second time and got it. That contrast says more than any framework guide will. You'll learn:
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| S23E17: Ex-Bain Interviewer Shares What Gets You Hired at Bain | 10 Jun 2026 | 00:39:19 | |
Mitali Jalan was told she couldn't break into consulting as a chartered accountant. She was told it was unlikely she'd land Bain as an international MBA student. She got the offers anyway. She worked at Deloitte India and Bain London, then sat on the other side of the table as a Bain interviewer. She's coached over 350 candidates and knows where people lose the offer. The thing she kept seeing? Candidates who spent weeks on case prep, walked in technically ready, and still didn't get it. The gap wasn't knowledge. We cover:
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| S23E16: How AI is Disrupting the Consulting Model | Arda Ecevit, Ex-Bain & NexStrat AI Founder | 05 Jun 2026 | 00:45:36 | |
Every week we hear the same question from candidates: Is AI going to gut consulting before I can break in? Short answer: No. Longer answer: The model is changing fast, and you need to know what's shifting and what isn't. Arda Ecevit spent over 13 years at Deloitte, Strategy&, and Bain before co-founding NexStrat AI. He sat down with Namaan to talk about what AI is doing to consulting – and the parts of the job it can't touch.
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| S23E15: He Quit His Job to Break Into Consulting | 03 Jun 2026 | 00:17:39 | |
Walter applied to consulting out of undergrad and didn't get an offer. Went into investment banking, got another shot a year and a half later, and still wasn't ready – too busy, not focused enough, cramming at the last minute. So he quit his job to recruit full time. That's an extreme version of the lesson, but the lesson applies to anyone working full time while trying to break in: you have less time than you think. Consulting firms aren't running a six-month hiring cycle. They've got a project to staff and they need someone now. You could apply today and interview next week. In this episode of Recruiting Reality Check, Katie Neff, ex-BCG and MC's Black Belt Advisor, breaks down what Walter did differently on attempt #3 – how he started from scratch, built a serious plan, and landed a full-time offer with L.E.K. The June Black Belt cohort closes Tuesday, June 9 (limited spots). Learn more and join. Resources:
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| S23E14: Ex-BCG Principal: Why 22 Cases Beat 100 (And What Actually Gets Offers) | 29 May 2026 | 00:27:00 | |
BCG interviews typically start 3–4 weeks after the application deadline – and deadlines are here. Tauseef Charanya spent 10 years at BCG – half consulting, half building AI products globally. He's done 300+ interviews and has seen strong candidates miss offers for the same reasons, over and over. In this episode, he breaks down the 3 mistakes that hurt otherwise solid BCG candidates, why doing more cases without feedback makes you worse, and the 4-step system that gets you BCG-ready. You'll learn:
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| S23E13: How to Crush Your First 90 Days in Consulting | 27 May 2026 | 00:46:43 | |
Most new consultants walk in with work style blind spots they can't see – and their managers notice before they do. In this episode, Namaan – COO of Management Consulted – breaks down his framework for owning your first 90 days in consulting: how to identify your blind spots, read your manager, and carry yourself like someone who's been doing this for years. You'll learn:
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| S23E12: Energy Consulting Is Exploding – 3 Insiders Break Down Why | 22 May 2026 | 00:54:53 | |
Energy consulting is growing 11% this year – the fastest-growing sector in consulting. AI data centers are eating power faster than the grid can supply, the energy transition is still underway, and nobody has a clean answer for how to do both at once. 3 insiders from MC's 2026 energy ranking join the show: Sean Jump (dss+), Charlie Sorensen (BearingPoint), and Michael Einstein (Simon-Kucher). You'll learn:
Full speaker bios and firm profiles here. Resources:
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| S23E11: 400 Bain Resumes Reviewed – 3 Mistakes She Saw Every Time | 20 May 2026 | 00:29:09 | |
Maile Dyer reviewed 400+ resumes as a Bain Manager. She was on the recruiting team, making the decisions on who got interviews. And she kept seeing the same 3 mistakes: structure, content, and formatting. Most candidates miss at least one. A lot of them miss all 3 — and they never find out why they never heard back. In this episode, Maile breaks down each mistake and tells you exactly how to fix it. Katie Neff joins to tie it back to your full recruiting strategy. You'll learn:
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| S23E10: BCG Revamped the CCA – An Ex-BCG Consultant Breaks It Down | 15 May 2026 | 00:10:47 | |
BCG just updated its Consulting Career Assessment (CCA) and most candidates approach it the wrong way. In this episode, Katie – ex-BCG, Black Belt Advisor at Management Consulted – breaks down the revamped CCA across each section, so you know what to expect. What most candidates miss: this isn't just a math test. BCG is measuring who you are and whether you are consistent in your answers. You'll learn:
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| S23E9: The 5 Places Consultants Go After MBB | 13 May 2026 | 00:10:42 | |
Everyone wonders what comes after consulting, but the exits aren't talked about. In this episode of Consulting Unpacked, Jenny Rae (ex-Bain) breaks down the 5 most common exit paths – and why consulting opens more doors than almost any other career move. Resources:
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| S23E8: Bain First Round Case: Luxury Helicopter Manufacturer Profitability Decline | 08 May 2026 | 00:36:11 | |
Sebastian is a Purdue junior with Bain interviews coming up. He ran a full first-round Bain case live – and after every section, coach Mitali stopped and told him exactly what worked and what he missed. Mitali spent 5 years in consulting, including as a senior consultant at Bain in London. She's coached 350+ people into MBB and used to interview candidates herself – so she knows what Bain is looking for. You'll see:
Coaching with Mitali:
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| S23E7: 30 Cases Wasn't Enough for MBB | 06 May 2026 | 00:18:25 | |
He got McKinsey and Bain interviews and practiced 30 cases with friends – but didn't make it past round 1. Overconfident Ollie is a target school student with every reason to be confident. He joined Black Belt, made a plan – then mostly went at it alone. His KPI was cases completed and when MBB's first round came, his floor wasn't high enough. Katie and Japheth break down what went wrong, what's at stake if the approach doesn't change, and the specific steps Ollie is taking to rebuild before the next round of deadlines.
The May Black Belt cohort closes Tuesday, May 12 (limited spots). Learn more and join. Resources:
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