SECTION 1
Why Interview Prep Matters
When clients interview you, they want to determine three primary things:
- Do you understand their specific problem?
- Have you successfully tackled a similar challenge before?
- Do you have a high-level roadmap of how you would address their specific project?
Your preparation should revolve around nailing these three points. Being able to demonstrate your understanding of the issue at hand, articulate your relevant experiences, and outline a day-one plan will help clients feel confident in hiring you, which is key to moving forward.
SECTION 2
Key Elements of Preparing for an Interview
1) Research the Company
This might seem obvious but due diligence on the client is a must. This is going to help you better understand the project (see Step 2). So, spend time getting familiar with:
- The company website
- Investor presentations or annual reports (for public companies)
- Industry basics (if the industry is new to you)
- Recent news coverage
- The company’s owner (especially if they are if private equity backed)
Pro Tip: Don’t hesitate to use tools like ChatGPT for a quick briefing on unfamiliar industries. Even 20–30 minutes of focused research can give you enough foundational knowledge to ask smart questions and convey preparedness.
2) Understand the Project Need
The foundation of your prep is to fully understand the specific problem the client is trying to solve. Where you’ll stand out is demonstrating that you truly “get it”. To do that, think about:
- Anticipating the “why.” Is the company trying to break into new regions? Is there a shift happening in their industry? Seek clues about the company’s larger strategy or pain points. For example, if you’re interviewing for a “sales force effectiveness” project with an industrial manufacturer, look into industry press releases and financial disclosures that might reveal revenue declines or operational changes. If it’s a PE-backed company, what is the value creation plan? The more you can tie your conversation to the client’s broader objectives, the more credible you’ll come across.
- Thinking beyond the immediate request. Your deep expertise puts you in a position to understand what else could be tied to this problem. Is there other work that might naturally follow this project? What else should the client be taking into account that impacts this work, or that this work could impact? Prepare discovery questions to evaluate your hypotheses to gain a deeper understanding of what the client needs and how you can help.
3) Prepare Your Past Experience (STAR Method)
Clients need reassurance that you’ve done similar work or can successfully map your skills to their challenge. To do that effectively, narrow down 2–3 past project examples that most closely align to the client’s situation and be ready to present them. These can be consulting projects or projects from former full-time roles. One framework you can use to do this is the STAR method:
- Situation: What was the context or problem the client faced?
- Task: What specific role or objective did you have?
- Action: What steps did you take to address the problem?
- Result: What was the outcome or key metric of success?
By tailoring these examples to the prospective project’s context, you show genuine relevance and transferability of your skills in a clear and structured way.
4) Outline a Potential Approach
You’ll really move the needle with the client if you can demonstrate that you’re ready to hit the ground running. To do that, pretend you’ve already won the project: What’s your plan for day 1? Come prepared having thought about:
- Methodology: How will you solve the problem (e.g., data collection, analysis tools, frameworks)?
- Client Inputs: What do you need from the client (e.g., data files, internal contacts, prior reports)?
- Deliverables & Timelines: Outline what your deliverables might look like and propose a timeline with checkpoints.
- Roadblocks: Anticipate potential obstacles and share ideas on how to overcome them.
You don’t need every detail at this stage, but bringing a mini plan to the interview demonstrates a level of capability and readiness that can help you stand out from other candidates. This not only helps impress clients, it can help drive momentum in the process by giving the client confidence that you’re prepared to get going on the work.
5) Consider Logistics and Budget
Interviews tend to focus a lot on the work to be done, but the client may also want to cover logistics, especially if you’ve convinced them you’re a strong candidate. Often, that “business side” of the project can catch consultants off guard at this stage. If you aren’t ready to discuss these details, it can slow progress or hurt your standing. To avoid that, think though:
- Timeline & Start Date: Know your availability so you can quickly answer questions about kickoff timing.
- Budget & Pricing: It’s wise to have an initial rate or range in mind. If you need further information to confirm, be sure to come with those questions and let them know when you’ll follow up with an answer, and be sure to do so.
- Communication & Check-Ins: Be prepared to discuss how you’ll work together with a perspective on things like how often you’ll meet, how you prefer to communicate, etc.
6) Prepare Questions to Ask the Client
Remember, an interview is a two-way street. Take some time to think through questions to ask them. Doing so will show them that you want to understand their needs, goals, and constraints, but equally importantly, it will give you a leg up in building a compelling proposal when the time comes. The best questions are tailored to the client and project but some examples include:
- “What does ‘great’ look like at the end of this project?”
- “What tactical roadblocks have you encountered when trying to address this type of work before?“
- “Which key stakeholders will be involved? How should I be thinking about keeping stakeholders informed of progress?”
- “Is there anything I haven’t asked about that you think is critical?”
In addition to helping you uncover more details about the work, showing genuine curiosity sets the right tone for any collaborative relationship.
7) Optimize Your Setup
It might seem trivial, but your setup can have an impact on you, the client, and the quality of the interview. Ahead of time, give some thought to what elements are going to drive the best possible conversation. Two specific things to consider:
- Visual Setup: Do you have a professional-looking background? Is the camera angled for eye contact? Again, these might seem small, but they can distract from an otherwise great interview.
- Notes Structure: Interview nerves are real, and having notes in front of you can serve as a confidence booster. But if you appear to be reading or easily can’t find the point you need, they can actually be counterproductive. So think ahead and structure your notes for easy reference. This means: bullet points, not paragraphs.
Pro Tip: If the interview is virtual, consider splitting your screen to have the interview window on one side and your notes on the other so you can have them handy while maintaining eye contact and connection with the client.
SECTION 3
Takeaways
Thoughtful preparation can lead to the deciding factor between two highly qualified candidates. Whether you’re preparing for the interview through Catalant or a conversation with a prospective client elsewhere, set yourself up for success by:
Next, we’ll look at how to execute the interview effectively, covering in-the-moment best practices.
SECTION 4
Catalant-Specific Tips
The guidance above should be followed for interviews both on and off of Catalant. But if you’re prepping for an interview through Catalant, there are a few extra pointers to keep in mind: