The Slalom Interview – Everything You Need to Know

The Slalom Interview – Everything You Need to Know

 

If you’re on this page, you probably have a Slalom Consulting interview in your near future. Congratulations!

We want to help you make the most of this opportunity. My Consulting Offer is a team of former Bain, BCG, and McKinsey recruiters and consultants. We’ve helped over 500 clients land their dream jobs in consulting at Slalom Consulting and other firms.

We can help you too. In this article, we’ll discuss:

  • Slalom Consulting’s culture & values.
  • The Slalom interview process.
  • The Slalom fit interview.
  • The Slalom written case study interview.
  • Our 5 tips on passing the Slalom interview process.

Let’s get started!

Slalom Consulting’s Culture & Values

Slalom Consulting is not your typical management consulting firm. Founded in 2001, Slalom has grown to serve clients in 40 markets around the world with over 9,500 employees. As a modern global strategy, technology, and transformation consulting firm, it has served clients in over 14 industries in the private, public, and social sectors – from automotive industries to retail to not-for-profit. This means they seek out and attract individuals who are the best in the business with a wide range of industry experience.

What sets Slalom Consulting apart from other firms is its focus on the company culture. It does not have an up-or-out policy, which sets it apart from most prominent management consulting firms. Additionally, Slalom consultants work on client engagements in their home city – avoiding the need for exhausting weekly travel and ensuring that they are well-rested, have a social life, and get to spend time with their families and friends.

Slalom Consulting’s focus on employee experience is not just lip-service but is evident in feedback from employees and the awards it has received. In 2022, Slalom was on the list of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to work for, for the 6th consecutive year. Slalom’s approach of “personal connection at a global scale” is underpinned by their core values that focus on ensuring consultants love both their work and their lives.

Slalom Consulting’s unique selling point is that they truly live their core values and celebrate their culture. They build personal relationships within their teams and with clients and they attribute the growth they’ve experienced to this.

Culture is extremely important to Slalom Consulting and anyone interested in joining the firm should read their website to understand who they are in addition to preparing for the other aspects of the interviews.

The Slalom Interview Process

The Slalom Consulting interview process varies in the number of rounds and length of time depending on the recruiting channel (i.e., undergraduates, MBAs, experienced hires, and referrals) and type of role applied for (e.g., consulting, technology-related, or Salesforce-related.) Typically, the Slalom Consulting interview process takes 3 – 4 weeks from the time you submit your application to the time you receive your decision. Over this time, there are 3 – 5 rounds of interviews as follows:

  1. Talent acquisition
  2. Client leadership
  3. Practice leadership
  4. Engagement leadership

Each of these interviews is conducted separately and candidates usually hear back on outcomes within a week.

The talent acquisition interview is a screening interview to determine your fit for the role. You can also use this interview to also determine whether Slalom is a fit for you.

Later interviews are with different client service leaders, starting with the hiring manager and moving up. The focus of these interviews is to understand more about who you are, your experience, and how you would fit in with their team and culture. Again you can also use this to determine if the team and role is a fit for you.

The skills and experience that Slalom is most looking for include product management, process improvement, software development, product ownership, business analysis, and organizational effectiveness.

Due to the pandemic, Slalom is holding all candidate interviews virtually (previously candidates had on-site interviews). Candidates are advised to prepare adequately before the interview:

  • Install necessary virtual meeting apps.
  • Test equipment to ensure that everything is working.
  • Turn on their camera for a more personal experience.

Slalom Fit Interview

Slalom Interview: Fit Interview

Slalom Consulting is a people-first organization and this focus comes through in the interview process. It has a heavy focus on understanding who you are and how you would fit into the culture, as well as how you will work with clients.

Generally, candidates have 1 – 2 behavioral interviews with the team leadership. The interviews are conducted in an open and collaborative style to encourage the candidate to relax and share about themselves.

However, this does NOT mean you should fail to prepare or to be structured in your responses. The best way to answer the behavioral interview questions is to tell stories. This way you can demonstrate your experience and the kind of person you are. A great way to ensure that your story is structured and relevant to the question asked is using the A STAR(E) framework. This framework can be used to prepare for the behavioral interviews and ensure you do not forget the important aspects of your story. Read more about the framework and how to prepare for these interviews here: Consulting Behavioral Interview Questions.

We suggest you prepare 5 – 6 relevant stories before the interview and practice, practice, practice. This will enable you to effectively communicate your experience and also calm your nerves during the interview. And remember, do not be afraid to use this opportunity to also gauge whether this is the right fit for you.

Common Slalom Fit Interview Questions

The most common Slalom fit questions include:

  • Why are you interested in Slalom?
  • Why do you want to be a consultant?
  • What interests you about this role?
  • How do you see yourself contributing to Slalom as a firm?
  • How do you see yourself working with Slalom clients and adding value?
  • Tell me about a project you’ve worked on that involved client work (discuss work with internal clients if you have no relevant examples of external clients.)
  • Tell me about a project you worked on or are working on currently. (team, client, budget, business needs/outcomes, etc.)
  • Talk about a difficult experience with a colleague.
  • How do you see yourself working in a people-first organization? Is that appealing to you?
  • What do you do for fun? What do you do outside work?
  • Tell me about a time you managed conflict? Adversity?
  • What was your biggest challenge in your current role / in your career? How did you handle it?

The Slalom Experience & Technical Skills Interview

In contrast to most management consulting firms, Slalom Consulting does not do classic case study interviews but rather has a mix of experience interviews, technical skill-based interviews, and take-home case studies. As highlighted above, Slalom Consulting takes a more open and discussion-based interview style. The experience and technical interviews will typically be with your hiring manager or team/practice leadership and will focus on how your experience is relevant to the work at Slalom.

Typical technical interview questions include:

  • Tell me about your work experience.
  • Tell me about a recent project you managed or were part of. Discuss deliverables and your role in delivery.
  • How does your experience align with this role?

As you can tell, there is a gray area between the technical and behavioral aspects – which again highlights the fact that Slalom Consulting really focuses on cultural fit.

When answering these questions, remember that this is not the time to be humble. Be specific about the role you took in creating positive outcomes in past projects. Also, be clear about the learnings you took away from challenging situations.

[EXCLUSIVE FREE TRAINING]

Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.

The Slalom Consulting Written Case

For some roles, Slalom Consulting sends candidates’ role-specific case studies as a take-home exercise. Candidates are expected to go through the material provided and synthesize key information. They must then complete the analysis needed to develop a recommendation and create slides to share during the interview.

Even though this is a different approach from a typical one-on-one case interview, candidates are advised to approach the written case study in a similar manner. MCO’s 4-step approach to answering case interview questions can help you think through the case study and prepare your presentation:

  • Step 1: Understand the question you are being asked. Take time to thoroughly review the case study materials you have been provided with and understand the client’s problem.
  • Step 2: Develop a structured approach to solving all key aspects of the problem. Business frameworks can be a good way to break down the problem but remember, they are just a guide. It’s best to tailor your structure to the specific case you’re asked to solve.
  • Step 3: Analyze the information. Do any calculations required to identify the right course of action for the client. Do not be afraid to reach out to the recruiter or hiring manager in case you have questions.
  • Step 4: Summarize your case study presentation in a persuasive manner. This includes both your presentation deck and the remarks you plan to present to the interview panel.

You will share your presentation with your interviewer and have a round-table discussion. Be prepared to be challenged and receive feedback on your presentation. For more tips on how to prepare for a Slalom case study interview, please read our Ultimate Guide to Case Interview Prep and Written Case Interviews.

Our 5 Tips on Passing the Slalom Interview Process

Slalom Interview

Slalom Consulting’s culture is an important driver of the firm’s success. As such, they are looking for candidates with similar values and attitudes who would fit into their teams and culture. This means the firm’s interview process is heavily focused on behavioral questions but does not mean you should not prepare. Below are a few tips as you prepare for your Slalom Consulting interview.

1. Go Through the Slalom Website.

Read about their culture as well as employee stories and the case studies. This will provide you with insight into the teams, culture, and the type of work they do.

2. Think about Your Values and How They Would Fit into the Firm.

A common question Slalom asks and wants to test is whether you believe you will fit with their culture.

3. Prepare and Practice 5– 6 stories to Use in Behavioral/fit Interviews Using the A STAR(E) Framework.

Even though these interviews are more open and conversational, preparation will ensure that you put your best story forward and are confident in doing so.

4. Prepare Examples of Projects and Experience that Showcase Your Skills.

Even if you do not come from a consulting background, all experiences are relevant and it is best to demonstrate the skills that are transferable.

Think about how you would work in different client situations and prepare different scenarios. Slalom Consulting does not only focus on its internal culture but also on building trusting relationships with clients.

5. Finally, Prepare, Practice, and Have Fun with the Interviews.

Previous candidates have commented that they enjoyed the interview process (even those who didn’t receive an offer). The recruiting team and leadership take a friendly and conversational approach to the interviews as they genuinely want to learn more about you as a person.

– – – – –

In this article, we’ve covered:

  • Slalom Consulting’s unique approach to culture and values.
  • The Slalom interview process.
  • What to expect during Slalom’s behavioral interview.
  • The Slalom written case study interview.
  • 5 Tips to help you prepare for the Slalom Consulting interview process.

Still have questions?

If you have more questions about the Slalom interview, leave them in the comments below. One of My Consulting Offer’s case coaches will answer them.

Other people prepping for the Slalom Consulting interview found the following pages helpful:

Help with Case Study Interview Prep

Thanks for turning to My Consulting Offer for advice on passing the Slalom interview. My Consulting Offer has helped almost 85% of the people we’ve worked with to get a job in management consulting. We want you to be successful in your consulting interviews too. For example, here is how Avinash was able to get his offer from AlixPartners.

[EXCLUSIVE FREE TRAINING]

Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.

3 Top Strategies to Master the Case Interview in Under a Week

We are sharing our powerful strategies to pass the case interview even if you have no business background, zero casing experience, or only have a week to prepare.

We are excited to invite you to the online event.

Where should we send you the calendar invite and login information?