At Innosight, our clients are looking for us to come in and provide sound leadership in their strategic planning and growth planning processes. What leadership style would you bring to our clients?

"Having worked with and led large teams in the development of formal growth plans for organization, I see my role as a consultant and my leadership with clients as being team-based and collaborative. My job is to lead transformational change within the organization because we will ultimately be trying something new with them and implementing change into the future. From my style of leadership comes improvement through a team based effort and I really think the clients here at Innosight would benefit greatly from my style."

As a consultant at Innosight, an expectation from clients is for you to bring a sound leadership style to their team and a working knowledge of effective growth and strategic planning processes. While trying to avoid formal labels, talk about your leadership style as a consultant and explain why your style would most benefit clients. Try to focus on keywords that your leadership style brings, like collaboration and support.

"As a consultant, I'd definitely employ a very democratic approach with your clients. They will be looking for me to provide the blueprint and the road map for success for them and then I would look to delegate and leave responsibility for implementing on them. My approach would be educational, resourceful and would preach teamwork among the entire project team. When I've utilized this approach in the past, it was very well received and helped lead to the success of several large projects."

Let's say you were working with a client that was facing a decision of cutting production to limit risk in their market. What would be some of the steps you would take to help them analyze their situation?

"From a 10,000 foot overview, I would first seek to understand if the client has done their homework in market research to find out the supply and demand for their product. Knowing that production is based on demand, I'd offer a helping hand as their consultant wherever I could. If it was determined that production would need to be cut, the next step would be to help them walk through the process of determining labor needs in their production facility at that point and what future projections would look like. I feel that my role would be coordinating all of the key decisions makers in the organization during this process."

The sole purpose of a question like this is to make you as the interviewer think on your feet. You may or may not have direct experience with the situation that is proposed and that is where the interviewer is looking for your ability to stay calm, cool and collected as you would have to with a potential client. In the best way you can, take a logical approach to walking your interviewer how you approach this situation with a potential client. Point out the resources that you would use to highlight your ability to solve a problem.

In the change management process, talk about the importance of providing a clear vision to staff of an organization. How do you think this is best done?

"As I've worked with organizations on their change management processes, I've always felt it was important that communications were clear from the start of a change process. When people are left in the dark, they naturally can't understand why changes are being implemented and they become defensive and resistant to change. Last year, I worked with a manufacturing company that was implementing new equipment that would reduce their staffing needs and change the jobs of many individuals. To roll this out to employees, I helped the leadership team prepare a detailed video and presentation that outlined the entire vision of the project. What really hit home with the staff was the dire need to take this direction based on competitors cost of goods and the fear of being driven out of the market."

The change management process is often most difficult for front-line staff at an organization. A big reason for resistance to change is that people aren't seeing the big picture, or reasons, for the change and what positive outcomes will happen with the change. Explain to your interviewer why you feel that providing a vision is important and talk about the need for it to come from leadership within the organization. Then, give any examples of providing a vision that you've been a part of during your career.

"Humans are curious and change is only accepted when people understand why change is happening and what the end result will be with the change. For one particular employer that I spent time with, a good portion of five years was spent acquiring smaller businesses and expansion in both product line and region size was happening rapidly. Upon working with our senior leadership, I helped develop a vision document and accompanying slide show to show the future state of the organization ten years down the road. When staff saw the aggressive growth plans of the organization and the potential great things we all could accomplish, buy-in became much more clear from everyone."

What kind of people do you enjoy working with?

"I best enjoy working with individuals who are driven, positive, energetic, and take accountability for their work. I do have the ability to work with a large variety of individuals; however, these are the ideal traits I would see in future colleagues."

Culture fit is a critical factor when looking for a new position. Talk to the interviewer about the types of personalities that you best work with. Be sure to remain positive and avoid using this as an opportunity to speak poorly of previous colleagues.

"Some other great characteristics of co-workers: - Encouraging - Helpful - Engaged - Positive - Hard-working - Punctual - Reliable"

Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?

"Probably the aspect that I love the most about my current job is being the lead for training new hires into our department. Because of my years of experience and my innate ability to effectively orientate new employees, my director asked me to take this duty about four years ago. My approach with any new hire is to customize their training based on their knowledge and experience so the training is effective for them. What works for one person may not work for another and I always need to be fluid with this. I also prioritize the need to make orientation and training a hands on experience for the new hire because classroom learning can only take a person so far in the learning process."

The role that you are interviewing for with Innosight will likely involve providing education to clients in your area of expertise. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are comfortable and effective in providing education by having you talk about a time that you have done so. In the example that you provide, try to point out some key items to making business education successful like developing a plan/goals, respecting differing viewpoints/opinions, making it hands on and making it fun.

"As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last seven years working in the corporate tax field. While in this job, I worked very independently for a private organization, so I've been out of the training and education side for a while now. During my first job out of college as a CPA though, I was very adept at providing education to the clients that I worked with on a daily basis. What I learned in that experience was the importance of putting material out there in a manner that the person being trained understood. As well, talking to clients and understanding my client's wants and needs were very important for me to be able to best educate them. I really believe that these skills would enable me to hit the ground running with Innosight and your clients would benefit greatly."

At Innosight, how would you explain benchmark data to a client and its importance?

"In simple Layman's terms, I would explain benchmarking to clients by explaining that it is taking the best practice metrics from other peers within their industry using very quantitative measurements. In turn, I would explain that this benchmarking gives a starting point for their organization to set goals once internal metrics are obtained and compared to the benchmarked data."

Benchmarking data is often an overlooked piece of information for organizations to consider when factoring their performance against industry competition. In the end, businesses are in competition and to gain an edge over their rivals, proper benchmarking needs to be done to get a true comparison. As an expert consultant to their clients, the leadership team at Innosight and your interviewer will expect you to know the importance of benchmarking.

"Far too many times during my career have I witnessed organizations that were hesitant to even look at benchmarked data for their industry. I first do my best to sell leaders on the importance of comparing apples to apples within their industry to get a true gauge for how their company is performing. Then, once I receive buy-in to the process, I can then move forward with gathering information from a client on what best benchmarking measures would be. This is a tedious but necessary process with any data analytics project."

What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?

"I am really comfortable working in any role within a team and I think my experiences throughout my career demonstrate this well. At many times in my career, I've been the legwork of team operations and have easily taken direction on projects and been able to hit pre-established deadlines. As well, I've lead many projects and have shown my ability to lead others in a team effort and the ability to delegate tasks and set milestones for projects. If hired for this position, you can be rest assured that I have the ability to be a key team players with your clients in helping better their business."

Coming to work for a consulting business requires the ability to work as part of a larger team on the projects you will be heading. Teamwork in this setting requires versatility and your interviewer will be looking to hear that you have that versatility in your answer to this question. Many times, you will be taking the bull by the horns and leading the way. Other times, you will be the worker bee researching behind the scenes. You may be tasked with being the organizer of projects behind the scenes as well. Make sure that you highlight your ability to be flexible when working as part of a team here.

"From a very young age in my career, I've always been a natural leader in a team based environment. My excellent communication skills, honesty, critical thinking and decision making skills have proven time and time again that I can lead others in the most effective way possible. And while being a leader comes naturally to me, I can easily let others take the lead on projects."

In our world here at Innosight, our clients rely on real world analytical data versus assumptions and guesswork. What analytical skills would you bring to the table here for our clients?

"Working as a Financial Manager over the past 10 years, I have become very experienced and thorough in my use of KPI's to demonstrate key areas like gross profit margin, liquidity ratio and days in accounts receivables. For the clients I'd be working with here at Innosight, I'd be able to use real data from their organization to help provide solutions that are customized to their needs. On top of KPI analyses, I'm very willing and open to using any other unique tools of the trade that the team here at Innosight uses."

In the business consulting world, an organization like Innosight is contracted to come in and help a business where they have usually failed in the past. With past failures comes the need for critical analysis of a business and/or process and your job will be to help facilitate this process. Prior to your interview, think about your experiences in data analysis you've had so far up to this point in your career and translate those experiences to helping the clients of Innosight. Be sure to talk about the importance of different programs you have used to assist in data analysis and talk about the importance of communication in the data collection process.

"Coming from a software background, being analytical about implementing new systems and processes was vital to receive buy-in from other department that I worked with and my analytical skills in my current world would translate nicely into the consulting world. I have always had a creative mind in demonstrating how new and improved systems can impact workflow and production. I am very proficient in creating and presenting wireframing models, which are extremely analytical and important in this world here at Innosight."

At Innosight, you will have the opportunity to work with high level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in working with people at these levels?

"In my current role, I work directly under our Chief Financial Officer and sit on a couple of different committees that our Chief Executive Officer is on. Under the direction of my CFO, we have a great working relationship. I am comfortable approaching him at any moment with questions or to bring forward new ideas. He is aware of my strengths and respects my opinions on matters in my wheelhouse, so he never hesitates to come to me with important things. I think the keys to our strong relationship are the respect we show for each other and our open lines of communication."

As a business advisory and consulting firm, Innosight works with Managers, Directors, CEO's, CFO's, CAO's and leaders with other titles on all of our projects. Your role will likely involve working closely with these leaders. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are comfortable in working with the leadership team of the organization's clients by having you talk about your experience. Make sure that the examples you provide include some details on how you worked effectively to get the job done with the leaders you worked with.

"Throughout my career, I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with employees at all levels of the organizations that I've worked with. To me, working effectively with anyone requires a personal touch and a respectful approach. Whether I work with front line sales staff or members of the C-Suite, I take the time to get to know the person, their job and how I can best be of help to them in my role. This approach really helped me build a relationship with a Sales Executive that a few of my colleagues had struck out with in recent interactions."

Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

"In my current role, I have a customer that flies off the handle very easily if things don't happen just right and I learned this from my first interactions with him. In seeing this happen from the start, I have always maintained a calm demeanor when he was upset and showed empathy by asking questions about his expectations and how to fix situations for him. To this day, I expect difficulty from him when we work together and the years we've had a working relationship together have better prepared me for more clients like him in the future."

At some point in any person's career, they have to work with a colleague or customer who is extremely difficult. Rather than looking to hear the fine details as to why this person was difficult, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you personally handled the situation and others like it to ensure that a sound relationship was fostered even when you faced difficult circumstances. In your answer, some key things to focus on are your ability to be tolerant, understanding and a great communicator in these situations.

"A couple of years ago, a close colleague of mine had a very abrupt turnaround in her attitude and performance on the job. She was very curt and abrasive in conversations when she was normally very talkative and friendly on the job. After noticing some concerns in her work, I approached her with an open mind and asked her what was going on to cause these things to change. I showed concern and approached her as a friend and this approach prompted her to tell me about some issues happening in her personal life. By taking this approach, rather than getting upset or even made with her, I showed her that I cared and valued her as a person and my approach helped her open up and turn her life at work back around to the positive side."

What impact do you feel that the digital revolution has had in the mergers & acquisitions field?

"The internet and other digital avenues has surely increased acquisitions in the fields I've been working in over the past ten years. In retail, internet sales from companies like Amazon has certainly put smaller retailers at risk. I recently worked with a large clothing retailer in acquiring several small companies to bolster their product line. The acquisitions were a win-win situation for both buyer and seller and the selling company was able to sell their business prior to having to close down shop or even filing for bankruptcy."

Any way you slice it, the digital revolution across the world has significantly increased both the needs and the abilities for organizations to acquire others. From your point of view, talk to your interview about where you've seen digital and online formats impact different mergers and acquisitions and make it clear to your interviewer that you will be able to work effectively with their clients in making this a part of their plan.

"The digital revolution has impacted both organizational mergers and acquisitions in many ways. What is happening now that didn't happen years ago is companies purchasing tech companies that they can help use to grow their own business in a unique way. As an advisor to your clients here at Innosight, these type of growth opportunities would always be at the top of my mind."

Rate your communication skills from 1-10 with proper examples backing your given rating.

"I rate my communication skills as a 9/10 as I will, on occasion, have times when I am not as clear as I would like to be. My supervisor and co-workers will attest to my clear and concise communication skills. Because I am an open leader, my team will let me know if I need to clarify anything."

On a scale of 1-10, how skilled are you in communication? Why did you choose that particular rating for yourself?

"I will rate myself an 8.5 because I consider myself a strong communicator. It is the foundation of all success in business. I am always striving to be a better communicator, so I leave the rest of the scale as an aspirational measure."

If you were to join Innosight in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?

"In my current role, I've been asked on numerous occasions to lead finance projects for my organization and I always do so with open arms and an open mind. On a recent project, I pulled together a team that included members of sales, production and upper management. to make this project successful, it was up to me to know each team member's area of expertise and delegate tasks based on their knowledge. A great part of the teams success was due to my ability to lead in a manner that promoted communication among individuals who never had the chance to work together and I accomplished this through fun ice breaking activities with the team and regular email communications outside of our in-person meetings."

The ability to lead others in project work or any other aspect of a business comes down to the fine details and traits of being a great leader. The experience you have can come from many different areas and can include project management, supervising/managing or even mentoring others. When you answer this question, be sure to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively, bring unity, lead by example and empower/teach others and talk about how you will use these skills if hired at Innosight.

"As you can see from my background, I have extensive experience as a Sales Manager and Director and I know that the skills I honed in these roles will transfer nicely to this position. I have always found that leading teams is best accomplished by leading by example and walking the talk that I put out to my staff. I feel that I've also developed great skills in mentoring and coaching my staff and I've been commended on these skills by both sales leadership peers and my team. In this role, I would bring this same approach when working with clients."

Market research is very important to our clients here at Innosight. Talk about a time that you used market research to conduct an effective analysis.

"Earlier this year, I consulted with an online retailer that was looking to expand its product line into new health and beauty products that were all natural. To get as quick of a turnaround as possible on a limited budget, I started an online survey research campaign. After a meeting with leadership of the retailer, we targeted women in specific age categories and used specific social media and email channels to obtain survey responses. Within a month, the retailer had great data to work off of to launch products that would hit the market and take off quickly."

When a company is looking to launch a new product or dig into their consumers, market research is required and this position with Innosight will likely require you to be a market research expert with their clients. Your interviewer will be looking to hear that you understand when market research is a necessary step in the analysis process and that you know how run an effective research campaign. In your example, walk through the steps you took to gain insightful knowledge on consumers.

"During my time conducting market research, I have utilized many channels to conduct effective research. I've conducted focus group, utilized social media and have conducted phone surveys. One that comes to mind is a couple of years ago when I conducted focus groups for a new beverage that a large company wanted to release. I had a team of people finding people to participate in the groups. I started the focus group out with a blind taste testing to get initial feedback on the drink against its potential competition in the market. Then, I unveiled the product packaging and labeling to get feedback from the consumers. In the end, our client received great feedback that helped them tweak some things prior to the product launch."

Why is data validation important in your work and how do you make sure that you do it?

"Thoroughness in data analysis is extremely important and an important piece in being as detailed as possible is data validation. My customers are reliant on the fact that data I provide is accurate and a true representation of what we are measuring. To ensure my data is valid, I have written scripts utilizing Python and I have also used the simple steps in Excel even to validate data. While sometimes time consuming, this is a necessary step in any data analysis and is not something that I take lightly."

Data validation can quickly be summed up as 'garbage in equals garbage out.' In essence, any good data analyst needs to ensure that the data they use is functional and relevant to what is being measured so be sure to reiterate that to your interview. Then, explain the ways that you have gone about validating data in the project work that you've done throughout your career. The clients at Innosight will need to rely on the fact that data is valid and important to the work that you will be doing with them.

As a consultant here at Innosight, helping our clients set growth strategies through both short-term and long-term goals is important. Give an example of a time that you set both short and long-term goals for a growth strategy.

"A couple of years ago, I helped a healthcare organization on the west coast develop a growth plan that entailed building one new hospital and three new clinic locations over the course of five years. As the liaison for the entire plan, I knew that goal was aggressive, yet very achievable, if the right short term goals were set. In working with high level leadership and then with specific department leaders, goals and timelines were set for obtaining funding, building permits, staffing plans and ribbon cutting from the start. Even to this day, I stay in contact with the leaders on a consultative basis to ensure that any hiccups in the short-term goals help meet the long-term goals. In the end, the success of a long-term goal is always reliant on many smaller short-term goals."

An effective growth strategy has a long-term plan, but the success of the long-term plan is reliant on short-term, tiered goals that help build towards the long-term goals of the plan. In your answer, explain that you know the importance of goal setting and the fact that short-term goals are important in the process. Then, discuss a time where you developed and met goals when helping an organization move toward strategic success.

"During my time in manufacturing, I've quickly learned the importance of both short-term and long-term goals in achieving growth goals over time. Hitting short-term goals leads to success in the long-term and I utilize both long and short-term goals when developing growth strategies. This is best shown with my current organization when we developed a fiscal growth strategy to increase overall revenue by 25% over the course of three years. We looked in many directions to help this, but our main focuses were in increased production and reduced waste. By casting such a wide net here, short term goals for each aspect of the project were vital to the end result of increasing by revenue by over 35% in that time frame. What a success!"

How would you solicit feedback from people during the change management process and why is obtaining feedback important?

"Front line employees are the catalysts for change with just about any organization and I make a point to seek their feedback during the implementation of change processes. Last year, I was working with a large regional retailer that was rolling out new branding and customer service processes. In the weeks following the rollout of the changes, I spend a few days on the road visiting stores and talking to customer service associates. I ensured that the conversations were confidential and frank, making sure that employees knew that any feedback was good feedback. With some of the things I learned, we were able to put forth a couple of important post-implementation change activities. If hired for this position, this would be an important follow-up step with any client that I work with."

Reinforcement is an important factor during the change management process that is often overlooked. Communication is key and while you as the champion of change need to communicate in an effective manner, your collection and analysis of feedback from others is also very important. Explain to your interview why obtaining feedback from others is important and discuss ways that you have done this in the past. Express that this would always be an important process as you work with the clients of Innosight.

"In my work consulting through change management processes, it is important to solicit feedback from employees both prior to starting a project and during implementation of a project. I have found that soliciting feedback through conversation and/or surveys helps lead to get employees to believe in and feel a part of change management processes. Front-line employees know the processes and how change will impact their processes."

Sometime with our clients here at Innosight, we have to think outside the box when helping them develop a strategic plan. Do you have an example of a time where you thought outside of the box in developing a strategic plan?

"As the leader of the strategic growth committee of my employer right out of college, I felt that it was important to solicit feedback from employees as we looked to create and implement our first ever strategic plan. I created an idea box where employees were prompted to write down any ideas anonymously for what they though would be helpful in creating an outward looking success strategy. I communicated to employees through email, team meetings and a company newsletter. After three months, our committee went through every suggestion in the box and brainstormed which ideas could be implemented into our strategy. In the end, we felt that we received many great thoughts and ideas that we likely wouldn't have come up with on our own."

In today's day and age, conventional thinking can only get organizations so far as they develop strategic plans for the future. With competition, demand and needs for success keeping people focused on day to day routine in their work, it is oftentimes necessary to think outside of the box when looking to develop a strategic plan. Talk about a time that you used a unique and unconventional tactic in the development of a strategic plan. Why do you consider that method thinking outside of the box?

"I personally believe that way too many organizations only look internally when developing a strategic plan when they should also be soliciting feedback from customers, stakeholders and/or the general public as well. Last year when working with a regional grocery retailer, I utilized public focus groups to really delve into the minds of consumers to aid in creating a strategic plan. While wanting to get as much relevant information as possible from the focus groups, a great deal of thought was put into the questions that were asked of the focus group."

An often difficult part about working for Innosight and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?

"During my career to this point, I've been very fortunate to say that I've worked for one employer for over ten years and the experience that I've gained with them is a huge asset to me personally. But even though all of my relevant work experience is with the same employer, I've worked under six different department managers during my time there and each person had their own unique management style and expectations of me. As well, my organization has undergone three mergers in my time there and each merger brought a new and bigger organization to light with new values and culture. Whether it was a manager change or an organization change, I always prioritized openness and asking questions to get to know new processes better. I would bring this approach with each and every new client that I would work with in this role."

In the business consulting world, organizations work with clients that all have different backgrounds, leadership styles, cultures, industries and motivating factors. Consultants hired to come in to these organizations have to possess a chameleon-like ability to ingrain themselves in a new company's culture. For you to be successful in the role that you are interviewing for, you must possess this same ability. In your answer to this question, be sure to point out your fluidity to adapt to new situation in your work by giving an example or two of a time you had to do this to give your interviewer a sense of your ability to be flexible with clients.

"I would liken this role as a Client Manager to working with my customers in my current job. I approach each new customer with an open slated mind while getting to know their motivations, their needs and their expectations of me to help me get a better understanding of how I can best suit them. If hired for this position working with your clients here at Innosight, this approach would be vital because of the variety of businesses and industries that I would be working with."

A key component to success here at Innosight is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?

"I am a firm believer that success in any role I've played in my career was due in part to the relationships that I've built in those roles. Whenever I have the chance to work with a new colleague or a new customer, my approach is to create an initial connection with them to build trust. After that point, my interpersonal skills take over through active listening. I use my listening skills to learn about the motivating factors and needs of the person that I will be working with and this helps mold that respect and trust between us even more. I think this approach would be very critical in working with new clients on a regular basis here at Innosight and I'd love the opportunity to bring these skills to the table for you."

The fast paced world of business consulting requires the ability to build relationship after relationship with all of the clients that you will potentially be working with. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you build relationships with new people from the first time you interact with them. In your answer, talk about how you gain and build trust with new people and explain how the little things in your initial interactions go a long way toward building long lasting working relationships.

In your own point of view, what is the most important factor in influencing change for an organization?

"In my experience, the biggest thing that I've seen derail change management for large organizations is a lack of support. When I say support, it is really buy-in and true belief from senior level leadership. Because of this, my initial steps in meeting with any client would be to meet 1:1 with all key stakeholders to gather their ideas and to ensure that they are buying into the change process. Only when that is achieved will I feel comfortable in moving forward with work with that client."

As a professional in change management processes, your interviewer is looking to get some personal insight into how you will work closely with the clients of Innosight in this question. However you answer this question, be sure to speak with conviction as to why you feel your answer is the most important aspect to the change management process. However you answer, make sure not to discount other factors that influence change.

"While certainly a high level answer here, people are definitely the most important factor in the change management process for an organization. Change starts with people leading the charge and finishes with every person on board with new processes and ways of life. Because of this, my focus during a change management process is the people that will be designing the change and implementing the change in the end."

Have you ever developed an acquisition strategy for an organization? Why would this be important to our clients here at Innosight?

"In the last year, I have helped two organizations think out and write their acquisition strategies that they would use moving forward. For one regional grocery retailer, I worked with their CEO and CFO to learn that their desire to enter new markets was their overall goal. With that strategy in mind, we began to search and evaluate potential organizations in adjacent regions to where the retailer currently had a foothold. As of today, they have successfully acquired one struggling regional chain and opened six new stores that are flourishing."

For clients that are just beginning the potential acquisition process, an effective strategy is imperative to help them outline what they expect to gain from an acquisition. This strategy provides the basis for all other steps of the acquisition process by outlining what the end goal will be. As a consultant with Innosight, their clients will rely on your expertise in this area so be sure to speak about the experience you have and how that will help the clients that you work with.

"A well thought out acquisition strategy is crucial for an organization to have as they look to venture out in new markets and territories. I consider this planning process as one of my fortes that I'd be able to bring a wealth of expertise to with your clients. A couple of years ago, I consulted a mid-sized automotive dealership that had aggressive dreams of growing their number of dealership. In that industry, there just isn't much room for expansion so merging with or acquiring new dealerships was a priority. In my leading of the process for developing a strategy, the leadership team identified new brands as a top priority. With that as our starting point, our analysis of competition in the area showed struggling numbers at two competitors. Within a year, a deal was struck for my client to obtain the local Toyota/Lexus dealership."

We value accountability at Innosight. If a customer sent a formal complaint about an interaction with you, how would you handle it?

"I understand that Innosight has put a lot of work into building these long-term client relationships. If one of your clients complained about my communication with them, I would take full responsibility for my actions and issue an apology. I would also be open to feedback to avoid future incidences. Rest assured, in my 15 years of employment, I have not had any clients complain to my employer about my work ethic or delivery of service."

Assure the interviewer that you are a person of integrity who will take responsibility for any shortcomings in the workplace. Briefly explain to the interviewer that you will handle Innosight customers with great care.

"Constructive feedback is difficult to swallow at times, but it's helpful for me to remember that everyone receives constructive feedback from time to time. I will always do what is required of me to renew a client relationship."

Outside of work, what type of creative activities do you like to pursue?

"Outside of work I like to attend dance classes and I also attend the odd paint and sip wine nights at a local wine shop. I also enjoy reading as a way of nurturing my creative side."

A genuinely creative minded person will have outside activities aside from what's happening in the workplace. Tell the interviewer about the variety of ways in which you express your creativity.

"I think it's important to exercise creativity in a variety of ways. This reasoning is why I am involved in a variety of things such as team sports, reading, and art classes."

Tell me about a time when you took charge of a meeting. Was the outcome a positive one?

"My employer asked me to lead a lunch and learn meeting to train 15 employees on our new client management software. I was already a subject matter expert on the software so it wasn't difficult for me to plan the lesson. The challenge was making the content entertaining enough to keep the employees engaged. I created a strong PowerPoint presentation that included pop quiz questions throughout. The presentation was a success, and my employer asked me to lead a follow up meeting a few weeks later."

The interviewer would like to know that you have the confidence to lead a meeting successfully. Think about a time when you have driven a meeting - big or small. This example could be a phone meeting, a lunch and learn, or a large client presentation. Begin by telling the interviewer the reason for the meeting, who was involved, and what approach you took to prepare for the meeting. Finally, be sure to mention why you felt the meeting was a success! What did you do in that meeting to create an effective and positive outcome?

"Just last week my boss had a personal emergency and could not make it in time for our monthly staff meeting. Everyone was already gathered, and so he called to ask me to take control of the meeting. I feel that I did a great job relaying the information and my boss was thankful for the way that I was able to step in."

What would you say is the key factor for an organization to consider when building an action plan for growth?

"In my experience in going back and measuring the successes of past organizations that I have been a part of a growth plan for, the top determining factor in success was having and following a five year plan for growth. The development of a solid five year plan entails setting goals, establishing the resources needed to meet the goals and pinpoints any potential hurdles on the way to the goals. An integral part of the plan also includes timelines for adding resources along the way to ensure that milestones are met on time."

Creating an action plan for growth can entail many steps and processes. As the clients at Innosight will look to you to be an expert on the entire process, your interviewer is simply looking to take a dive into your mind to hear what you feel is the most important factor. No matter how you answer this question, be sure to speak passionately about why this factor is important and how you will help their clients understand this and put it to use.

"To me, companies that seize opportunities in their market are best suited for growth into the future. For a lot of companies, seeing opportunity is a huge area for improvement and its a passionate area of mine where I could bring expertise the clients of Innosight. As a consultant, the process of seeking out opportunity would involve detailed SWOT analyses, market research and surveying of staff. These processes will help clients see their best opportunities for growth, then further plans can be made to turn plans into reality."

What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at Innosight?

"At this point in my career, I feel like I have really maxed out my capabilities in my current role as the IT Director with my current organization. Over the past two or three years, I've found so much fulfillment in my work when I've been helping others and providing education to them that I've narrowed my job search down to the IT consulting field. The prospect of helping other IT departments grow and become more efficient under my consultation is an adventure that I would love to embark on here at Innosight!"

Anytime the question regarding why you want to join the company is asked, it is very important to do your research on the organization and the position you are interviewing for so you can match your skills and desires to the job. In your answer here, be sure that you also speak to the potential move to a consultative type role if this will be the first time for you with a consulting organization. Be sure to highlight your qualities that make you an ideal fit for the job.

"As I've grown in my role in the Training & Education department with my current employer, I've gravitated toward leadership development and succession planning with my organization and I'd like to bring these skills to work here at Innosight as this position fits right in that mold. Using my experience and knowledge, you'll quickly find that I have a great ability to work alongside and train the top level executives with your clients in a manner that is professional and effective at the same time. My experiences in both healthcare and manufacturing sound like they'd fit well with your client base as well."

Innosight Interview Questions

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1. At Innosight, our clients are looking for us to come in and provide sound leadership in their strategic planning and growth planning processes. What leadership style would you bring to our clients?
2. Let's say you were working with a client that was facing a decision of cutting production to limit risk in their market. What would be some of the steps you would take to help them analyze their situation?
3. In the change management process, talk about the importance of providing a clear vision to staff of an organization. How do you think this is best done?
4. What kind of people do you enjoy working with?
5. Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?
6. At Innosight, how would you explain benchmark data to a client and its importance?
7. What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?
8. In our world here at Innosight, our clients rely on real world analytical data versus assumptions and guesswork. What analytical skills would you bring to the table here for our clients?
9. At Innosight, you will have the opportunity to work with high level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in working with people at these levels?
10. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
11. What impact do you feel that the digital revolution has had in the mergers & acquisitions field?
12. Rate your communication skills from 1-10 with proper examples backing your given rating.
13. If you were to join Innosight in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?
14. Market research is very important to our clients here at Innosight. Talk about a time that you used market research to conduct an effective analysis.
15. Why is data validation important in your work and how do you make sure that you do it?
16. As a consultant here at Innosight, helping our clients set growth strategies through both short-term and long-term goals is important. Give an example of a time that you set both short and long-term goals for a growth strategy.
17. How would you solicit feedback from people during the change management process and why is obtaining feedback important?
18. Sometime with our clients here at Innosight, we have to think outside the box when helping them develop a strategic plan. Do you have an example of a time where you thought outside of the box in developing a strategic plan?
19. An often difficult part about working for Innosight and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?
20. A key component to success here at Innosight is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?
21. In your own point of view, what is the most important factor in influencing change for an organization?
22. Have you ever developed an acquisition strategy for an organization? Why would this be important to our clients here at Innosight?
23. We value accountability at Innosight. If a customer sent a formal complaint about an interaction with you, how would you handle it?
24. Outside of work, what type of creative activities do you like to pursue?
25. Tell me about a time when you took charge of a meeting. Was the outcome a positive one?
26. What would you say is the key factor for an organization to consider when building an action plan for growth?
27. What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at Innosight?

Innosight Interview Questions

1. At Innosight, our clients are looking for us to come in and provide sound leadership in their strategic planning and growth planning processes. What leadership style would you bring to our clients?

2. Let's say you were working with a client that was facing a decision of cutting production to limit risk in their market. What would be some of the steps you would take to help them analyze their situation?

3. In the change management process, talk about the importance of providing a clear vision to staff of an organization. How do you think this is best done?

4. What kind of people do you enjoy working with?

5. Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?

6. At Innosight, how would you explain benchmark data to a client and its importance?

7. What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?

8. In our world here at Innosight, our clients rely on real world analytical data versus assumptions and guesswork. What analytical skills would you bring to the table here for our clients?

9. At Innosight, you will have the opportunity to work with high level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in working with people at these levels?

10. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

11. What impact do you feel that the digital revolution has had in the mergers & acquisitions field?

12. Rate your communication skills from 1-10 with proper examples backing your given rating.

13. If you were to join Innosight in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?

14. Market research is very important to our clients here at Innosight. Talk about a time that you used market research to conduct an effective analysis.

15. Why is data validation important in your work and how do you make sure that you do it?

16. As a consultant here at Innosight, helping our clients set growth strategies through both short-term and long-term goals is important. Give an example of a time that you set both short and long-term goals for a growth strategy.

17. How would you solicit feedback from people during the change management process and why is obtaining feedback important?

18. Sometime with our clients here at Innosight, we have to think outside the box when helping them develop a strategic plan. Do you have an example of a time where you thought outside of the box in developing a strategic plan?

19. An often difficult part about working for Innosight and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?

20. A key component to success here at Innosight is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?

21. In your own point of view, what is the most important factor in influencing change for an organization?

22. Have you ever developed an acquisition strategy for an organization? Why would this be important to our clients here at Innosight?

23. We value accountability at Innosight. If a customer sent a formal complaint about an interaction with you, how would you handle it?

24. Outside of work, what type of creative activities do you like to pursue?

25. Tell me about a time when you took charge of a meeting. Was the outcome a positive one?

26. What would you say is the key factor for an organization to consider when building an action plan for growth?

27. What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at Innosight?