About this podcast
Strategy Simplified is here to demystify the consulting industry and help you land your dream job in management consulting. Hosted by the expert team at Management Consulted - the world's largest resource for consulting news and interview prep - each episode covers topics related to the consulting world, from interview preparation and case study techniques to networking strategies and industry trends. Whether you're just starting your career or looking to make a transition, Strategy Simplified is the go-to resource for anyone looking to break into the consulting industry. With actionable advice, insider tips, and real-life success stories, this podcast is the ultimate guide to simplifying your career strategy and landing your dream consulting job.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 746 episodes
- S25E9: Sophomores: McKinsey and Bain Internship Applications Close as Early as March · 27 min · Season 25 Episode 9Send us Fan Mail McKinsey and Bain internship applications close as early as March of sophomore year. If you miss that window, your next shot is a full year away. How many hours…
- S25E8: Kearney Beat McKinsey as 2027’s Top Operations Consulting Firm · 22 min · Season 25 Episode 8Send us Fan Mail If you lead an operations practice or want to work in one, the 2027 ranking has a surprise at the top: Kearney beat McKinsey. What put Kearney on top starts with…
- S25E7: Graduate Students Solve Quince’s Retargeting Problem · 50 min · Season 25 Episode 7Send us Fan Mail Quince pays for retargeting ads to reach customers it already has. That’s the retargeting problem 50 teams of graduate students took on in the Case Competition…
- S25E6: Busted: Casing Doesn’t Start When the Interview Invite Lands · 11 min · Season 25 Episode 6Send us Fan Mail “I’ll start casing once I get an interview invite. No point prepping for an interview I might not get.” Katie hears some version of this from candidates on her…
- S25E5: Bain Evaluates MBA Candidates Before Interview Invites Even Go Out · 34 min · Season 25 Episode 5Send us Fan Mail Whether you’re targeting McKinsey, BCG, Bain, or Tier 2 / Big 4 strategy firms, your evaluation can start before interview invites even go out. Many firms bring…
- S25E4: MBB Raised Starting Pay Even as AI Targets Junior Consulting Jobs · 13 min · Season 25 Episode 4Send us Fan Mail AI was supposed to kill junior consulting jobs. Then McKinsey, BCG, and Bain raised starting pay to $120,000 for pre-MBA hires and $200,000 for post-MBA hires…
- S25E3: Inside Healthcare Consulting: 2 Partners on AI, Specialists, and Hiring · 57 min · Season 25 Episode 3Send us Fan Mail Ben van der Schaaf of Arthur D. Little and Stephane Budel of DeciBio land in the same place on AI – it makes everyone faster, but the experience to know which…
- S25E2: Ex-Bain Consultant Coaches a Live Bain Case Interview, Step by Step · 42 min · Season 25 Episode 2Send us Fan Mail Juliane Hoss spent 3 years at Bain, and she’s interviewed plenty of candidates since. In this live Bain case interview, she coaches Abhirav after every step. The…
- S25E1: Mini Case Interviews at McKinsey, Bain, and BCG Explained · 4 min · Season 25 Episode 1Send us Fan Mail Mini case interviews are often the first test you face at McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. And if you’ve heard them called market sizing questions, you’ve already met…
- S24E30: Why US Case Interview Prep Fails in European Consulting Interviews · 43 min · Season 24 Episode 30Send us Fan Mail Most case interview prep is written for US interviews. If you’re recruiting for a European office, you’ll walk into a different interview than the one you…
- S24E29: Bain Interviews Have Different Rules – Here’s How to Prep · 30 min · Season 24 Episode 29Send us Fan Mail Bain interviews have different rules, and Abi Chen spent 6 years at the firm learning them from the inside. As a former Bain manager and now an MC coach, she…
- S24E28: Top 10 Healthcare Consulting Firms and Who Leads Each Segment · 34 min · Season 24 Episode 28Send us Fan Mail Almost every large consulting firm has a healthcare practice. Far fewer have a healthcare position. In this episode of The Briefing, Namaan breaks down our 2027…
- S24E27: Busted: The Online Assessment Isn't the Hardest Part of Recruiting · 8 min · Season 24 Episode 27Send us Fan Mail "I need to start prepping for the online assessment now, because it's the hardest part of getting an interview." Katie hears some version of this on her calls…
- S24E26: The 3-Part Case Interview Closing That Can Rescue Your Score · 6 min · Season 24 Episode 26Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E25: Ex-Deloitte and Bain Coach: Big 4 Interview Formats You Haven't Practiced · 26 min · Season 24 Episode 25Send us Fan Mail 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+…
- S24E24: 80% of AI Projects Fail. These 2 Firms Explain Why. · 56 min · Season 24 Episode 24Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E23: 3 Case Interview Math Mistakes That Cost You the McKinsey Offer · 41 min · Season 24 Episode 23Send us Fan Mail 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+…
- S24E21: Why Consulting Demand Is Outpacing Every Firm's Hiring Plan · 25 min · Season 24 Episode 21Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E20: Case Competition Applications Close Sunday at Midnight · 3 min · Season 24 Episode 20Send us Fan Mail Applications for the Case Competition World Cup close this Sunday, September 13, at 11:59pm PT. APPLY NOW More information: Undergraduate Track, presented by…
- S24E19: Why BCG Is Racing to Hire Forward Deployed Engineers · 14 min · Season 24 Episode 19Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E18: Deloitte, PwC, and 4,500 Firms Can't Find Adobe Talent · 49 min · Season 24 Episode 18Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E17: 3 Weeks Before McKinsey and BCG – How Not to Burn Out · 18 min · Season 24 Episode 17Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E16: AI Took the Grunt Work – Consultants Are Getting Promoted Faster · 46 min · Season 24 Episode 16Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E15: McKinsey's Cases Are Interviewer-Led – Most Candidates Practice the Wrong Way · 41 min · Season 24 Episode 15Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E14: Why McKinsey Asks up to 25 Follow-Up Questions in the PEI · 12 min · Season 24 Episode 14Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E13: Top 10 AI Consulting Firms and the Hire They All Want · 23 min · Season 24 Episode 13Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E12: A McKinsey Coach's Playbook for Winning Case Competitions · 7 min · Season 24 Episode 12Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E11: Inside Private Equity Consulting: AI Bets, Harder Exits, and Real Diligence · 1 h 0 min · Season 24 Episode 11Send us Fan Mail A private equity firm bought a paint company. Turned out their sales reps were handing out 50% discounts to any contractor who asked nicely. That's the kind of…
- S24E10: The Toothbrush Test: Why Most Case Frameworks Fail at MBB · 44 min · Season 24 Episode 10Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E9: Inside a Bates White Economic Consulting Case Interview · 59 min · Season 24 Episode 9Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E8: Top 10 Private Equity Consulting Firms and the Sameness Problem · 23 min · Season 24 Episode 8Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E7: MBA Case Prep in 2–4 Weeks: An Ex-Bain Interviewer's Plan · 34 min · Season 24 Episode 7Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E6: McKinsey Solve Game 2026: What It Is and How to Prepare · 10 min · Season 24 Episode 6Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E5: McKinsey Case Interview Example: Electric Truck Market Entry · 47 min · Season 24 Episode 5Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E4: She Bombed MBB Her First Try – Then Landed 2 Offers the Next Time · 18 min · Season 24 Episode 4Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E3: 3 Questions That Kill Your Case Interview Opening · 9 min · Season 24 Episode 3Send us Fan Mail "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…
- S24E2: How Consulting Firms Really Score Case Interviews · 8 min · Season 24 Episode 2Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S24E1: The Hottest Consulting Sectors to Target in 2026 · 6 min · Season 24 Episode 1Send us Fan Mail 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%…
- S23E30: Top 10 Retail Consulting Firms and the 4 Lanes Reshaping the Market · 29 min · Season 23 Episode 30Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S23E29: How to Build Business Acumen for Consulting · 24 min · Season 23 Episode 29Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S23E28: How to Use AI in Case Prep (And How Not To) · 13 min · Season 23 Episode 28Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S23E27: Former BCG Consultant Runs a Live Higher Education Case Interview · 49 min · Season 23 Episode 27Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S23E26: Everyone Thinks AI Is Killing Consulting. The Data Says the Opposite · 27 min · Season 23 Episode 26Send us Fan Mail Everyone assumes AI is eating consulting alive – demand shrinking, firms pulling back. That's the narrative. The data from our July Consulting Market Outlook…
- S23E25: BCG HireQuotient: What It Is, How It's Scored, and How to Pass It · 21 min · Season 23 Episode 25Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S23E24: Consumer & Retail Consulting in 2026 – What the Top Firms Are Watching · 55 min · Season 23 Episode 24Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S23E23: The Unsexy Habit That Landed Him a BCG Offer · 22 min · Season 23 Episode 23Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S23E22: Case Interviews Got Harder at MBB in 2026 – Here's What Changed · 7 min · Season 23 Episode 22Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S23E21: Top 10 Energy and Utilities Consulting Firms (2026 Ranking) · 14 min · Season 23 Episode 21Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S23E20: The 4 Case Prep Gaps Costing You the Offer · 30 min · Season 23 Episode 20Send us Fan Mail 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…
- S23E19: BCG Case Interview – Solar Energy Revenue Decline · 42 min · Season 23 Episode 19Send us Fan Mail 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…
