What To Expect From Interviews and Training

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

I studied Economics and Management at the University of Oxford. I actually did a year of Engineering first, before moving over to ‘E&M’. I wanted a slightly more real-world, business-applicable degree, and subsequently enjoyed it a lot, so no regrets about the switch so far! I am also a keen hockey player, and enjoy cooking and eating good food.

What was your interview process like at Fairgrove, and how did you prepare for it?

My interview process at Fairgrove consisted of the traditional CV and cover letter screening, followed by online tests, and then three rounds of interviews. The first round was a market sizing, the second round was an in-depth case study that required a greater amount of analysis. I really enjoyed the final round, which involves creating your own mini-deck, as it gave me the opportunity to do some independent research, create slide output and then present my findings to the partners. There were also personality and fit questions mixed in along the way, to ensure both you and future colleagues would be happy if you were to join Fairgrove.

What kind of training does Fairgrove offer to new joiners?

Fairgrove training is a combination of three elements. Firstly, there are structured courses given by other employees, on everything from professionalism to strategy (all the things needed to be a model consultant at Fairgrove!). Secondly, we use an online training platform to improve our Excel and data analysis skills and ensure our output is top-of-the-range. Finally, we have on-the-job training, which is led by project managers, while you also draw on the elements from other training formats and apply these to real-world projects. It may seem a little daunting to go into a project without feeling fully comfortable on a specific topic, but you tend to learn much better and much more quickly this way, and – combined with the support of the team – you never feel snowed under. The best thing is you will continue to learn every day and in between projects you can continue with the training courses!

What has been your favourite project at Fairgrove so far?

My favourite project at Fairgrove so far has been a large due diligence and strategy project we did for an outsourced employment services (payroll, employment in different countries, recruitment, accounting, etc.) specialist. It involved evaluating the current company and its acquisition target, as well as making evaluations on the future direction the company should take. It was a tricky but insightful project and I learnt a lot whilst doing it.