PRTM Management Interview Questions &amp; Reviews

Why PRTM?

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Background Check.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Nov 2009 (took 1+ week)

I was interviewed for a technical consultant position for one of PRTM's middle eastern clients.

Interview Questions

walk me through your resume

Other Details

I got the interview through a Staffing Agency and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Negative Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed May 2011 (took 2 months)

A headhunter contacted me in early March about PRTM. Even though I have seen them advertise a ton on job boards, I decided to work with the headhunter to get my resume in front of the "right" person. A few weeks later, after some email correspondence with HR, I had a phone interview with a Director (Partner). The interview was pretty basic (i.e. walk me through your resume, why PRTM, why did you leave so and so job, etc.). Most of the time was spent with me asking him questions about the firm.

After this initial conversation, it took about 5 weeks to be moved forward to the next round, which consisted of two face-to-face interviews in the office with one Associate and one Principal. I was surprised to learn of how case heavy the interviews were as there was little to no talk about my experience. About 15 minutes of the allotted 30 minutes was spent on a "case" while I was allowed to ask questions for the rest of the time.

A few days later I received word that the following week I would have another phone interview with a Director. This interview lasted about an hour with a mix of background questions (walk me through your resume, what are you looking to do in your next position, why PRTM, etc.) and a 15 minute case. A few days later I hear back from the headhunter. Basically, the firm wanted my 100% commitment to them BEFORE they would give me an offer. I was in the pipeline at a few different places and could not, in good faith, tell them that I was fully committed to them offer unseen. A few days later HR called to let me know that I was no longer being considered for the position because my "background did not fit their current needs".

Things to consider:
1) PRTM has a notoriously slow interview process with multiple (sometimes unnecessary) layers, so be prepared to be in the pipeline for months before really getting anywhere. If I had progressed past the 2nd phone interview, I would have had another round of multiple in-person interviews with Directors
2) The interviews are a lot more case-like than the firm and other people may lead you to believe. Have a pencil and paper ready and be prepared to discuss a business issue in detail
3) The firm seems to want "yes people"...people who are 100% committed to accepting their offer before they even offer. That says a lot about their culture
4) Just some food for thought: not sure how difficult this would be, but before working with a headhunter try to figure out what the relationship is between them and the firm you are interviewing with. I found that working with a headhunter who has a personal relationship with the hiring party makes the process a little more difficult since they may be holding back as far as really recommending you for the job if you do not show 100% commitment since they don't want to damage that relationship

Interview Questions

Walk me through your resume.

Tell me about the most exciting project you have worked on. What was your role and what did you learn and accomplish?

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Mar 2011 (took 2 weeks)

The initial phone interview was a straight forward tell me about your experience. The in office interview consisted of four 1:1 meetings with consultants. Interviews were fairly conversational, career - tell me about your experience, personal - what drives you to do what you do, lets see how you think - how would you approach this simple operational problem, etc.
Things to keep in mind:
-PRTM is does operations so be sure to highlight your operations experience
-be methodical in all you explanations
-if you come from a specialized industry its important you emphasize you can tackle other industries, this is especially important if you come from a non-management consulting role

Interview Questions

What drives you?

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Jan 2011 in Moscow (Russia) (took a day)

HR are asked me to make social poll by phone and to know about 100 local companies which ISP they are using.

Interview Questions

Find from yellow pages 100 local companies and call them to know which ISP they are using.

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Mar 2011 in Boston, MA (took a day)

brother's friend who worked there submitted my resume. Got an email the following day and set up a date/time for phone interview.

interviewed by a Director. no case interview questions as they state on their website. asked me to run through my resume, asked about the projects i was working on (employed for 1 1/2 yrs out of school), why i wanted to work in consulting and the firm. i had prepared answers for "challenging experience" and "leadership experience" that i wasn't asked about but was hoping to be asked.

the position was for a new type of position the director was developing, a hybrid consulting/finance analyst type. i wasn't aware of this and suspect this is why the interviewer asked me more questions about my wealth management (finance) internship in college than my current job in Supply Chain. I tripped up since I wasn't expecting to talk about my internship in detail as I felt it was not a substantial experience. found out within a few hours by email that I didn't get the postion.

interview was very straightforward, I just wasn't fully prepared.

Interview Questions

asking about the details of my internship from 4 years ago rather than my current job

Other Details

I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

1.0

Very Easy Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Jul 2010 in Washington, DC (took 2+ weeks)

Fairly straightforward and much, much easier than most management consulting firms. No case interviews, no trick questions, no apparent considerations regarding fit. The recruiter was fairly informal and the phone screen was disorganized. The first round involved a series of in-person interviews and the decision round was roughly the same. Offer was given by telephone later the same day as the decision round. It seems that there is no competition during these interviews, so it is possible that all candidates invited back for the final round will receive offers.

Interview Questions

How did you hear about us?

Why do you want to work here?

Are you prepared to work twice as long hours as you currently do?

Negotiation Details

Yes, but the firm is more concerned with finding candidates who are willing to accept what they offer than negotiating to retain better-qualified candidates. Recent MBA grads will be offered Associate 0 and can easily negotiate to Associate 1 (about $5-10K). It's possible that the firm will low-ball an unsuspecting MBA with an AE offer, but this position is usually reserved for Consultants promoted to Associate, but in a relatively terminal capacity. Either way, this is very much the "safety school" of the top consulting firms.

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Nov 2010 in Dallas, TX (took 3 weeks)

Was interview by 4 directors. The interview went well. I was the only current MBA contenting for the position. Others were all 5 + post MBA candidates. Though I tried my best and felt the interview was good, I was rejected ;(((

Interview Questions

Why Should PRTM not recruit you

View Answers (1)

What process were used in operation in previous company

Other Details

I applied In-Person and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

4.0

Difficult Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Feb 2009 (took 3 weeks)

Hr came to me late in a job search, so I pressured them to expedite. Phone interview happened quickly and seemed very laid back and effortless. First in person interview threw me for a loop where the interviewer claimed they almost did not have me come in for a resume punctation mistake. I believe the intent was to see how I handled pressure. Final panel interview was more laid back like the phone interview.

Interview Questions

Can you define the scor model?

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Group/Panel Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Nov 2010 (took 3 months)

Typical behavioral interview. First round was 1/2 hour. Second round was 1/2 day, with four interviews. The total from applying to decision was several months. They were not very flexible on available interview dates and had to wait longer until a date was available. Will allow people to work from any of the offices then travel to customers as needed. Very hands-on culture.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you convinced someone who disagreed with you.

View Answers (1)

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.