Business Consultant

01.1Resume

CoreBeginner3–5 h

A one-page resume you can defend line by line.

What this covers

• One-page format — Reverse-chronological, clean fonts, no photos or tables that confuse parsers.
• Project bullets — Action + what you built + a number (users, speed, accuracy).
• Skills section — Only skills you can answer questions on for two minutes.
• ATS readability — Export a text-based PDF and check it with a parser.
• Working links — GitHub, LinkedIn and a live project link that open.
• Tailoring — Reorder bullets to match the job description.

What to practise

• Run your PDF through a parser test
• Rewrite each bullet as action + result
• Remove any skill you can't explain for 2 minutes

Common questions

• Walk me through your resume.
• Which project here are you most proud of, and why?
• Why is this skill on your resume?

Free resources

• OpenResume — Free ATS-friendly resume builder and parser test (Free)
• Jake's Resume (Overleaf) — The LaTeX resume template most SDE freshers use (Free)
• Resume Worded — Resume and LinkedIn scoring (Free plan)
• Jobscan — Match your resume against a job description (Free plan)

Free courses

• Professional Resume Writing — Alison (Free course)
• Resume, Networking, and Interview Skills — Fullbridge (Free to audit)

01.2Tell me about yourself

CoreBeginner1–2 h

A 60–90 second answer: present, past, why this role.

What this covers

• Present — Who you are now: degree, year, focus.
• Past — One or two proof points: a project, internship or result.
• Future — Why this role and this company next.
• Length — 60–90 seconds; stop before you list everything.
• Delivery — Calm pace and eye contact, not a memorised script.

What to practise

• Write it, then say it out loud 5 times
• Record yourself and cut anything over 90 seconds

Common questions

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why should we hire you?
• Where do you see yourself in a few years?

Free resources

• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• BBC Learning English — Structured free English lessons and podcasts (Free)

Free courses

• English@Work: Basic Job Interview Skills — The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Free to audit)
• Job Interview Preparation For Tech Professionals — University of Cape Town (Free to audit)

02.1Case interviews

CoreAdvanced20–40 h

Structured problem solving, the heart of consulting interviews.

What this covers

• Clarifying the case — Objective, constraints and context first.
• Structuring — Issue trees that are mutually exclusive and complete.
• Case maths — Percentages, break-even, quick estimates.
• Charts & data — Reading exhibits quickly.
• Synthesis — A clear recommendation with risks and next steps.
• Case types — Profitability, market entry, growth, M&A, operations.

What to practise

• Do 20 live cases with a partner
• Practise case maths for 15 minutes a day

Common questions

• A client's profits have fallen 20%. Why?
• Should a coffee chain enter tier-2 cities?

Free resources

• CaseInterview.com — Free case interview videos and frameworks (Free)
• PrepLounge — Case partners and practice cases (Free plan)
• Bain: interview preparation — Bain's case and interview guidance (Free)

02.2Guesstimates & market sizing

CoreIntermediate6–10 h

Estimating numbers out loud with clear assumptions.

What this covers

• Top-down vs bottom-up — Two ways in; use one, sanity-check with the other.
• Assumptions — State them, round sensibly, keep going.
• Segmenting — Split by age, city, income or usage.
• Sanity checks — Is the answer plausible?
• Common guesstimates — Cars in a city, cups of tea sold, phone users.

What to practise

• Solve one guesstimate a day aloud
• Write down assumptions before calculating

Common questions

• How many two-wheelers are sold in India each year?
• Estimate the market for coaching classes in Pune.

Free resources

• PrepLounge — Case partners and practice cases (Free plan)
• CaseInterview.com — Free case interview videos and frameworks (Free)
• Exponent — Product, data and engineering interview questions and guides (Free plan)

Free courses

• AI‑Powered Market Sizing — Microsoft (Free to audit)

03.1Business fundamentals

CoreBeginner6–10 h

How companies make and lose money, in plain words.

What this covers

• Business models — How the company earns.
• Revenue, costs, profit — The basic P&L and margins.
• Unit economics — Cost and value per customer or order.
• Competition — Why customers choose one company over another.
• Reading news — What a funding round, IPO or acquisition means.

What to practise

• Explain three companies' business models in two lines each
• Read one business news story a day

Common questions

• How does a food delivery app make money?
• What is a gross margin?

Free resources

• Khan Academy: Economics and finance — Free lessons on accounting, markets and banking (Free)
• Investopedia — Plain-English definitions of finance terms (Free)
• Zerodha Varsity — Free modules on markets, analysis and finance in India (Free)

Free courses

• Fundamentals of Finance & Economics for Businesses – Crash Course — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
• Business Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs — IIT Bombay (Free course)
• Business Fundamentals For Entrepreneurs (Part 1: Internal Operation) — IIT Bombay (Free course)

03.2Business metrics

CoreIntermediate4–8 h

KPIs, funnels and retention: the language of analytics interviews.

What this covers

• KPIs — Revenue, conversion, active users, churn.
• Funnels — Step-by-step conversion and drop-offs.
• Retention & cohorts — Who comes back and when.
• Unit economics — CAC, LTV, margins.
• North-star metrics — One metric that reflects value delivered.

What to practise

• Define 5 KPIs for an app you use
• Build a cohort retention table from sample data

Common questions

• What metrics would you track for a food delivery app?
• Daily active users dropped 10%. What do you check?

Free resources

• Exponent — Product, data and engineering interview questions and guides (Free plan)
• StrataScratch — Real SQL and Python data interview questions (Free plan)
• Mode SQL tutorial — SQL for analysis, from basics to window functions (Free)

Free courses

• Mastering 11 Essential Business KPIs — Alison (Free course)
• Top Five KPIs for Small Businesses — Alison (Free course)

04.1Mock interviews

CoreBeginner3–5 h

At least two full practice interviews before the real one.

What this covers

• Realistic setting — Same format, time limit and dress as the real round.
• Common questions first — Introduction, motivation, experience, weaknesses.
• Feedback — Ask what was unclear or too long.
• Recording — Watch yourself once; fix fillers and pace.
• Role questions — Add 3–5 questions specific to your field.

What to practise

• Do two mock interviews with a friend or senior
• Use a spoken practice tool and read the transcript

Common questions

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why this role?

Free resources

• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• Pramp / Exponent peer mocks — Free peer-to-peer mock interviews (Free plan)
• Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)

Free courses

• Software Engineering Job Interview – Full Mock Interview — freeCodeCamp (Free video)

05.1Behavioral & STAR

CoreBeginner3–4 h

Stories about teamwork, conflict and failure, told with STAR.

What this covers

• STAR structure — Situation, task, action, result. Spend most of the time on action.
• Story bank — 6–8 real stories you can reuse across questions.
• Teamwork & conflict — Disagreeing respectfully and what you changed.
• Failure & weakness — A real one, what you learned, what you do now.
• Ownership — Times you took initiative without being asked.
• Common HR questions — Why us, why you, strengths, relocation.

What to practise

• Write 6 stories in STAR form
• Map each story to 2–3 common questions
• Practise one story with a friend

Common questions

• Tell me about a time you failed.
• Describe a conflict in a team and what you did.
• What is your biggest weakness?

Free resources

• Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)
• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• Pramp / Exponent peer mocks — Free peer-to-peer mock interviews (Free plan)

Free courses

• Master Behavioral Interviews (for Software Engineers) — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
• Behavioral Interview Practice for Computer Science Students — CodeSignal (Free to audit)
• Soft Skills For Tech Professionals — University of Cape Town (Free to audit)

05.2Strengths & weaknesses

CoreBeginner1–2 h

Honest strengths with proof, and a real weakness you are working on.

What this covers

• Strengths with proof — Pick 2–3 and back each with one short example.
• A real weakness — Not a disguised strength; something you are actively improving.
• What you are doing about it — The habit, course or system that shows progress.
• Fit to the role — Strengths that matter for this job, not any job.

What to practise

• Write three strengths with one example each
• Practise the weakness answer until it sounds calm, not rehearsed

Common questions

• What are your greatest strengths?
• What is your biggest weakness?
• How would your friends or teammates describe you?

Free resources

• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• Indeed career guide: interviewing — Articles on common interview questions and answers (Free)
• Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)

Free courses

• Software Engineering Job Interview – Full Mock Interview — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
• A Complete Job Interview Skills Guide — Alison (Free course)
• English@Work: Advanced Job Interview Skills — The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Free to audit)

05.3Common HR questions

CoreBeginner2–3 h

The questions almost every HR round asks, answered honestly and briefly.

What this covers

• Why this company — Specific reasons from your research, not praise.
• Why should we hire you — Match two needs of the role to your proof.
• Gaps and changes — Explain gaps, backlogs or a branch change without excuses.
• Relocation, shifts, bonds — Know your real answer before the interview.
• Career goals — A realistic next step, connected to this role.
• Notice period and joining — Facts you should have ready.

What to practise

• Write short answers to ten common HR questions
• Say them aloud to a friend and cut anything over a minute

Common questions

• Why do you want to join us?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Are you open to relocation?
• Why did you choose your branch or degree?

Free resources

• Indeed career guide: interviewing — Articles on common interview questions and answers (Free)
• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
• AmbitionBox interviews — Interview experiences and company reviews from Indian candidates (Free)

Free courses

• Software Engineering Job Interview – Full Mock Interview — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
• A Complete Job Interview Skills Guide — Alison (Free course)
• Interview Preparation Skills for Accountants — Alison (Free course)

06.1Company research

CoreBeginner1–2 h

The product, the role, the job description and recent news.

What this covers

• The business — What it sells and to whom.
• The role — What the job description really asks for.
• Recent news — Launches, results, announcements.
• Interview format — The rounds, if the company shares them.
• Your fit — Three reasons, matched to the job description.

What to practise

• Write 3 reasons you want this role
• Match 3 JD lines to your experience

Common questions

• Why do you want to work here?
• What do you know about our product?

Free resources

• GeeksforGeeks — Company-wise questions and theory (Free plan)
• Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)

06.4Final checklist

CoreBeginner30 min

Logistics, documents, setup and a calm night before.

What this covers

• Logistics — Time, timezone, link or address.
• Documents — Resume copies, ID, certificates if asked.
• Tech check — Camera, mic, internet, charger.
• Night before — Sleep, light revision, no new topics.

What to practise

• Do a 5-minute tech check the day before
• Lay out documents and clothes the night before

Free resources

• Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)