Advice plus action
Advice, then help making the change.
- Kearney's words
- Real, lasting change, not just recommendations
- At its core
- A heritage in operations
Why Kearney? how to answer it
Kearney's Ace the Interview page tells candidates to take the time to understand why they want to join Kearney and to be ready to discuss its values, culture and recent initiatives. A strong answer starts from the work you want to do, links it to one thing Kearney says about itself, such as its heritage in operations or one of its five values, and proves it with a real conversation or experience. To rehearse it out loud, Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting and finance candidates, has a free why this firm question page that shows what a good answer covers, no sign-up needed.
Updated
- Kearney's own tip
- Know why you want to join
- Plus its values, culture and recent initiatives
- Tom Kearney's model
- Advice plus action
- From Kearney's Our Story page
- Five values
- Curiosity, generosity, boldness, solidarity, passion
- Kearney says it gauges all five
- What it doesn't want
- The loudest candidate
- Or the most consulting buzzwords
What does Kearney say about itself?
Kearney's interview tips ask you to know its values, culture and recent initiatives. The lines below are the ones most useful for a why Kearney answer, each from Kearney's own pages. Build on one of them, not all.
The people
Kearney Originals, as unique as you are.
- Size
- 5,700 people in 40+ countries
- Culture
- Open, flat, agile, collaborative
Kearney's five values, with the behaviors it listsFrom Culture and values
Curiosity
Drive to explore new ground
Kearney lists being lifelong learners, listening attentively and always wanting to know more, and pushing for innovation.
Generosity
Care for the well-being of others
Creating opportunities for others, showing humility and being thankful, and asking "How are you?" and meaning it.
Boldness
Break from the status quo
Daring to fail, asking questions others are afraid to ask, and standing up for those who face stigmas or prejudice.
Solidarity
A winning team that supports each other
Collaborating as one inclusive team, being a strong ally, and putting the needs of the team ahead of your own.
Passion
Presence to be your best self
Letting yourself be known on a personal level, being present in your community, and having real enthusiasm for something.
Where Kearney's own story gives you a reasonFrom kearney.com
Advice plus action
In the boardroom and on the shop floor
Kearney's Our Story page says Tom Kearney believed consultants had to roll up their sleeves and help clients make the changes, both in the boardroom and on the shop floor. It calls this his advice-plus-action model.
Operations
Still at the core
The same page says the firm's heritage in operations still is, and will continue to be, at the core of the firm. It also names its Foresight, Innovate and Activate offerings, which it says help clients anticipate what's next, turn ideas into tangible solutions and deliver impact at scale.
Essential rightness
Seeing things as they truly are
Kearney describes essential rightness as seeing things as they truly are before deciding what they can and must become.
Size
Big enough, small enough
Kearney's careers page says the firm is big enough to make a real impact globally yet small enough to keep its people connected. Our Story counts 5,700 Kearney Originals in more than 40 countries, and the About page calls Kearney a trusted partner to three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500.
Ownership
The 2006 buyback
Our Story says that after EDS acquired the firm in 1995, its partners bought it back in 2006 to restore its culture. The page also mentions equity-based grants to junior staff.
Individuality
No groupthink
Life at Kearney says the firm celebrates individuality and authenticity and avoids groupthink.
Worked example: a full answer, then a weak one (ours)4 parts plus a contrast
Our invented candidate is a procurement analyst at a packaged food company who wants to move into consulting. We made up every detail. Replace each line with your own.
What you want
Open on the work
"For three years I've negotiated packaging contracts, and the part I enjoy most is when a cost change actually shows up on the plant floor. I want to do that across many companies."
One thing Kearney says
Its operations heritage
"Kearney says its heritage in operations is still at the core of the firm, and that consultants should help clients make the change, not just recommend it. That's the work I want to learn."
Proof
A real conversation
"At a supply chain conference I met a Kearney manager who'd spent months with a client's buyers after the strategy was signed off. Hearing how much of the job happened after the deck convinced me."
What you bring
Tie it to a value
"Kearney lists asking questions others are afraid to ask under boldness. Asking a supplier why a price had risen when nobody else would is how I found our largest saving last year."
The weak version
What the same candidate might have said
"Kearney is a leading global firm with great people and a strong culture, and I'd learn a lot there." Every word would fit any firm, and nothing in it is about this candidate.
From Kearney: culture and values, Kearney: our story, Kearney: careers, Kearney: life at Kearney and Kearney: about.
What the interviewer checks in why Kearney
Kearney's Ace the Interview page says it gauges your curiosity, capacity for generosity, boldness, solidarity and passions to see how you align with its core values. From our practice sessions, why Kearney answers rise or fall on these four.
A reason that only fits Kearney
Swap Kearney's name for another firm's. If the answer still works, it isn't specific yet. Operations, advice plus action or one value make it specific.
You, not a script
Kearney's tips ask you to be authentic and say it isn't looking for the loudest candidate or the one with the most buzzwords. Plain words win.
Signs you did the research
Kearney's tips name its values, culture and recent initiatives. One accurate detail beats five vague ones.
A value you've already lived
Kearney says it gauges all five values. A short story where you showed one does more than naming it.
From Kearney: ace the interview and Kearney: recruiting process.
Four moves for your why Kearney answer
Our structure, about a minute long. The facts to pick from are on Kearney's own pages.
Move 1
Say what work you want
One or two sentences drawn from something you've actually done.
Move 2
Name one Kearney idea
Choose one: the operations heritage, advice plus action, essential rightness, one of the five values, or big enough yet small enough. Use Kearney's words.
Move 3
Show where you heard it
A person you spoke with, an event or a recent Kearney initiative. Kearney's tips ask you to research its recent initiatives.
Move 4
Close on a value you've lived
One line of proof for one of the five values, then stop and let them ask.
12 follow-ups to why Kearney
Questions we wrote in the style interviewers use once your first answer is done. The note says what we'd want to hear.
Testing your reason
Is it real, and is it about Kearney?
Why Kearney and not McKinsey or BCG?
One thing Kearney says about itself that matters to you, with no criticism of the others. Practice it, see a model answer
What does advice plus action mean to you?
Staying to help the change happen, with a time you did that yourself.
Which of our recent initiatives caught your eye?
One you actually read about, said accurately, and why it matters to you.
Who have you met from Kearney?
A real name or event and one thing it changed in how you see the firm.
About you
Kearney's behavioral interview is a get-to-know-you conversation.
Why consulting?
What you enjoy in the work, with one concrete reason. Practice it, see a model answer
Walk me through your resume.
Each move with its reason, ending on why you're here. Practice it, see a model answer
What do you have to ask me?
One question you couldn't answer from Kearney's website. Practice it, see a model answer
One story per value
Use STAR, which Kearney's own tips suggest for behavioral questions.
Tell me about a time you had to learn something new quickly.
Curiosity. How you learned, what you asked and what it let you do. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you made room for someone else to succeed.
Generosity. What you gave up or set up, and how it went for them.
Tell me about a time you asked the question no one else would.
Boldness. The question, the risk and what changed because you asked.
Tell me about a time you worked with someone who saw it differently.
Solidarity. How you kept the team together and got to a result. Practice it, see a model answer
What are you passionate about outside work?
Passion. Something real, told with enough detail that it sounds like you.
Mistakes in why Kearney answers
The first two come from Kearney's own tips. The rest we hear often in practice.
Consulting buzzwords
Kearney says it isn't looking for the candidate who uses the most of them. Say it the way you'd say it to a friend.
Playing a part
Kearney asks candidates to be authentic. A borrowed answer falls apart at the first follow-up.
Reciting all five values
Pick one and prove it. A list sounds memorized.
Getting the history wrong
If you mention the founding or the buyback, check the dates on Our Story first.
Talking for three minutes
About a minute is enough. The interviewer will ask for the rest.
Answer why Kearney out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer asks why Kearney, then follows up the way an interviewer would: why not McKinsey, which value you've lived, what you'd do after the recommendation. It scores what you said. Start your free week.
Questions people ask
How do I answer why Kearney?
Say what work you want, name one thing Kearney says about itself, show where you heard it, and close on a value you've lived. Keep it to about a minute.
What are Kearney's core values?
Kearney's Culture and values page lists five: curiosity, generosity, boldness, solidarity and passion. It says these values fuel its purpose to be the difference.
Does Kearney ask why Kearney?
The Kearney pages we read don't list its questions, but its interview tips tell you to take the time to understand why you want to join Kearney and to be ready to discuss its values, culture and recent initiatives.
What does Kearney look for in interviews?
Its Ace the Interview page says it gauges your curiosity, capacity for generosity, boldness, solidarity and passions. It also says it isn't looking for the loudest candidate or the one with the most consulting buzzwords.
What is essential rightness?
Kearney's Our Story page describes it as seeing things as they truly are before deciding what they can and must become. Life at Kearney calls it the firm's heritage.
How many interviews does Kearney have?
Kearney's recruiting process page says general consulting typically has four to five behavioral and case interviews, and specialty roles usually three to five.
Should I mention Kearney's link to McKinsey?
Only if it supports your reason. Kearney's Our Story page says the firm split in 1939 and took the name A.T. Kearney and Company in 1947. A reason about the work you want is stronger than history.
What should I ask a Kearney consultant before my interview?
Ask what changed for the client after the recommendation, which of the five values shows up most on their team, and what surprised them about Kearney. One answer becomes the proof line in your why Kearney. These questions are ours.
What if my why Kearney answer falls flat?
Don't start it again. When a later question gives you room, add the specific detail you left out, such as the person you met or the value you've lived. That's our advice, not Kearney's.