Ownership
Owned by the partners who lead the work.
- Its words
- A personal stake in every recommendation
- Since
- Munich, 1967
Why Roland Berger? how to answer it
Roland Berger's recruiting day includes a personal fit interview where it asks you to be authentic and tell it about your goals and experience, and Junior Consultant candidates prepare a two- to three-minute presentation about themselves. A strong why Roland Berger answer starts from your goals, ties them to one thing the firm says about itself, such as its independent partnership or its values of entrepreneurship, excellence and empathy, and proves it with a real conversation. To practice the answer 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 strong answer covers, free and with no sign-up.
Updated
- Three values
- Entrepreneurship, excellence, empathy
- From Roland Berger's values page
- Ownership
- An independent partnership
- Since its founding in Munich in 1967
- Junior Consultants
- A 2 to 3 minute self-presentation
- For the personal fit interview
- Size
- 50+ offices, 3,500 employees
- Per its Junior Consultant page
What does Roland Berger say about itself?
Roland Berger publishes three values, nine pledges and a clear line on who owns the firm. Pick the one that connects to your own story, and say it the way the firm does.
The people
Analytical thinking and empathy.
- Its words
- A team of equals
- Start
- A 14-day international Kickoff
Roland Berger's three values, as it describes themFrom Our values
Entrepreneurship
Responsibility early
Exploring unconventional ideas, taking risks and blazing new trails, with a willingness to take responsibility. Roland Berger says it encourages people to take responsibility for business decisions early in their career.
Excellence
Fact-based, and open to debate
Sound analyses and fact-based approaches, and open discussion and debate in decision-making until the best possible outcome is reached.
Empathy
The real problem
Acting as partners alongside clients, focusing on understanding the real problem, and offering peer-to-peer advice and tailored approaches.
The 9 Pledges, a few in Roland Berger's wordsFrom the 9 Pledges page
Pledge
Speak up
Go beyond the obvious, seek opportunities and speak up, and encourage colleagues to do the same.
Pledge
Focus on game changers
Boldly deprioritize other topics, because impact is what matters.
Pledge
Be yourself
Instill trust and openness in all colleagues and encourage them to be themselves.
Pledge
Out-of-the-box thinking
Foster a culture of innovation and out-of-the-box thinking.
What else Roland Berger says about its workFrom rolandberger.com
Roots
European origin
Roland Berger calls itself the only leading global strategy consultancy of European origin, and says it was founded in Munich in 1967.
Ownership
A personal stake
Who we are says it has remained an independent partnership, owned entirely by the partners who lead the engagement, so the advisers have a personal stake in every recommendation.
Hands-on
Strategy and implementation
Why Roland Berger says it doesn't just develop strategies but also implements them with clients if required.
Global topics
AI and sustainability
It says global teams of experts work on overarching issues such as artificial intelligence and sustainability.
Hiring bar
Confidence with AI
Its Junior Consultant page lists strong analytical thinking, confidence in using AI, fluent English and several months of international experience.
Balance
New Ways of Working
Its culture page says consultants work hard and often long hours, and names New Ways of Working as its initiative for sustainable work practices.
Worked example: an answer, then a weak one (ours)4 parts plus a contrast
Our invented candidate: a mechanical engineer at an auto parts supplier who spent a semester in Spain. Soreno made up every detail. Fill each part with your own.
Your goal
Where you're heading
"I've spent two years on a supplier's shop floor watching the move to electric cars hit our order book. I want to work on how companies decide what to do about shifts like that."
One Roland Berger idea
The partnership
"Roland Berger says it's owned entirely by the partners who lead each engagement, so they have a personal stake in every recommendation. I want to learn from people who own their advice that directly."
Proof
A conversation
"A consultant from your Munich office told me at a university talk that she presented to a client's board in her second year. That matches the early responsibility your values page describes."
What you bring
A value you've shown
"Entrepreneurship, in your words, includes taking responsibility. I proposed and ran our plant's first supplier scorecard, and within a quarter it cut late deliveries by a third."
The weak version
Why it doesn't work
"Roland Berger is a top European firm with a strong reputation in automotive." A reputation claim, nothing about you, and nothing from the firm's own pages.
From Roland Berger: our values, Roland Berger: the 9 Pledges, Roland Berger: who we are, Roland Berger: why Roland Berger, Roland Berger: Junior Consultant and Roland Berger: our culture.
What Roland Berger's fit interview tests
Roland Berger's Tips and tricks page says that on recruiting day it holds personal fit and case interviews, and that in the fit interview it wants to get to know you, your goals and your experience. In our experience, strong answers show these four.
Authenticity
The firm says: be yourself and be authentic. Its careers page adds, be the Original You. Say your reason in your own words.
Entrepreneurial initiative
Its Junior Consultant page names entrepreneurial thinking and personal initiative. Bring one thing you started.
Empathy with the analysis
Roland Berger says its people stand out for analytical thinking and empathy together. A story with both is strong.
Goals that fit the firm
It asks you to tell it about your goals. Link yours to something Roland Berger actually does.
From Roland Berger: tips and tricks, Roland Berger: Junior Consultant and Roland Berger: join us.
Build why Roland Berger into your self-presentation
Junior Consultant candidates prepare a two- to three-minute presentation about themselves, which Roland Berger's tips page asks for. Our suggested outline, with why Roland Berger as its last minute.
About 60 seconds
Who you are
Studies, work and one thing outside work. Keep it to what explains your goals.
About 45 seconds
Your goals
What you want to work on, from something you've already done. The fit interview asks for your goals.
About 45 seconds
Why Roland Berger
One idea from the firm's own pages, such as the partnership or a value, plus a real conversation.
About 15 seconds
What you bring
One strength with proof, then stop and invite questions.
12 follow-ups to why Roland Berger
Questions we wrote to press on a why Roland Berger answer. The note gives the reply we'd count as strong.
Is the reason real?
The interviewer checks your why Roland Berger.
Why Roland Berger and not an American strategy firm?
One thing Roland Berger says about itself that matters to you, without criticizing others. Practice it, see a model answer
What does an independent partnership mean for a client?
The partners own the firm and lead the work, so they stand behind the advice, with why that appeals to you.
Which of our values fits you best?
Entrepreneurship, excellence or empathy, with a short story.
How do you use AI tools in your work today?
A concrete example, including how you checked the output. Roland Berger lists confidence in using AI.
The personal fit interview
Your goals and your experience.
Walk me through your background.
Two or three minutes, in order, ending on your goals. Practice it, see a model answer
Why consulting?
What draws you to the work, with one concrete reason. Practice it, see a model answer
Where do you see yourself in five years?
A direction a few years at Roland Berger helps, said honestly. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about your time abroad.
What you did, what was hard and what you learned. Roland Berger lists international experience.
Stories for the values and pledges
Short stories, one for each.
Tell me about a time you took the initiative without being asked.
Entrepreneurship. What you saw, what you started and what it changed. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time the numbers and what people told you didn't match.
Excellence and empathy. How you found the real problem. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you spoke up when others didn't.
The pledge to speak up. What you said and what happened.
Tell me about a time you had more work than you could finish, and what you dropped.
The pledge to deprioritize boldly. What you dropped, why and the result. Practice it, see a model answer
Mistakes in why Roland Berger answers
Where why Roland Berger answers usually slip.
Prestige or pay
Rankings and salary fit any firm. Say what you want to do at Roland Berger and why.
Only automotive
Roland Berger works across industries and on global topics like AI and sustainability. Use a sector only if it's your real reason.
European as the whole answer
European origin is a fact about the firm, not a reason for you. Say why it matters to you.
A rehearsed persona
Roland Berger asks you to be yourself. A memorized script sounds like one.
A long self-presentation
Two to three minutes is the frame. Time it before the day.
Listing all three values
Pick one and prove it with a story.
Rehearse why Roland Berger out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer asks why Roland Berger and the follow-ups by voice, presses on reasons that could fit any firm and scores your answer. Start your free week.
Questions people ask
How do I answer why Roland Berger?
Start from your goals, tie them to one thing Roland Berger says about itself, prove it with a real conversation, and close on a strength. Keep it under a minute, or as the last part of your self-presentation.
What are Roland Berger's values?
Its values page names three: entrepreneurship, excellence and empathy. It also lists 9 Pledges, a set of principles that guide behavior.
What happens on a Roland Berger recruiting day?
Its Tips and tricks page describes a company presentation, then personal fit and case interviews. Permanent candidates who succeed then have a final interview with someone from management in their future area.
What is the Junior Consultant self-presentation?
Roland Berger asks candidates aiming to start as Junior Consultants to prepare a two- to three-minute presentation about themselves for the personal fit interview.
Does Roland Berger implement its strategies?
Its Why Roland Berger page says it doesn't just develop strategies but also implements them in cooperation with clients if required.
Who owns Roland Berger?
Its Who we are page says it has remained an independent partnership since its founding in Munich in 1967, owned entirely by its partners.
Is there a test before the interviews?
Roland Berger says candidates for permanent jobs whose qualifications match are invited to an online analytics test, and those who pass are invited to a recruiting day. Internship candidates go straight to a recruiting day.
Should I mention a Roland Berger practice or office?
Only if it is your real reason. Its Tips and tricks page says recruiting day is where you learn about its platform structure and which platform fits you best, so name one you have read about and say why.