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Kearney: full presentation

Illustration of an article on the arguments to use in interviews to answer the question “Why give advice?” - blog article from the StratMachina site, the leading interview training course for the best strategy consulting firms

Written by Oussama Atlassi, founder of StratMachina

Updated on May 31, 2024

Kearney is a global strategy consulting firm that helps businesses achieve their goals of growth, transformation, and sustainability. Founded in 1926, Kearney is a leader in its field, providing valuable advice to clients in a variety of industries, including financial services, health and life sciences, energy, consumer products, and technology.

Today, Kearney has over 3,600 employees in over 40 countries, offering local expertise at a global level. The Paris office in Kearney, established in 1970, employs around 200 consultants, and the Dubai office, established in 2006, employs around 60 consultants.

In this article, we will detail the career path at Kearney, the types of missions offered, the recruitment process, the qualities and skills required, international mobility and the reasons why Kearney is a smart choice.

What is the career path at Kearney?

Kearney offers a comprehensive career path with opportunities for professional growth. Consultants can evolve through the following levels:

  • Associate (average length of service: 2-3 years)
  • Senior Associate (average length of service: 3-4 years)
  • Manager (average length of service: 4-5 years)
  • Principal (average length of service: 5-6 years)
  • Partner (average length of service: 6-7 years)

What types of missions are there in Kearney?

Kearney works on a wide variety of missions for her clients:

  • Business strategy (8-12 weeks): Development of a long-term strategic plan for a business, including identifying growth opportunities, setting priorities, and implementing action plans to achieve goals.
  • Digital transformation (12-16 weeks): Helping a business adapt to the digital age by developing strategies to improve customer experiences, optimize internal processes, and use data effectively.
  • Mergers and acquisitions (8-12 weeks): Advising a company throughout the merger/acquisition process, including conducting a thorough assessment of the target business, negotiating the terms of the transaction, and planning for post-merger integration.
  • Growth strategy (6-10 weeks): Helping a business identify growth opportunities, such as new markets or products, and develop an action plan to realize them.
  • Brand strategy (4-8 weeks): Helping a business develop a solid brand strategy by identifying key values, creating a visual identity, and developing clear messages to communicate with customers.
  • Cost optimization (6-10 weeks): Helping a business reduce costs while maintaining the quality of products or services, identifying areas where savings can be made and putting in place action plans to achieve them.

Here is the breakdown of the firm's 2020 turnover by type of mission worldwide:

  • Business strategy : 29% Of the turnover
  • Digital transformation : 14% Of the turnover
  • Mergers and acquisitions : 13% Of the turnover
  • Growth strategy : 11% Of the turnover
  • Brand strategy : 9% Of the turnover
  • Cost optimization : 8% Of the turnover

Locally, Kearney's Paris office focuses primarily on the health and life sciences, energy, and consumer products sectors, while the Dubai office focuses on the energy and financial services sectors.

How do I join Kearney and when do I apply?

To join Kearney, you can apply online at their career space. Kearney hires all year round for all seniors. However, it is advisable to apply early to increase your chances of being selected. We recommend that you apply 4 unto 6 months prior to your desired entry date.

What is the recruitment process at Kearney?

Stage

  • Online application : the recruitment process starts with an online application on the Kearney website. You will need to provide your resume, cover letter, and transcripts.
  • Telephone interview with an HR consultant : if your application is pre-selected, you will be contacted for a telephone interview with an HR consultant. This step aims to assess your motivations, your skills and to give you an overview of the recruitment process.
  • Individual interviews : if you are pre-selected after the telephone interview, you will be invited to two classic individual interviews. These interviews typically last 45 minutes each and include a case study. One of the interviews will assess your personality and cultural fit with the company, while the other will focus on your problem-solving skills.

CDI

  • Online application : the recruitment process starts with an online application on the Kearney website. You will need to provide your resume, cover letter, and transcripts.
  • Telephone interview with an HR consultant : if your application is pre-selected, you will be contacted for a telephone interview with an HR consultant. This step aims to assess your motivations, your skills and to give you an overview of the recruitment process.
  • Online digital test : if you are pre-selected after the telephone interview, you will be invited to take an online digital test. This test assesses your math skills, logical reasoning, and problem-solving skills.
  • Individual interviews : If you pass the online digital test, you will be invited to two classic individual interviews. These interviews typically last 45 minutes each and include a case study. One of the interviews will assess your personality and cultural fit with the company, while the other will focus on your problem-solving skills.
  • Individual interview with a Partner : if you pass both individual interviews, you will be invited to an individual interview with a company Partner. This interview is a free and informal discussion to assess your potential as a member of the Kearney team.

Please note that the recruitment process may vary depending on the office you are applying for. However, the majority of offices use a similar process.

What qualities does Kearney look for?

Kearney is looking for passionate and committed consultants with the following skills:

  • Ability to analyze and synthesize: ability to understand complex problems, identify root causes and propose creative and practical solutions.
  • Problem solving ability: ability to work independently and as part of a team to solve customer problems, from identifying the problem to implementing the solution.
  • Interpersonal and communication skills: ability to communicate effectively with customers and team members, to build trusting relationships, and to work in a team.
  • Customer focus: ability to understand customer needs and provide solutions that meet customer needs.
  • Ability to work in a team: Ability to work effectively as part of a team to achieve business goals and to collaborate with team members to solve problems.

In addition to these skills, Kearney is looking for people who share their commitment to sustainability, fairness, and integrity. Consultants should be prepared to work hard to achieve their clients' goals and to engage in continuous learning to develop their skills.

Why Kearney over other firms?

Kearney focuses on results and collaboration, and works closely with clients to understand their most important challenges and create sustainable solutions to meet them. This customer-centric approach is appreciated by current and former consultants, who emphasize the quality of working relationships with clients and the satisfaction of working on assignments that have a real impact.

Consultants also appreciate Kearney's inclusive and collaborative corporate culture. Former consultants emphasize that the firm is a workplace where they felt supported and encouraged to develop professionally, with a work environment that values creativity and innovation. Consultants also appreciate the friendly working environment and the proximity between the various hierarchical levels.

When it comes to initiatives to bring consultants together, Kearney regularly organizes events to strengthen relationships between teams. Consultants participate in sporting events, trips, and team building evenings. These events are considered important for strengthening relationships between teams and for fostering a positive work environment.

Kearney has also implemented policies to maintain consultants' work-life balance. Consultants can benefit from flexible work policies, including remote work, to facilitate work-life balance. Consultants also like Kearney's vacation policy, with more vacation days than the industry average.

What international mobility is there in Kearney?

Kearney is present in over 40 countries, spread across all continents. Here is a list of the countries where Kearney is based as well as the cities where its offices are located:

  • North America : Canada (Toronto), United States (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Chicago, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, New York, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Chicago, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Texas)
  • South America : Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo)
  • Europe : Germany (Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich), Austria (Vienna), Munich), France (Milan), Italy (Milan), Italy (Milan), Italy (Milan), Norway (Oslo), Norway (Oslo), Norway (Oslo), Norway (Oslo),, Netherlands (Oslo),, Netherlands (Oslo),, Netherlands, Netherlands, Netherlands (Amsterdam), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Poland (Amsterdam), Poland (Amsterdam), Poland (Amsterdam), Poland (Warsaw), Poland (Warsaw), Spain (Madrid), Finland (Helsinki), France (Paris), Ireland (Dublin), Italy (Milan), Italy (Milan)
  • asia : China (Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai), South Korea (Seoul), India (Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai), India (Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai), Indonesia (Jakarta), Japan (Tokyo), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Philippines (Manila), Philippines (Manila), Philippines (Manila), Philippines (Manila), Philippines (Manila),, Philippines (Manila),, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore (Singapore), Taiwan (Taipei), Thailand (Bangkok)
  • Middle East and Africa : South Africa (Johannesburg), United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai), Egypt (Abu Dhabi, Dubai), Egypt (Cairo), Morocco (Casablanca), Qatar (Doha), Saudi Arabia (Doha), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh)

Consultants have the opportunity to work on international assignments and in other firm offices. To change offices, consultants must apply for a position in the office of their choice. Vacancies are advertised by the Kearney Human Resources Department. Consultants must go through the standard recruitment process for the open position, which may include interviews with local team members, partners, and human resources staff members. Consultants who want to change offices also need to get approval from their current office and the office of destination.

Conclusion

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Oussama Atlassi, founder of StratMachina.