Interviewed for a consultant position in April 2024. There are 4 key stages post your initial application - the first is a screening call with HR; second is a case study proposal which you are given 24 hours before to create a PPT and pitch on to a managing consultant, following with competency questions and questions about the case study proposed. Third stage is another competency interview with a Principal consultant, and finally, the fourth stage is a Partner interview. The first 3 stages were completely fine. The case study you're given is genuinely interesting (although beware of a quick turn around as I was given less than 24 hours to prepare due to my interview being pushed forwards which was hard juggling my existing full time job). The competency questions asked were all very similar across all 4 stages, including the standard 'why Elixirr?', 'why this career move?' 'tell me a time of when you showed leadership' etc. The fourth stage with the partner is where I think the process was MASSIVELY let down, as this is effectively the 'be all and end all' stage. The partner came in (late), only armed with my CV. I was expecting to be asked questions from previous rounds or more industry/trend specific questions but they were all rehashing previous competency questions with a fixation on the how long I could see myself in the company for, which was disappointing. There was a fixation on the fact I had more specific consulting experience (albeit with years in the industry and a breath of experience across clients) which sealed the deal for the partner who kept reiterating to me 'I can see you going into industry'. In short, it all comes down to how much the partner likes you. Previous stages are completely pointless as they weren't referenced once. The reason I was told i was not going to be offered was because I was apparently 'at risk of leaving the company' according to the partner, despite the partner in question directly saying they were 'satisfied' with my response during the interview... All in all, I think the process is unfairly drawn out if it all comes down to the call of a singular partner who, from my experience, is severely lacking in forward, diverse thinking & clearly demonstrates the 'top down' structure and complete disregard for more junior grades when decision making highlighted in their wider Glassdoor reviews. If you're really keen on joining the company, make sure you just prepare to pledge your undying allegiance to the firm for the remainder of your career with a side of friendly belittlement from the partner if you have managed to specialise in your current workplace. Advice to HR - incorporate wider decision making. What's the point of all of these stages if they aren't considered by the partners?