The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Booz Allen Hamilton (McLean, VA) in Jun 2012
Interview
Booz called me on a monday...they liked me a lot and offered an interview in their Herdon Location the thursday of that week. I interviewed with 3 different teams with a total of 7 people. It was very straight forward. Some skill related questions, not too bad. Make sure you know you know your resume. Be prepared to answer multiple questions. DON'T BE AWKWARD. I pretty much took over the interview.
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Booz Allen Hamilton (McLean, VA) in May 2012
Interview
I first got a call from a recruiter by phone, she asked some basic questions about the position and my current salary (big mistake!). She then proceeded to schedule me for an interview the very next day, not allowing me any time to prepare (which was not a big deal). The interview process was completely disorganized, rushed and unprofessional; they scheduled a group of 5 people to be interviewed by 3 employees. We were taken to an independent room where we waited for our interviewer; they themselves seemed confused... one mentioned he didn't know he was going to be performing interviews until a couple hours earlier. The interviews were very rushed, didn't give us much time to discuss much of the position or the organization. The questions were typical, we went trough my resume at which point I got some questions regarding my qualifications; a common question from all 3 interviewers was "Why Booz Allen"?.
Although disorganized, the interview was relatively easy (perhaps because my qualifications met every single one of their requirements for the job), the hiring manager was a bit more on the point... he went over briefly some of my expected duties as well as some brief trick questions regarding the position (which I nailed).
After the in person interviews I did not hear from anybody for 2 weeks, at which point I called the recruiter to inquire. I was told another manager was trying to reach me for over a week for additional interview questions, which I do not understand how that could happen... I did not get any missed calls, voice mails, nor emails and my resume and application showed accurate contact information (goes to show how disorganized they are). Nonetheless, I gave the recruiter my contact information once again, the next day i got a call from the field manager and he proceeded to conduct a phone interview. This time the interview was more detailed about the job and expectations, which I was pleased to finally hear. Once again, I nailed the interview 110%, which is why I got a call from the recruiter the very next day with an offer and he mentioned and I quote "Everyone was impressed with your resume and qualifications".
I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Booz Allen Hamilton (McLean, VA) in Jun 2012
Interview
Rationale: I recently interviewed and have not received a "yay" or "nay", so I think this will allow my opinion of the interview process to be rather unbiased.
About 5-8 candidates were in a group (this was not a group interview though). We were each given our individual rooms in which the interviewer would come in and ask us questions and have a rather enjoyable conversation. We were assigned to three different interviewers. Each of the interviews lasted 30 minutes; however, many of my interviews went a little over the 30 minute time because of our conversations. The staff had an extensive knowledge and passion for Booz Allen Hamilton. It was fabulous to learn from them in the short amount of time we were given. We were allowed to ask questions. Before we began the interviews, we were given a presentation of how Booz Allen is organized and how flexibility and client satisfaction were of the utmost importance. The rooms were comfortable. Many of the other candidates were friendly and so was the BAH staff.
I was told it can take up to two weeks to hear back after an interview. It has not even been a week yet, so I am hoping that I get this position. I have heard that negotiating the salary upfront is a necessity. If offered a position; I am planning to do so.
Regardless of the outcome, it was probably one of the best interviews ever. It was efficient, relevant, and relaxing. Their interview style is to ease the distressed prospective employee and eliminate the need for second round interviews as each interviewer is looking for individual characteristics (technical knowledge/functional skills, consulting knowledge, and behavior/personality)
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you deal with a client that requests a specific deliverable, although with your consulting knowledge you know that another deliverable is a better fit to meet the goal (something like that)