This is widely seen as intolerably rude but is usually vigorously pursued nonetheless. The overall tone, though, is generally positive, warm and in keeping with the courtship process. There is then a brief pause while the boot is transferred to the other foot. The aim is not so much to test your intelligence, although they might claim otherwise, but to see how logically you think. Consultants are looking for the clean, uncluttered minds that can process complicated business questions.
Investment bankers seem to be more varied in their interviewing styles and interests.
At least one major bank has established a reputation for the aggressive oddness of its interviewers. The final round is basically an endurance test in which multiple waves of bankers fire repetitive questions until the candidate either cracks or gets the job. This has made Period 4 somewhat different from Period 3 when the level of work was intense, but so were the opportunities to enjoy the beautiful countryside around Fontainebleau. One of the benefits of starting in January is that you get a two-month summer holiday to work or relax. The contrast between the teeming, chaotic streets of that metropolis and the gleaming, serried ranks of air-conditioned PCs inside was the perfect preparation for the issues of globalisation we confronted in class this period.