Acing the Application with Kearney
Edition #1: Lilian Silva Barreto
Welcome to the first edition of the Coffee Connect series written by the UNSW Consulting Club (UCC)! This initiative aims to help bridge the gap between university students and careers in corporate through a digital coffee chat, by hosting interviews with industry professionals and distilling key insights into a short five-minute read.
Our first edition summarises our chat with Lilian Silva Barreto, Senior HR Coordinator at Kearney, and her advice to budding consultants when applying for a Business Analyst (BA) or Intern role. Lilian completed a Bachelor of Information Systems in São Paulo, Brazil, and after graduating, she started working as an SAP Human Resources Consultant before jumping across various Business Analyst and HR roles, finally landing her current position at Kearney, where she has lived, laughed and loved HR and Recruitment ever since!
Sisyphus's Struggle
Most people have heard the myth of Sisyphus - the man condemned to push a boulder up a hill for eternity, only for it to roll back down each time he reaches the top. Day after day, Sisyphus engages in the same futile task, never making real progress. In this story, it’s hard not to feel empathy for his relentless struggle.
Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill, condemned to repeat the struggle endlessly.
Now, picture yourself in the shoes of Sisyphus. Think about those countless hours you’ve spent meticulously crafting your resume, tailoring your cover letter, and anxiously awaiting responses that sometimes never come. The process of job hunting can often feel like you’re trapped in a never-ending cycle, akin to Sisyphus with his boulder.
Now, a history lesson probably wasn’t what you were expecting from an article titled “Ace the Application with Kearney” but stay with me. When applying for my first internship, I went through over fifteen applications, countless hours spent tweaking resumes, and enough psychometric tests to make myself question my own personality. All just to land one role. Sisyphus’s turmoil acts as a perfect proxy for the repetitive feeling of applying for jobs and is especially relevant to an industry like consulting, which is notorious for being highly competitive and ever-evolving. So how do you escape the trap?
Lilian’s Lessons
Though we probably discussed enough about the Kearney application process in 30 minutes to fill up a 500-page book, I’ve distilled the key takeaways into two main themes because a) you’re too busy to read a book, and b) publishers are expensive:
Know who you are applying for: Do your homework! Read up on Kearney, their recent projects in your geographical area (via LinkedIn or Kearney's website), and their company culture. Reading this article already puts you two steps ahead of your competition. Be informed about Keanrey’s mission, values, and vision - this shows that you’re genuinely interested in the firm and not just the role. Leverage your school, society or even university alumni network to learn more about the firm from a first-hand perspective. To echo the words of my Year 8 history teacher “a primary source will always be better than a secondary source”.
Know what you are applying for: Kearney offers various opportunities to students - their Business Analyst roles, which are closing soon at the time of writing, and their internship & scholarship programs, offered in both summer and winter. These roles have a distinct application and interview process, and it’s crucial to understand the differences, as seen below:
A comparison of the Business Analyst and Internship & Scholarship programs.
Key skills looked for in both of these stages are problem-solving abilities, teamwork, analytical skills and leadership potential. From our brief chat, it was clear that continuous feedback is ingrained within the culture at Kearney - so much so that they assign a “buddy” to prospective graduates to aid them throughout the interview process, even before they’re accepted into the firm. She recommends leveraging your buddy’s knowledge of the firm and, inherently, the application process to maximise your chances of being selected for a role. For successful candidates, this buddy is usually maintained as they kick start their career as a Business Analyst - a nice touch!
Quick summary with a few actionable steps for these two themes:
Research: Create a document outlining Kearney’s values and how you have demonstrated them in societies/work experience, and can align your skills with their way of working.
Practice: Practice case studies to prepare for the behavioral and analytical portions of the interview - for starting off some of our UCC alumni recommend CaseCoach which is available to all UNSW students free of charge, as well as setting up a case tracker to monitor your progress and areas for improvement.
Action: Demonstrate adaptability and critical thinking during interviews, especially in unexpected scenarios. Ask the right questions, and find what works for you when taking in large amounts of information under pressure. Practice with a friend applying for the same position, and provide critical and constructive feedback.
CaseCoach offers case prep courses, practice cases and drills to help you ace your app!
Lilian also provided some great insights into what goes through the mind of a recruiter when assessing applications. Kearney assesses applications under these three buckets:
Academics: Your transcript and academic performance.
Work Experience: Previous internships or jobs that demonstrate relevant skills.
Extracurriculars: This includes any outside workshops, awards, scholarships, or meaningful sports and volunteer work. A key aspect here is playing a significant role in these activities, not just participating.
She further emphasised that the type of degree is not a barrier for applications as Kearney accepts students from all disciplines - Business Analysts are offered comprehensive training when they join. Development is ongoing, with the new hires heading to Bangkok this year for immersive learning experiences. From there, training is further supplemented by curriculum-based learning and elective training, on topics such as PowerBI, Excel and Issue Analysis, among others with the flexibility to pursue specific interests.
Key Insights
So, that was a lot of information, and you are probably looking for some key insights from this article. Below is consolidated advice from Lilian, as well as senior members from our UCC community:
Personalised cover letter - This is your chance to show them who you really are beyond your resume. Tailor your cover letter to the firm specifically. Don’t just rehash your resume - explain why you're passionate about consulting, why them, and how your experiences align with the firm’s values.
The interview process - This is where it gets personal. Kearney’s interviewers aren’t just looking for your technical skills - they want to know if you’re a cultural fit. They’re interested in seeing how well you’ll work with others, your leadership potential, and your problem-solving and analytical abilities. Be prepared for behavioral questions, case studies, and some curveballs that test your adaptability.
Ask the right questions - When it’s your turn to ask questions, make sure they’re insightful. Show that you’ve done your research and that you’re genuinely interested in the firm’s work and culture.
And so, let’s circle back to Sisyphus. Remember, the key to escaping the trap is to have an action plan that equips you with the right skills and knowledge to ace the application. With the insights from Lilian and understanding what Kearney values, you're already on your way to the top of that hill. Keep pushing, and remember that persistence and preparation are your best allies in this process. Best of luck, and a gentle reminder that Kearney Business Analyst applications close on 2nd March 2025, apply here: https://bit.ly/3WCLr8V.
This article was written by Rahul Pant and edited by Jimmy Wang. All experiences and opinions are their own unless otherwise specified, and do not represent the views of the UNSW Consulting Club or any affiliated organisations and sponsors.
