Frequently Asked Questions

You can submit your application through the ‘Apply Now’ form. It can be found in all our Careers pages or here.

Once we receive your application (CV and covering letter), the below steps will follow:

Junior Hires (Graduate Consultant/Consultant)

1. Online assessments followed by complete application screening 

2. First round interviews – two separate 45-minute sessions with two members of our team (consultant and senior consultant) 

3. Second round interviews – two separate 45-minute sessions with two members of our team (manager and partner, or two managers)

4. Final round – a discussion with one of our partners and/or Head of HR

Experienced Hires (Senior Consultant/Manager)

1. Online assessments followed by complete application screening 

2. First round of interviews – a 60 to 75-minute session with a manager and Senior Consultant

3. Second round of interviews – a 90-minute session with a partner and a manager

4. Final round – a discussion with a partner and Head of HR

We will be keeping you updated with the outcome of each step and whether you have successfully passed to the next one at the earliest possible.

During the interviews, we are interested to learn more about your experience, your motivations and you as a person, while we will further test your suitability for the role.

Case studies will help us see how you structure your thinking, deal with intellectual challenges and draw conclusions.

It would help you stand out if you can demonstrate that you are a fast learner, are intellectually curious, and have a keen eye for details. However, there is no perfect formula for these interviews so don’t be afraid to show the unique skillsets and experiences that you can bring to the table.

We recommend that all candidates familiarise themselves with the format of case studies and be confident in telling stories of your previous experiences. In addition, you should be ready to explain why you are interested in working at Cairneagle.

We do accept applications from candidates who have been unsuccessful in the past and there have been cases of unsuccessful candidates re-applying and being offered a position. We do, however, require that re-applicants wait at least 12 months from the date of their previous application.

We review applications on a rolling basis and we recommend submitting your application in advance of any deadlines.

Our recruitment process is ongoing. For graduate hires, we offer start dates in April, July and September. 

We offer summer internships, off-cycle internships and placement year internships. If you are interested in applying for these roles, please apply via the Careers section of our website.

We currently do not offer any work experience opportunities of less than two months. This is to ensure that interns get the chance to see the full life cycle of our projects. 

While we do not have specific entry points aimed at candidates with advanced degrees, we welcome applications from such candidates. We recommend that candidates review our job descriptions and apply for the role that they feel best fits their experience level.

For the Senior Consultant and Manager roles all hires should have previous experience in business consulting.

We do, however, accept applications for junior roles (Consultant and Graduate Consultant) from people who have no directly relevant consulting experience or little consulting experience.

Please see below for typical experience levels by role: 

• Consultant (Graduate hires and limited consulting experience) – 0-3 years of experience/up to two years of consulting experience
• Senior Consultant – 3-5 years of relevant consulting experience 
• Manager – 5+ years of relevant consulting experience

We recommend applying for the role that you believe most fits your current experience level. We will review your application on its individual merits and actively discuss if we believe a different level is better suited for an applicant with previous experience. 

Please see below for typical experience levels by role: 

• Consultant (Graduate hires and limited consulting experience) – 0-3 years of experience/up to two years of consulting experience
• Senior Consultant – 3-5 years of relevant consulting experience 
• Manager – 5+ years of relevant consulting experience

No, not necessarily. We come from a pretty diverse range of backgrounds, with our consultants having degrees in a wide range of fields, from business to science to arts and humanities. We look to recruit candidates who can demonstrate the key skills that we are looking for such as critical thinking, teamwork, professionalism – we know that these are things that can be developed in many different ways, including university clubs and societies, sports, entrepreneurship, part-time or holiday work as well as more traditional work experience, such as internships. 

You are able to apply to all our permanent vacancies if you require visa sponsorship. You can find out about your eligibility through the Home Office immigration website here. 

We would suggest outlining your top 2-3 experiences that demonstrate your skills and why you would make a good strategy consultant. We want to know why you are applying to Cairneagle and what motivates you to work here. It is also important to keep the letter concise, cohesive, and clear – we recommend that the cover letter be one page in length.