I heard about The Avascent Group from a friend who was two years ahead of me at Georgetown and had recently started working for Avascent. He was always talking about how interesting and challenging his job was and how much fun it was to work at the firm. I was intrigued by the fact that he actually enjoyed getting up and going to work every day. I applied for a position as a Summer Analyst through the company’s website and also passed my resume to HR through my friend in late November/Early December of 2008. I was contacted in mid-December for an initial phone screen. The conversation was with an HR representative and lasted for approximately 25 minutes. During the call, the questions focused on top level interest in the company, previous work experience and specifically why I was interested in Avascent and the defense industry. At the end of the call the HR rep implied that it had gone well and that I would hear something in the near future. I heard back in mid-December and was scheduled for a first round interview at their office. The interview was comprised of two 30-45 minute interviews with Consultants, each of whom had been at the firm for 2+ years. The first interview was a standard resume interview, with a heavy focus on research skills and methodology. The second interview was a business case that was based off a project the company had done for a large logistics firm. It was different than typical cases; however, it allowed me to get a sense for what they deliver to clients and allowed them to evaluate my critical thinking and see if it matched the skill set needed to succeed at Avascent. This interview was followed by a second round interview in February. This time I interviewed with a project manager, an analyst, and the HR manager. Throughout the process, the company emphasized fit and each interviewer was very interested in “Why Avascent”, “Why Consulting” and “Why Defense & Aerospace”. I was notified in mid-March that I had received an offer. Overall, interviewing with Avascent could not have been more pleasurable. I interviewed with six people throughout the process and each person was excited about their job and was very candid in answering questions about their day to day work life. The questions they asked me were challenging and intellectually stimulating and interviewers repeatedly pushed back on my answers and expected me to have both a solid rational and the confidence to defend my thought pattern, specifically on the case.