Carma Consulting

What Is Carma Consulting?

Carma is a consulting-focused preparation business organized around its founders’ complementary coaching responsibilities, rather than a marketplace where candidates select from independent coach listings.

• Gero Wahrenburg focuses on case-interview preparation. His professional background includes work as a consultant and interviewer at Boston Consulting Group. Carma’s educational material emphasizes developing a logical approach to unfamiliar business problems.
• Johanna Pabst focuses on applications and personal-fit preparation. Her background includes consulting and interviewing at Horváth, alongside recruiting experience at McKinsey and Strategy&. These are distinct professional roles, not a claim that she worked as a consultant or interviewer at every firm named.

This division of responsibilities is central to understanding the practice: candidates work on how they present their experience as well as how they approach analytical interview problems.

What Does Carma Consulting Help Candidates Prepare For?

Application Strategy and CV Preparation

Application support includes reviewing a candidate’s CV, identifying target consulting firms, and planning applications. Carma’s guidance addresses how to communicate academic achievements, practical experience, extracurricular activities, and individual contributions. It also discusses organizing applications and interview timing, rather than treating the CV as an isolated document.

Case Interviews and Analytical Skills

Carma’s case approach emphasizes building a structure around the specific question instead of applying a memorized framework unchanged. The teaching focuses on understanding the problem and developing a logical route through it.

In describing his coaching, Wahrenburg identifies several areas for individual feedback: structuring, interpreting exhibits and diagrams, calculations, and communication. The intended preparation process is to identify a candidate’s particular difficulty and then work on that skill between coaching sessions.

Personal-Fit and Behavioral Interviews

Personal-fit preparation covers self-introductions, motivation for consulting and a particular firm, and examples drawn from the candidate’s experience. Carma’s guidance discusses selecting leadership and teamwork examples, explaining personal actions and results, and reflecting on lessons learned. Individual coaching and supporting materials are used to organize this preparation.

How Carma Consulting Works

The entry point is an introductory conversation with Johanna. Candidates answer preliminary questions before arranging the discussion; the practice uses the conversation to understand their situation, goals, and whether the proposed preparation is a suitable fit.

The learning model combines several activities:

• Digital instruction: The case-interview e-learning course provides video material, exercises, and step-by-step guidance, with feedback on practice work.
• Individual coaching: Sessions examine performance, identify areas for improvement, and establish what to practice next. The emphasis is on the candidate’s specific difficulties rather than simply completing additional cases.
• Peer practice: The participant community provides a setting for candidates to practice cases together and exchange experiences. This is separate from coaching with the founders.

Carma also publishes educational content outside the coaching relationship. Its German-language case-interview podcast discusses topics such as clarifying questions and interviewer evaluation criteria, while its public resources include explanatory videos and case demonstrations.

Who May Find Carma Consulting Useful?

Carma explicitly addresses internship applicants, candidates seeking full-time consulting entry, and experienced professionals. Its stated audience includes people without a business or economics degree, as well as candidates who already have case-interview experience.

Based on its coaching model, it may be relevant to candidates who want help diagnosing a specific weakness—for example, explaining a structure clearly or interpreting an exhibit—rather than only obtaining more practice material. This is a preparation-fit inference, not an assessment of coaching outcomes.

When considering the practice, candidates can distinguish three questions: whether they need application support, whether they understand case fundamentals, and whether they need feedback on live interview performance. Those needs need not be equally important for every applicant.

How Carma Consulting Can Fit Into Consulting Interview Preparation

A candidate could organize a coaching-led preparation plan around the following sequence, adapting it to the requirements of their target roles:

• Define the starting point: List target roles, application status, existing preparation, and the questions that remain unresolved. Bring concrete examples of difficulties rather than only a general request to improve.
• Separate learning from testing: Use instructional material to understand an approach, then attempt an unfamiliar problem without following the explanation. Record where independent execution becomes difficult.
• Turn feedback into practice: After a coaching session, choose a limited set of observable improvements. For example, work on explaining assumptions before calculation or summarizing what an exhibit means.
• Return to complete interviews: Combine targeted exercises with full practice conversations. Keep personal-fit preparation on the schedule rather than leaving it until case preparation feels finished.

Official firm resources can provide another reference point. BCG, for example, publishes guidance on structuring, analysis, calculations, and communication. Candidates can use such material to understand the employer’s stated expectations without treating any third-party methodology as the firm’s official approach.

What to Consider When Using Carma Consulting

• Scope of support: Ask how preparation would be divided between applications, cases, and personal fit. Explain which selection stage is approaching and which areas are already well covered.
• Language and recruiting market: Confirm the language of coaching and practice separately from the language of public materials. For applications outside German-speaking markets, discuss how the preparation would be adapted.
• Independent work: Plan time to revise application documents, complete exercises, and act on feedback. Ask what work is expected between conversations.
• Specific assessments: If an invitation includes an online test, technical exercise, or another specialized assessment, ask explicitly whether preparation for that requirement is included. Do not assume general interview coaching provides a dedicated simulator.
• Existing preparation: Identify what university support, peer practice, or self-study has already addressed. Evaluate additional coaching against a defined gap rather than assuming that a broader program is necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions About Carma Consulting

Who provides the coaching at Carma Consulting?

The practice is built around Gero Wahrenburg’s case-interview work and Johanna Pabst’s application and personal-fit work. Its public educational interviews reflect this division of responsibilities.

Does Carma Consulting cover more than case interviews?

Yes. Its preparation also addresses application documents, application planning, and personal-fit interviews, linking the application stage with subsequent interview preparation.

Is a business degree required to use the service?

Carma states that its coaching also addresses candidates without a business or economics background. Applicants should discuss their individual experience and preparation needs.

Does Carma publish German-language preparation content?

Yes. Its public resources include a German-language case-interview podcast, alongside written guidance and case-related videos. Candidates should confirm their preferred coaching language directly.

How is individual feedback used?

The coaching model identifies specific areas to work on, such as structuring, calculations, exhibit analysis, or communication, and uses subsequent practice to address those areas.

Does Carma include opportunities for peer practice?

Yes. Its participant community supports case practice between candidates. Peer interviewing is a separate component from individual sessions with the founders.