Consulting Firm Seeks Liberal Arts Graduates to Boost Creativity
The global managing partner of a leading consulting firm has revealed plans to recruit more liberal arts graduates as part of a broader effort to inject creativity and diverse thinking into the business. The move comes as the firm increasingly uses artificial intelligence in hiring and operations, including an internal AI assessment tool called Lilli.
Why liberal arts now?
Traditionally, consulting firms have favored candidates with backgrounds in business, economics, engineering or other quantitative fields. That is changing. Leaders say liberal arts graduates bring strengths that are harder to quantify but valuable in solving complex problems: critical thinking, storytelling, ethical reasoning and the ability to make connections across disciplines.
These skills can be especially useful when teams work on strategy, organizational change or client-facing communication. A broader range of educational backgrounds can help produce more creative solutions and better understand human and cultural factors that affect business outcomes.
AI meets human judgment in hiring
The firm has begun incorporating its AI tool, Lilli, into parts of the hiring process. Candidates now face assessments that are at least partly evaluated using the tool, which is designed to surface competencies and fit at scale. The use of Lilli reflects a larger trend: firms are balancing automated assessment with human judgment to manage large applicant pools efficiently.
That integration aims to speed decisions, reduce manual steps and highlight candidates who might otherwise be overlooked by traditional screening methods. At the same time, leaders emphasize that AI complements rather than replaces human interviewers and recruiters.
Potential benefits and risks
- Benefits: Combining liberal arts hires with AI assessments can broaden talent pipelines, encourage diverse perspectives, and improve problem-solving flexibility across projects.
- Efficiency: AI tools can handle routine evaluation tasks, freeing recruiters to focus on higher-value judgment calls and deeper interviews.
- Risks: Overreliance on algorithms could introduce bias, reduce transparency in decision-making, or miss qualities that matter in client work. Ensuring fairness and explainability in assessments remains a challenge.
What this means for candidates
For liberal arts graduates, this shift is an opportunity. Firms are increasingly recognizing skills gained through humanities and social sciences, such as persuasive writing, cultural awareness and ethical analysis. Candidates with those strengths should be ready to demonstrate how their experience applies to business problems.
Practical steps for applicants include:
- Translate academic work into business impact—explain how research, writing, or projects relate to client needs.
- Showcase problem-solving examples that highlight creativity and structured thinking.
- Prepare for AI-assisted assessments by practicing situational judgment tests and competency-based questions.
- Highlight teamwork and communication skills—essential in consulting engagements.
How firms can get the balance right
To benefit from both liberal arts talent and AI tools, firms should consider several measures:
- Maintain human oversight in final hiring decisions to capture nuance and fit.
- Audit AI systems regularly for fairness and unintended bias.
- Train interviewers to evaluate soft skills and creative thinking alongside technical abilities.
- Monitor outcomes to ensure diverse hires lead to stronger team performance and client results.
Looking ahead
Recruiting liberal arts graduates while leaning into AI-assisted hiring reflects a wider shift in professional services: soft skills and interdisciplinary thinking are gaining traction, and technology is changing how talent is sourced and evaluated. If implemented thoughtfully, the approach could create more adaptable teams and richer solutions for clients. The challenge will be ensuring that AI supports — rather than narrows — the search for diverse, creative talent.