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The GBCC Concise Guide to Case Interviewing What are case interviews all about? Case interviews are a company’s way of assessing your problem-solving skills in a “real-world”atmosphere. The most successful case interviews are intelligent discussions of a business problem, with a series of thoughtful questions and responses. Interviewees apply analyticalframeworks appropriately and provide specific recommendations. Note: case interviews are not just for consultants anymore!Marketing and finance interviewers use them too. Case interviews can take several forms. Common formats are 10-minute “mini-case” questionsor 30-45 minute discussions. Occasionally interviewers give written case questions. You’ll havean hour or two to read and take notes, then you’ll present the case as you would in class. Types of case interviewsType DescriptionExample Business Presented with businessscenario and asked to makerecommendationsShould company X enter new market Y? GroupBusinessCase Put in group with other candidates and asked tomake recommendations on business scenarioShould company A acquire company B? Guesstimate Estimate the size of something business-relatedHow many LCD projectors are soldannually in the U.S.? Brainteaser Logic puzzle or riddleYou have 3 green socks and 9 black socks. How many differentcombinations of pairs do you have?Interviewers will often present you with an actual scenario from their business to work on.Here are some real-world examples: ã Can you recommend a strategic direction for our traffic controls division? ã Our client, a for-profit hospital, showed a record loss last year. What do you recommend? ã Your manager has asked you to do a conjoint analysis, but you think a segmentation analysisis a better idea. How do you resolve your difference of opinion? ã What would you do if you didn’t have sufficient financial resources for a critical project? Case InterviewingPage 1 Most common The GBCC Concise Guide to Case Interviewing What do interviewers want? Because case interviews test your ability to think analytically under pressure, interviewers willlook for: ã A logical, structured approach to the problem ã Questions that reveal your thinking process ã A clear recommendation and consideration of alternatives ã Comfort with ambiguity ã Creativity ã Poise under pressure ã General business acumen (i.e., familiarity with economic trends, industry dynamics, marketinterest rates, etc.) How should I approach a case? ã Clarify. Listen closely to the problem, ask questions to make sure you understand, paraphrase to confirm the problem statement. Confirm the time you have available. ã Structure. Describe your overall approach, break the problem into discrete pieces, useframeworks selectively. An issue tree is a good general structure to use. ã Analyze. Walk the interviewer through your thinking, prioritize issues, ask relevantquestions, state findings for each analysis. ã Conclude. Synthesize findings, build your argument, discuss tradeoffs, develop overallrecommendations, link your conclusion back to the problem statement. Case InterviewingPage 2 Don’t…. ã Try to force-fit a framework to the problem. ã Say, “I’ll be using the 4 P’s to analyze thiscase….” Frameworks are tools to help youorganize your thinking, not solutions. ã Ask a long series of questions withoutexplaining why you’re asking. ã Solve the case too quickly without explainingyour approach. ã Hide from the numbers. ã Say, “This sounds like a marketing case.” ã Assume you know the “answer” and ignoresignals/hints from the interviewer. ã Get stuck in a mass of details and forget whatquestion you’re trying to answer. ã Panic. Take a deep breath, collect your thouhts and et back on track. Do…. ã Listen carefully. Repeat the question back tothe interviewer to ensure you understand. ã Take notes. ã Organize your answer with an appropriatemodel or framework. ã Manage your time. ã Think before you speak. ã Feel free to think creatively. ã Apply the 80/20 rule. ã Conclude with a clear, actionablerecommendation. Explain why you prefer one course of action over other alternatives. ã Think out loud. The interviewer wants toknow your thought process. ã Show your enthusiasm! And most important of all….PRACTICE. Preparation shows! The GBCC Concise Guide to Case Interviewing Recruiter Feedback Here’s what recruiters have to say about effective case interviewing: “It’s really important to listen to the setup of the question and hints the interviewer gives you.”“We want to know that students won’t panic when a client asks something they don’t know.”“When you use a model, understand why you’re using it and explore it fully.”“It’s always fine for students to write notes and take a couple minutes to organize their thoughts.”“Don’t be afraid if the interviewer disagrees with you on part of your answer. Sometimesit’s a test to see how you respond to being challenged.” Where can I get help to practice? There are hundreds of case interview resources available. These are some good ones to startwith. Available at the GBCC: ã Case Interview Binder includes practice and sample cases, McKinsey and A.T. Kearneyoverviews, the Vault Guide, and other additional resources. The binder is kept in the GBCC;ask for it at the front desk. ã Case Interview Toolkit includes key concepts, frameworks, and case types. Available inhard copy at the GBCC. ã Case Study Interviewing presentation by the Carlson Consulting Enterprise, December 2002. Available in hard copy at the GBCC. ã Harvard College Guide to Consulting Case Questions (1996) by Marc Cosentino ã Case in Point , 2 nd edition (2001) by Marc Cosentino ã Consulting Interviews: Ace Your Case!™ by WetFeet, available in hardcopy and online ã Consulting Interviews: 15 Questions by WetFeet, available in hardcopy and online ã The Wharton MBA Case Interview Study Guide , Vol. II ã Vault Guide to Advanced Quantitative and Finance Interviews, 1 st edition Other resources: ã Case Interviewing Resources section of the GBCC website, with links to print resources andBain case interviewing video on Wetfeet ã Vault Guide to the Case Interview (2002), available as print and e-book atwww.vault.com ã Quintessential Careers website (www.quintcareers.com) Case InterviewingPage 3 The GBCC Concise Guide to Case Interviewing ã McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas - links to case interview presentations given by A.T. Kearney, Ernst & Young and Diamond Cluster (http://www.bus.utexas.edu/students/gcg/members_interview.asp) ã BCG website (http://www.bcg.com/careers/interview_prep/interview_prep_splash.asp) ã Capital One website (http://www.capitalone.com/careers/caseindex.shtml) ã Bain website (http://www.bain.com/bainweb/join/interview/practice_overview.asp) ã Case interview guides developed by other business schools’ Consulting Clubs Your key to success with case interviewing is FREQUENT PRACTICE. Grab some friends and set up a regular time to practice case interviews. Work with a variety of people so you get accustomed to different interviewing styles. The GBCC can help with samplecases and practice sessions too. GOOD LUCK! Case InterviewingPage 4
