WINNING CONSULTING CAREER INFORMATION
7. Why should we not hire you?
Leave out any actual flaws unknown to your interviewer. Instead, explain why something that looks like a weakness actually represents a strength (or at worst, something neutral). “I can understand that you would potentially be put off by my lack of economics and business coursework. But I think my sales experience and my score of 770 on the math portion of the SAT should alleviate those concerns.”
The Case Interview
Consulting interviewers use interview questions to test your analytical ability, reasoning skills, confidence and knowledge of business concepts. Case interviews simulate live scenarios to test your mind’s quickness and confirm the skills you claim on your resume. You must discuss hypothetical situations based on information provided to you and make assumptions based on commonly-known facts. Even if you have no background knowledge of the case, you must still address the question thoughtfully under pressure. The interviewer cares more about how you arrived at your answer than if you answer correctly, so be sure to explain your thought process too.
Case interview questions fall into three broad categories: business cases, guesstimates and brainteasers.
Business cases
If you are interviewing with a strategy consulting firm, count on plenty of cases during the interview process. Put very simply, case interviews are problem-solving exercises. While some interviewers draw on recent real- world experience to develop a case, you are not expected to have any industry knowledge. The interviewer is more interested in checking out your thought process and assessing your analytical ability, creativity and poise. Some companies present cases as written documents to be read and prepared. But
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usually, the interviewer describes the key facts and issues of the case before asking the candidate for an analysis. Several firms (e.g., Monitor) ask you to solve a case as part of a team with other job candidates.
The case usually consists of a business scenario and a question about it. For example: “A foreign company with extra cash on hand wants to enter the American fast food market. What would you tell them?” While every case is different, follow the tips below to improve your chances of cracking it without too much difficulty.
Some quick case tips
• Before jumping into an answer, ask the interviewer a number of questions to gather vital information about the case. Your interviewer will answer you with pieces of information to help you formulate new questions and, ultimately, your case recommendations. (At the same time, avoid tiring your interviewer and recognize when you have asked enough questions. If your interviewer starts repeating himself or herself or says something like,
“You should be able to give me an answer,” stop asking questions.)
• One interviewee cautions: “Consulting firms are looking for people who will think carefully before answering; this is very important in the case interview. Don’t say the first thing that comes to your mind, even if you’re certain about it. If you’re trying to choose between appearing to be slow and appearing to be a cocky idiot, choose the former.”
• Ask about best practices in the industry. Find out what other companies in this industry do when facing similar issues.
• Avoid making assumptions without checking them with the interviewer, or at the very least, state that you are making an assumption. If your case concerns a major vehicle manufacturer, you might mistakenly assume the client is General Motors, Ford or Toyota, when it is actually John Deere.
• After gathering all the information you think you need, start formulating your recommendations. If you like using standard frameworks, remember to use the appropriate one. Run the framework through your mind to ensure you are not forgetting a vital area of analysis. For instance, the Porter’s Five Forces model might help you analyze a market situation and identify all of the areas of potential threat. Based on the model, you can recommend the company’s market strategy.
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• If you are unfamiliar with frameworks, state so and proceed as logically as you are able. Voice your analysis—why and how you come to your questions and conclusions is also important.
• After giving your recommendations, consider pointing out possible flaws and assumptions in your thinking. If it’s clear you really didn’t do well on the case, you might try explaining how you would have approached it differently given the chance.
• Speak and reason aloud during your case interview. Your thought process is more important than your ultimate conclusions; your interviewer must hear your reasoning and the logical steps you are taking to reach your conclusions.
• Always bring paper and a reliable pen with you to any consulting interview. You might want to take notes during the case interview (and for any guesstimates or quantitative brainteasers your interviewer might throw at you). Asking your interviewer for paper and a pen during the interview gives the impression that you are disorganized and unprepared.
• Everyone gets stuck in a case interview at some point. One tactic is to simply admit you are stuck and try thinking out loud through the problem again. “I don’t seem to be getting anywhere with this line of thinking, so I’m going to back up and think through things from the beginning.” You can also just ask your interviewer for help: “I have a lot of good information in front of me, but I seem to be running into a dead end here.
Maybe you could help me talk through the problem.” These alternatives are both a lot better than staying silent; after all, this is exactly what would happen if you were working on a real project together and you needed help.
• No matter what, never show any signs of being flustered in a case interview. Remember to breathe! Your composure before your client (or lack thereof) is a key factor of your evaluation.
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Sample Qualitative Case Questions