JOBTALKS
Case Interviews
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business
C. Randall Powell, Ph.D
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Practicing Case Interviews
Undergraduate Management Consulting Association
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business
2
Agenda
Demystify the case interview
Identify evaluation criteria
Discuss preparation strategies
Provide overview of an interview
Demonstrate an interview
Small group exercises
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Demystifying the Case Interview
What is a case interview?
– Definition: A scenario-based problem
solving activity
Are there different types of case
interviews?
– Resume based cases
– Brain teasers or puzzles
– “Typical” consulting project or project on
which the consultant is currently
working
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Examples of “Typical” Cases
Profitability case:
– You are the consultant to a company that
produces large household appliances. Over
the past 3 years, profit margins have fallen
20% and market share has tumbled to 15% of
the market from 25%. What is the source of
the company’s problems?
Market entry:
– A multi-billion dollar consumer brand product
manufacturer is considering introducing their
flagship brand into Asia. What would you
advise?
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Why are case interviews used?
Gives firms a sense of how you
might approach a real consulting
case or project
Enables firms to assess candidate
along multiple dimensions
– A rich selection tool
Many companies and industries are
moving toward more case interviews
– Marketing, I-Banking, Microsoft
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What will they be evaluating?
Logical/analytical thought process
Business insight/judgment
Quantitative skills
Creativity/inquisitiveness
Decision making ability
Communication skills
Response to pressure/lack of
information
Interpersonal skills
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Case Interview Resources
Case interview books
– CASE IN POINT, Marc P. Cosentino
– The Fast Track, Miriam Naficy
Vault Guide to the Case Interview or
Wetfeet Ace your Case – Free on UCSO
website
Consulting firm websites
Other students
One-on-one sessions with a coach,
contingent upon securing a case interview
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Develop a preparation strategy
Look at online sources
Be proactive about practicing with
other students
Walk through questions on your own
(using the worksheet provided)
Set a target of practicing 40-60
interviews before you have a “real”
one!
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Typical interview flow
Listen as interviewer gives question/case
Restate/clarify case issues briefly
Take a minute or two to
structure/generate hypothesis
Communicate overview of your road map
to the interviewer
Proceed with your questions/analysis and
be the tour guide along the way
Take a minute to gather thoughts if
necessary (but be careful with this as not
all firms dig it)
State your recommendation and support it
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Frameworks structure your analysis
It depends on the question which
framework to use. For example:
– Attractiveness of an industry – Porter’s
5 Forces
– Evaluate a market – Four Ps
– Analyze new product introduction or
industry analysis – Four Cs
Use the framework as a way to
structure your thoughts.
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Focus on demonstrating two key
elements
Analytical horsepower
– Be a problem solver
– Be structured
– Be transparent
Communication and interpersonal
skills
– Connect with the interviewer
– Show poise, maturity, confidence
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A few do’s and don’ts
Do….
–
–
–
–
–
–
Listen carefully
Be structured
Ask questions
Think out loud
Reach “closure”
Connect with
interviewer
Don’t….
– Race through the
case
– Force-fit
frameworks
– Get stuck in
analysis paralysis
– Offend the
interviewer
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The key to success
Practice, practice, practice
And when you think you have
practiced enough, practice even
more!
Hopefully you can get to the point
where these are actually second
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If you would like
to learn more,
Career Planning
Strategies
textbook will
supply additional
information on this
topic.
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