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case interviews
Shazkar Shadowstorm
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
figure i'd ask if anyone had experience doing case interviews... i've had a few, and most were not so successful, so I was just wondering if anyone had some insight on how best to approach them and how I might better prepare for my next one, which is friday...
also, along those lines, what are some good questions to ask an interviewer when they ask if you have questions for them?
also, along those lines, what are some good questions to ask an interviewer when they ask if you have questions for them?
poo
Shazkar Shadowstorm on
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What type of case interview are you talking about? There are two kinds.
1. How many gas stations are there in the US?
2. Look at this graph of increasing revenue and declining profits. What is going on? How would you attempt to remedy this problem through internal strategy?
One man replied, I'd be beechwood, so I could age Budweiser
The first thing you want to do is say "Let me make sure I understand the situation" and then repeat the issues to be addressed. Then say "Can I have a minute to think?" They will say yes, so sit there for at least 30 seconds thinking and probably writing down ideas or facts you don't want to forget.
After this, it's kind of tough to give advice. You have to have a general business acumen to be able to actually answer the questions they pose. What you need to do, however, is ask probing questions about information that you think would be helpful, i.e. "Well, if I knew what the company's sales history was, I could answer this question. Have sales been growing in recent years?"
They really just want to find out how you would go about finding the solution to a business problem. You have to think on your feet and think of creative solutions. If you ask a question and they say something like "That's not really what we're getting at..." just make sure you don't panic and don't get defensive.
The only other thing that's extremely important is don't let there be any long silences. You should always be thinking out loud, even when you are writing things down. Explain what you are doing, i.e. "I'm just going to write down the data you just gave me in case I want to refer to it later."
They want to understand your logical progression. All you can really do is help them understand how you think, and hope that you are thinking correctly about the given situation. Everybody will run into cases they just can't think of the answer to, so just do the best you can. Also, don't throw out buzzwords that you don't understand. You may think it's impressive that you know some words from the Wall Street Journal, but unless you can explain to me exactly what EBITDA is or how to reconcile Net Income to Cash, don't say anything that makes it sound like you can.
If you have any specific questions, let me know, I have been through tons of interviews and now am on the other side.