News From Career Fairs: More Companies Using Case Study Interviews to Single Out Job Candidates

Business-school students at the undergraduate and MBA level already know something about how to handle a very specialized kind of job interview— the case study interview.  The case study interview is employed primarily by management-consulting firms such as McKinsey, Bain and Deloitte. However, this year More Than A Resumé clients are reporting that more companies are using case study interviews to single out job candidates. This can be unnerving for liberal arts/humanities majors who have had little or no exposure to the case method in their courses. 

For those of you not familiar, case study interviews are designed to scrutinize the skills that are especially important in today’s workplace: quantitative skills, analytical skills, problem-solving ability, communications skills, creativity, flexibility, the ability to think quickly under pressure, listening skills, business acumen, keen insight, interpersonal skills, the ability to synthesize findings, professional demeanor, and powers of persuasion.

Above all, companies are looking for someone who can do the real work at hand.

But, even if you’ve become a pro at case analysis, as many business students are, the thought of doing so within a tight time-frame (usually 30 minutes) in the already highly pressured situation of a job interview can be daunting— if not downright terrifying. 

A lengthy interview process that can happen in a matter of days 

For many companies, the interviewing process starts at campus career fairs.  Those that recruit on college campus are serious about finding the very best talent. You will be competing against candidates from colleges across the country and possibly around the world.

Typically, the interview process goes as follows. 

1. Career fair interview (5-15 minutes) qualifies you to go on to the next step.
2. Telephone interview to get more detail on your experience.
3. Testing begins. If you “pass” the tests you proceed to Step 4.
1. Questions to assess your personality, motivation, cultural fit (similar to MBTI© tool)
2. Logic and reasoning questions
4. Case study interview. These are conducted in one of two ways.
1. You have a telephone interview with a case study interviewer. You receive a link to an online platform where you will find a case to solve. You have 30 minutes to read (average 15 pages) and prepare your recommendations. The interviewer will phone you up to hear your results (about 7 minutes) followed by a question and answer session specific to your results lasting about 10 minutes.
2. The case study interview is held at a campus location. You are provided a time slot to meet with the case study interviewer, and then given 30 minutes to complete the case study. You have 7 minutes to present your recommendations followed by a question and answer session lasting about 10 minutes. This might be followed by a behavioral interview with a different interviewer.
5. If you pass the case study interview, you are invited to the company’s office for a half-day of interviewing which may include:

        a. Talking with last year’s college recruits
        b. Interviewing with middle managers
        c. Doing a group/team exercise and presentation
        d. Participating in a panel interview 

Need to know

There are no right or wrong answers.  There are no predetermined answers in case study interviews. The interviewers are interested in how you got there—you’re approach—and less interested in your recommendation/conclusion. The pressure of a right answer is too overwhelming.  How could you possibly get to a right answer in 30 minutes? 

In other words, the interviewer is evaluating you on your intuitive, natural judgment in a business setting. 

Bain says it this way: Someone whose answer is strategically closer to a “right” answer–but who arrived at it with superficial insight and a flimsy rationale–will not do as well as someone whose answer might be more off the mark because they don’t have the business background, but whose thinking is cogent and well supported. We look for intrinsic mental agility and curiosity in our hires, knowing we will apprentice, train, and coach them with content and knowledge.

That’s right. Companies hire for attitude. Train for skills.

Case Study Tips and Skill Evaluation

▪ Read carefully. What is the problem you are asked to solve. Put aside  facts/slides/diagrams that seem less important. There may be several. Ability to sort through vast amounts of data (quantitative skills)

▪ Be concise. Have your key messages outlined in your handwritten summary. Save the details for your discussion. Ability to understand what is important.

▪ Do the math. Figure out what analytics are necessary for your recommendation and piece together the required data from the slides.Ability to think analytical with a clear approach to problem-solving. 

▪ Construct a logical, defensible recommendation and argument. Craft a recommendation that can actually be implemented by the client.Ability to be pragmatic and communicate persuasively. 

▪ Consider both sides. Strengthen the rationale behind your recommendation by working through the strongest arguments against it.Ability to think critically, be flexible and communicate persuasively.

Question and answer session tips

Here are four things you want to accomplish in the Q&A session. 

1. Make it a business discussion, not an interview. Engage in a thoughtful and insightful conversation with the interviewer to demonstrate your business judgment, and to learn as much as you can about the company’s approach to problem-solving.
2. Maintain eye-contact. Eye contact will help you engage the interviewer, establish rapport, and contribute to the interactivity of the interview.
3. Listen. Make sure you understand the question that is asked. Remember it’s not about the right answer. It’s about your thought process and ability to communicate.
4. Demonstrate your communication and people skills.  Project your confidence, energy and interest. The case interview is an opportunity to demonstrate not only your skills, but also how you might interact with future clients and colleagues.

Practice but do not over prepare

You do want to practice before undergoing a case study interview. But please, do not make yourself crazy because there is no right answer. There books and web for practice cases. More Than A Resumé clients recommend Case in Point. Some companies that use case study interviews provide good information on their own websites. Harvard Business School produces numerous case studies that can be used for practice; the studies are likely available in your career-services library or online in academic library databases.