Guidance for Case Based Interviews

insight | innovation | impact

May 2011

Objective of this Presentation

Help applicants understand what a case interview is and how they can prepare for a case based interview

2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

Interviewing with a consulting firm can expose you to several different interview types, with a heavy emphasis on case

interviews
Behavioral (Fit) Interviews
Focus on achievement orientation, desire to be and excel in the demanding consulting environment, desire and attitudinal fit to be a part of the firm you are interviewing with

Guesstimates
How many people commute using local trains in Mumbai everyday?

Puzzles & Brainteasers

With basic mathematical operators, in how many ways can use the numbers 1, 4, 5 and 6 to make 24?

Open ended/ out of the box situations

In how many ways can you use a 4x4 handkerchief to move a 25kg block?

Cases
My companys annual profits have been declining 10% year-on-year for the last 2 years, while my sales have steadily gone up. What is going wrong with my business?
2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

First and foremost, its important to understand what a case interview is There is no typical case; these could include:
Quantitative hypothetical situations e.g., how will you estimate the demand for Pepsi in Ladakh? Quantitative real life situations e.g., disguised data from client work Qualitative assessments of a situation e.g. dealing with labor union problems while restructuring compensation for a workforce

A case interview serves as a platform for testing applicants problemsolving abilities, which are at the heart of a consulting profession Usually starts off as a brief description of a typical client problem: Im a steel manufacturer, and my revenue is going down.
May be a simplified version of a project from the consultants own background May be something made up to draw onor differ fromthings on your own resume

2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

 and then focus on the basic tenets of succeeding in a case interview

Keep it Structure driven
There is no specific structure Focus on showcasing how you organize your thinking Lay out your approach; keep the interviewer involved Can you handle the numbers and drive towards final answers? Can you do quick back of the envelope calculations using reasonable assumptions and drive towards results? Are your insights grounded in business? (market potential of 2 million cans of coke in in small county in Alaska can not be correct!) Most business problems break into more than one possible problems; dont solve all the problems; focus on the high opportunity areas and the low hanging fruits There is a limited amount of time in an interview - get to the point quickly

Highlight your Analytic nature

Focus on Business Insights

Ability to 80/20

The goal of a case interview is to have a business CONVERSATION with the firm
2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

Overall, you pull a problem apart into buckets and find MECE sub-assertions from which to further drill down Separate a problem horizontally

Then drill down into relevant areas

2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

The first basic step in any case interview is to break apart the problem horizontally

Problem: A companys revenues have been declining why? Revenues

Costs

This is basically a logic tree The key is to make this first pass MECE or Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive

2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

Once youre satisfied youve listed all of the MECE buckets, you then drill down to find root causes.

Problem: A companys revenues have been declining why? Revenues

Costs

Price
Price falling?

Volume
Volume down?

Mix
Shift to less profitable lines?

Price
Rent too high?

Mix
Labor costs up?

The key is to figure out what is driving the problem

2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

In general, horizontal-then-vertical attacks work on most problems

Problem:
I got a speeding ticket why?
I was speeding
Game over
The officers radar gun is broken Cop does not know how to use radar gun My stupid speedometer is broken The officer is misinformed re: speed limit

I was not speeding

Once you hit on the key bucket, you can investigate further to get at root causes and suggested fixes
2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

You need to practicethis will determine most of your success.

Practice in groups Discuss a few hypothetical or real problems around you

How should Nandan Nilekani roll out the Unique Identification Number program for it to succeed? What strategy should Walmart use to enter the Indian market?

Get a sense for what type of work a firm does this will often determine your case type Know what makes firms different from one another they expect you to know
Hint: We leverage deep analytics in the world of management consulting

2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

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During the interview, focus on highlighting the skills the interviewer might be looking for Understand the problem separate big picture from details Structure the problem break it into discrete parts Think logically tell us how you plan to solve the problem Manage data write it down and use it effectively Drive towards an answer you have to demonstrate end product orientation Think practically and use sanity checks practical attitude to problem solving Think out of the box show us that you can be creative when required

2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

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Cases Dos and Donts

Dos
Do take time to understand the case and the key question Do ask questions if something is not clear or if you need more data Do take some time to think through the entire process and then start Do keep your interviewer aware of your thinking Do use a pen and paper to manage your thinking and collected data Do stop and check if you are missing something obvious!

Donts
Dont be unstructured this is all about structure Dont hesitate to admit you got it wrong and to start again Dont force fit frameworks or use too much jargon Dont just hypothesize prove your hypotheses Dont focus only on the answer the approach is just as important

2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.

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Be a part of it...

Talent

Passion

Success
Innovation

Diversity
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2011. All rights reserved. Diamond Management & Technology Consultants.