Case Interview Workshop October 12 th, 1999

Today’s Agenda  What is a Case Interview?  Purpose  Approach  Preparation Advice  Logistics and Ground Rules for This Afternoon  Questions & Answers

äFocus on explicit logic and structure - it needs to be clear what you are doing… äStrive for the creative use of new and existing frameworks - whatever is appropriate!!! äPractice a lot and practice a wide variety of cases... Before We Begin - 3 Things to Remember

What is a Case Interview? äIt is a way to see HOW you think and analyze problems, situations, and/or questions äOftentimes, it is prefaced with a brief fit interview. If not, fit is concurrent with the case... äTypical roles äInterviewers provide background, answer questions, and guide the discussion (if they’re nice) äInterviewees listen carefully, think through approach before starting down one track, and then verbalize the approach, analysis, etc... Simply put, a question and answer session on a business situation.

What is a Case Interview? Highly interactive… They typically look like this: 2-5 minutes:Quick Fit - “chit-chat” 5 minutes:Case Data Presented, Clarification Questions 3-5 minutes:Framework Development & Communication minutes:Analysis, Question and Answer 2-5 minutes:Summary, Recommendations, Next Steps, etc. Bye-bye Total Time = approx minutes per interview...

Purpose of the Case Interview äCan the candidate think on his/her feet? äHow well does the candidate organize the information? äDoes the candidate develop and utilize an appropriate framework for the business situation? äIs the candidate comfortable discussing strategy, operations, organization, people, and technology? äIs the candidate a good problem solver? äIs the candidate insightful? äIs the candidate creative? Test beyond your knowledge of canned frameworks, work/life experience, resume, and the latest b-school rankings...

äWill the candidate establish trust and build confidence with colleagues and clients? äIs the candidate open minded and flexible? äDoes the candidate form reasonable hypotheses and answer questions thoroughly? äDoes the candidate unafraid to tackle tough questions? äIs the candidate a good listener? äIs the candidate relaxed and confident? äDoes the candidate actively engage? Purpose of the Case Interview Gauge candidate’s performance on a client engagement.

Approach to the Case Interview äListen to the problem äClarify the problem äAsk questions to identify and clarify the issues äRestate the problem in your own words äDevelop a hypothesis - this may or may not be vocalized... äEstablish suitable analytical framework to analyze problem äCollect information and assess the problem äStructure, refine and build hypothesis; synthesize findings äMake recommendations; plan next steps All of your effort should focus on logical and structured progress.

Approach to the Case Interview The dreaded case…. Just break it down Listen to the Problem Clarify the Problem Develop Hypothesis Establish Framework Gather Data Synthesize Findings Make Recs/ Next Steps Backtrack if needed Stay organized and calm Provide a clear path till the end

Approach to the Case Interview Frameworks… What’s up with Frameworks? ä Avoid using a canned framework out of your bag of business school tricks (unless it’s really obvious there’s only one framework that is relevant) ä Be creative in combining elements of canned frameworks and, most importantly, your own thought processes ä Frameworks will help make sure you’ve covered most of your bases and are great backups if you draw a blank Use our Strategy Analysis Tools to make sense of all the frameworks….

Preparation Advice Practice, Practice, Practice!Variety, Variety, Variety! ä Practice a lot, with a variety of people, and a variety of types of cases ä don’t just focus on high level strategy cases, PwC consultants do much more than strategy ä Work on cases that would originate from a variety of sources, such as ä departments or divisional areas within a company (I.e. marketing, hi-tech products ) ä levels within the organization (I.e. The Board, middle management) ä consultant project team, project managers, etc. ä Leverage your own experiences to create cases that make sense to you, where you know the content really well ä past work experience (types of cases might include firm strategy or product development) ä extracurricular activities (building a team, managing a project) ä school (leading organizations, change management) ä life in general (conflict resolution) ä When practicing, ALWAYS state assumptions along the way. WHY did you say/do/recommend what you did?

Memory Test & Gift Giveaway What were the 3 Things to Remember?

Logistics and Ground Rules ä 30 minute interviews (including a quick fit & a case) ä MCA has the schedule of who is in what room at what time ä All interviews in the CMC ä Timeframe: 25 minute interview + 5 minute evaluation Logistics Ground Rules ä Be present and on time, just like the real thing! ä Don’t stress - we’ll throw our notes away when we’re done ä Have fun!

Questions & Answers Questions???