Case study interviews
Case study interviews are used to assess whether the candidate is suited to the type of work undertaken by the organisation.
These are commonly used by management consultancy firms. The case is generally a business problem or brain teaser, designed to make you think on your feet, testing your problem solving skills, logic and suitability for the role. It also assesses your ability to synthesise information and get to the heart of the problem, your numerical and verbal agility, and understanding of business issues.
The objective is not so much to get it ‘right’ - there is unlikely to be one definitive answer - but to demonstrate your ability to solve complex problems and show how you think through them.
Some hints and tips
- listen carefully to the interviewer
- use any resources provided to make notes, brainstorm or structure your answer
- clarify any points you are not clear on
- ask the interviewer pertinent questions - often certain details are withheld to see if you can determine what additional information would be helpful
- take your time so you do not overlook important elements of the problem, or take too narrow a focus
- structure your problem solving, your approach is more important than your final answer
- don’t be afraid to be creative
- let your personality come through, be enthusiastic, confident and comfortable
Further resources
For more detail and to have a go at some examples, use the following employer websites:
Further information can also be found in the reference books on case study interviews available in the careers information centre.
This article was published on Nov 22, 2012