CASE INTERVIEW

4. ​​The interview structure

Consulting interviews can be divided into four distinct parts: (1) motivation, (2) personal experience, (3) case questions, (4) candidate questions. Below follows a brief description and example questions for each of these parts. Every question below has been asked in a real interview at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain. If you are not familiar with consulting interviews, this will help you get a feel for what they are like.

Part 1: Motivation
The first part of the interview is designed to test your motivation. This is done by seeing how you answer questions about your reasons for applying, and how you relate your background to the role. This part usually consists of approximately three questions, each testing a slightly different thing.
The first motivational question is usually common and easy to prepare for. This is on purpose, as it helps good candidates start the interview with some momentum, so they can demonstrate their abilities later on. Examples:
* Why do you want to work in consulting?
* Why do you want to work for us?
* Tell us a little bit about yourself.
The second question goes deeper than the first one, seeing how well prepared you are in terms of less obvious questions. Examples:
* Can you walk us through your CV?
* What do you consider your strengths?
* What do you consider your weaknesses?
* What do you think consultants do?
Finally, there is often a third question in the motivational part. Sometimes these questions are negative or unusually direct, to see if you can reframe the answer positively under stress.
Examples:
* Why should we hire you?
* Which other firms are you interviewing with and why?
* What will you do if we do not hire you?

Part 2: Personal experience
Personal stories are the second part of the interview. You should be prepared to talk about your past in a detailed way, outlining how you met a specific challenge, the actions you took, and the results. The three most common themes asked about are leadership, impact on others, and personal achievement. Examples:
* Tell us about a significant personal achievement.
* Tell us about a time you changed someone's mind.
* Tell us about a time you led others.
* Tell us about a time you had team problems, and how you dealt with it.
* Tell us about a time you had to work with someone who you didn't get along with.

Part 3: Case questions
Case questions are the third part of the interview.
This part requires by far the most time to prepare for, as you can encounter many different types of questions. Generally, a so-called estimation question is included. Here, you are expected to make assumptions and demonstrate your mental math skills to reach a reasonable estimate.
Examples:
* How many smartphones were sold globally last year?
* What is the market size for light bulbs in the UK?
* How many piano tuners are in Chicago?
* How many beer bottles are currently in circulation in the US?
* How many cups of coffee are sold in Germany each year?
Following an estimate question is a more open-ended case question. You are expected to outline the path you will take to solve the question (the framework), ask for the information you feel you need to solve the case, and proceed to give a summary and a recommendation in the end.
Examples:
* Your client manufactures a commodity (gasoline for example). They are the market leader and are the lowest cost producer. The CEO wants to increase profits in the next 3 months. What would be your recommendation about how to achieve this?
* A small R&D lab in the Swiss Alps has developed a super-durable filament for light bulbs; with this filament, the light bulb will never burn out. The lab is ready to license this product to a light bulb manufacturer. What will be the effect on the light bulb industry?
* Your client is a US firm which owns a meat packing plant in Spain. Over the last few periods profits at this plant have steadily declined, despite growing sales. What is the reason?
* One of the partners at your firm has just walked down the hall and asked us to look into a question he wants to address in a pitch for new business. He received a call from the CEO of a national airline based on the west coast. The CEO wants to increase his company's profits and would like us to see what impact having an additional passenger on every flight would have and what it would take to achieve this goal.
* Your client is the largest North American producer of a certain kind of bubble-pack packaging materia. Currently, the company has 80% of the market, and has asked your firm to assess the strategic outlook for this company. How would you begin to assess the future for this client, and what type of recommendations could you make?

Part 4: Candidate questions
In the fourth, and final, part of the interview, you are expected to ask questions of your own. You should ask about things which demonstrate that you have done your homework and are interested in participating in the work that goes on at the firm. Example questions which indicate this are:
* Do you have any questions for us?
* Is there anything you would like to know before we conclude?