Business case interview questions answers

1. Take notes

As your interviewer presents your case, be sure to take careful notes on the numbers or other facts given. (Always bring a notepad and a pen to a consulting interview.) If you plan on drawing graphs, add brownie points by bringing graph paper (which shows major foresight). Take notes so you don’t have to ask your interviewer to repeat information.

2. Make no assumptions

As a case interviewee, you should never make any assumptions. Your interviewer will inevitably leave things out of the case presented to you. (If an apple juice manufacturer has seen its expenses rise dramatically, for example, your interviewer probably won’t mention the tree blight that’s constricting the supply of apples.) You should assume the persona of an actual consultant trying to learn about an assignment. You should also ask if the company has encountered a similar problem, or what other companies in the field have done when faced with similar situations. Your interviewer may not release that information but will be impressed that you asked these sensible questions. Some good basic “professional” questions to ask, which apply to most cases:

• What is the product?
• Who hired us?
• How long will this engagement last?
• Has the company faced this problem (or opportunity) before? If so, how did it react? What was the outcome?
• What have other companies facing this situation done?

3. Ask questions

Your interviewer expects you to ask questions – as many intelligent questions as you need to obtain an accurate picture of the relevant facts in the case. Many inexperienced case interviewees make the error of asking their interviewer too few questions. They may be afraid that they will look ignorant, or not wish to “bother” the interviewer. Remember – not asking questions is a fatal error in a case interview. If you don’t know the first thing about the helicopter market, ask how much it costs to manufacture a rotor. If you need to estimate the demand for a beef-flavoured potato snack in Wichita, Kansas, then feel free to ask the population of Wichita and environs. You will often find that your interviewer will direct your line of questioning to a specific area, but you must always be ready to control the conversation in case the interviewer does not direct your reasoning. If you are unsure, simply ask the interviewer. For instance, if you find the interviewer offering little direction as you move through your initial questions, you may wish to ask, “I find the lack of a risk assessment to be a potential showstopper. Might I ask some detailed questions about this?” Or you might say, “Given what you have told me about the situation, I would like to find out more about the client’s current relationship with its distribution partner. Would that be OK?” In this way, you take charge of the line of questioning without stepping on the interviewer’s role.

4. Listen to the answers you get

One interviewer warns: “Many candidates get so caught up in asking the perfect questions that they don’t listen to the answers they receive. They go through a mental list of all the questions they want to ask, and ignore the response they got. That throws off their reasoning.” Make sure you respond to the information you receive and incorporate it into your analysis.

5. Maintain eye contact

Always maintain direct eye contact during the case interview. Eye contact is critical when answering case questions – it demonstrates confidence and authority. Remember that in consulting you may find yourself in front of 20 executives at a major corporation presenting a strategy you were briefed on only a half-hour ago. And then you have to answer questions! So you can see why business case interviewing is so important to consulting – it simulates the work environment consultants must face every day.