Question for anyone involved Ed in the consulting interview process.

Have you ever moved a candidate forward that may have performed ok (not poorly, but made assumption mistakes or calculation mistakes, things of that nature) in a case interview due to other desirable qualities such as experience, great soft skills, personality, etc.?

The reason I ask is that I understand that some people may be bad at casing, but are phenomenal candidates in a "real-world" setting.

Thoughts?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

I'm pretty terrible at cases but I've gotten an offer every time I've interviewed in consulting.

My approach is to follow all the typical frameworks but when I find myself slipping, I just tell the interviewer how I'd actually approach this in real life.

Basically, "Here's what I've heard, XYZ, and here's what I know, XYZ. Here's what I would want to know before talking to the client, XYZ, and I'd do that by either researching or reaching out to SMEs in the firm. With that information, I'd refine my hypotheses, which are XYZ. The reason I think that is XYZ. With all that in mind, here's how I'd structure the engagement and how I'd frame it for the client."

In my experience, cases are usually structured to find a single exact answer, but that's not how the real world works. So instead of being a textbook problem solver, I try to show the interviewer what the "real" problems are within the case.

likehelpful

SA, see, that's where my strength lies (and many others). I can structure the shit out of a problem and determine a shortlist of next steps and approach. I despise the textbook approach, but that has been the basis for not moving on in hiring processes.
I'm inclined to assume ownership of the case session as you suggest because to be honest (to me), I think modeling a solution for any value is more important than the final numerical answer assuming the model is sound of course.

Also interested in this. Had a case interview this week and got tripped up by some basic calculations (math is not my strong point but also usually better than this). The guy administering the case seemed to lose interest after this even though I think I brought things back with my overall analysis and interpretation of the data. I understand why firms see value in case studies but it is frustrating when you know an aspect that will probably never be needed in your daily duties is potentially going to block you going further.

like

Correct. There is more value to candidates than being able to do (sometimes) contrived and superficial calc's when they are capable of so much more. I would be more interested in their approach to data, research, modeling and insight gathering & communication, than if they stumbled on a case that may make or break their candidacy for a gig.
Some people have everything riding on a job interview and some stressor or constraints might be external and not related to the "stress" of the interview itself.

C1, good luck in any upcoming interviews. I'm rooting for you.

like

Related Posts

How long it will take to receive cis form after L2 interview round. I have attended L2 round last week. Still no response

like

Hi Fishes,

l interviewed for Deloitte (India not USI) in January, and accepted an offer letter with DOJ of 25th April, later HR asked me to join on 11th April for which I agreed. Now I haven't received the revised offer letter or any links other than BGV and Pre-Hire form from Deloitte and now the HR is not even picking my calls or responding to emails.

Any advice on what to do?

like

How do you recruit for startups? Exhausted from lack of responses from cold networking. What else should I do? I am aiming for roles in early stage startups. Didn’t study or work for long in US so don’t have a strong network.

like

I messed up my screenshare in a meeting with 2 colleagues and showed my personal email that had scheduling info for my onsite interviews with another company. I closed it but it was up long enough for them to see it. Now they both pretend like they saw nothing and I felt panic for some reason. How were your experiences when letting it out the bag early like that?

like

Hey team! So I was laid off from my SDR position about a week ago. A couple months back, I had an offer for a BDR position that I ended up turning down but I really liked and connected with the manager. Is it worth it to reach out? I applied to other positions in the same company. What about reaching out to previous co workers at a different company? Not sure how to navigate this… please help. Also I’m sorry if this is the wrong bowl to post in.

like

Hi Fishes! Deloitte India is looking to hiring individuals with Process Mining experience across designation bands. Please DM me if you're interested in applying!
Deloitte

likehelpful

Hi guys,

I switched 20 days back to Optum. I have 7 years of experience working as a full stack Engineer, who is passionate working on both front end and back end on latest technologies. But my project is working only on back end with 10 years old tech stack. There is no front end work at all. What should I do?
I don't like working here at all, but I am not sure whether moving out again in a month will give bad Impression on my resume. Hence please give me advice on this situation

like

Hi,

JPMC call candidate with 3 months of np for interview and expected CTC for 3.6 years of experience with techstack as java fullstack?

I interviewed for Amazon a month back for SDE1 position 2023 graduate. All my friends got rejection mail except a few 2 weeks ago.

But now seeing the firing of 10000 employees news, Is there any chance of getting hired?

Amazon India

like

I have final round of interview tomorrow with Commonwealth Bank for Technical Business Analyst role. What type of questions can I expect?

Hi fishes ,

I have offer from tcs in pipeline for SSE role.Recently got promoted in Infosys.Should I tell tcs HR now or wait for offer letter.

like

Hello hive mind. I am currently interviewing with three agencies. Pretty far along with two of them. One of the positions is a Jr. copywriter position while the other two are just for a copywriter. How important would it be to not have the “Jr” before the title? Personally, I don’t care about the title, but wonder about future employer’s?

like

McKinsey & Company What have you guys found to be the best prep for McKinsey case interviews? I have case in point, case interviews secrets, and the provided resources that we get from McKinsey but want to hear some of the things you found that helped you! McKinsey & Company

like

QA lead -10yrs exp... Longing for a change.. Plz DM me so that I can share resume

like
like

I am an Automation tester with 9 years exp. What all should I focus for FAANG interview prep? Will the interview be different from that for Dev folks?

Was there ever a resume that you have come across that made you want to hire the person before you even met them? What made it so unique?

like

Do you keep interviewing after offer signed and background check cleared?

like

Hi Fishes,
I have 2 years experience in similar domain in Amazon Ecommerce.
I had recently interviewed for SAP Ariba for the role of CFE Consultant- Catalog Advisor, while the manager asked for my expected salary i mentioned 8.5 LPA, is it good?

likehelpful

Crushed my final two interviews today. I will hear back sometime next week for a verbal offer for a Tech Solutions Consultant on the xWS team. Leaning towards an L4 but maybe they give L5 if the interview feedback was as good as I thought it went. Any thoughts on how I should negotiate base and equity? Maybe ask for sign on too?

like

More Posts

Best places to learn how to snowboard? I know how to ski, more or less, but I think learning to snowboard this winter would be fun!

like

Can anyone refer me to ETL tester role in product based company?

Below mentioned positions are vacant in my organization "Wissen Infotech " for both Hyderabad and Bengaluru locations. DM me for referral.

Post Photo
like

Hi! I used to work at PwC and currently work at Friedman. I’ve been at Friedman for about a year and a half and I love it! We are hiring at an experienced associate and senior associate level! Cont..

like

How do you ask for points?

like

Any recommendations for best balance transfer card? Like zero APR for 15-18 months and no fee? Also nice to have points or cash bonus

like

What is Average Hike % you get at EY

Some youtubers are saying 30-40%..Is that true?

like

Hey Folks, Can any one suggest a good name for this bowl

Why is hotstar behind cable TV by about 15-20s?
We have paid for subscription yet treated like this
#INDvSA

like

Anyone ever heard of Credigy?

like

Pros and cons on getting a designation? Been considering going for the CPCU designation to gain some professional development. Which designation did you go for and why?

like

Anyone looking to hire an entry level accountant position with no experience?

It’s been difficult to get a job around here.

What I have:
- Bachelors in Accounting
- Starting Masters in Accounting in January 2023

like
like

Anyone hiring for a Marketing Analyst position?

like

Has anyone recently onboarded to Accenture and how was the experience. Wat is expected on ur reporting day n when do u get ur laptop delivered.?

likeuplifting

Hey hey! Can I get some likes to unlock DMs? Much appreciated ♥️

Post Photo
likeuplifting

Anyone here in NTT Data UK? Can you share your experience working for them ? I got offered a principal consultant role in their Data pillar and needed some insight to make a decision. Also what is the salary range for a Principal consultant at NTT ?

like

Looking for referrals for a Technical Sales Executive position that is Remote (USA), possibly in the industrial sector. Last year I made $109k at AT&T so I'm hoping to at least stay in the same ball park but want a change. I have lots of experience selling IT/telecom, but I also have a Mechanical Engineering background so I'm a good fit for a wide range of technical sales. I have been thinking a role in the industrial sector with a longer sales cycle may be a good fit, can travel up to 25%

like

I have 1 year of experience in Workday Integrations. Can anyone suggest what all companies should I target if I am looking for a switch?

like

Has anyone had an issue with index match and lookups returning NA when trying to manipulate data from a password protected workbook?

Additional Posts in Consulting

Recommendations for a wfh office chair? Preferably on the lower end of the range with good height.

like

If you see several ways to improve a Team when you join, should you 1) Do it slowly over a free months so it doesn’t look like you did really good in the beginning then stopped 2) Wait until you are more involved so people don’t think you just joined and can do all these changes

like

Notice there are so many people with debate experience in consulting. Kinda impressed. Any highly recommended books related to debate or communication in general?

like

Anyone have experience with head hunting firm Brooks Quayle? I had never heard of them but got a solicitation. Good caliber? Worth reaching back out?

like

Imagine if consultants had to go through polygraph tests in commercial accounts, what would happen

like

Any thoughts on getting a degree from Harvard Extension School? I’m thinking of getting a grad degree in Management Info Systems instead of getting an MBA

like

Flights cancelled and delayed; spent the whole day in the airport/flying. How do I charge my time?

like

Best consulting firms with best WLB? Do they exist? Young professional starting to think about where I'd like to work hard to end up in the next 5-10 years.

like

Anyone in Boston selling the official GMAT Guide + online access (preferable for 2019)? Looking for one ASAP!

like

Starting in Chicago in July, anyone have an opinion on the value of being in the city the first month? Worth saving the money and commuting at home, or will I miss out on social value

like

Has anyone taken one of those online executive courses, like the Harvard Extension School offers? Looking to use my $5k of tuition reimbursement and already have an MBA. Worth it? Best programs?

like

How long are the hours at BCG compared to Big 4? Obviously there is a significant difference in pay, and I am trying to understand how many more hours/weekends folks out there are expected to work.

like

Anyone with an Autonomous standing desk - have you experienced cracks in the laminate top? I've felt some develop over the past month and I'm worried it'll get worse. Is this covered by warranty......?

like

How many close friends would you say you have in your city? (People you’d hang out with every week or two weeks) Name the city too!

like

Looking for suggestions on a good app that will notify me headlines related to O&G industry - in the past, I’ve just manually searched under energy but would like to follow closer in future. Help!

like

Deloitte - I have a question about US benefits. Do you have to work a certain amount of time before being eligible for parental leave benefits? TIA

likehelpful

Can't stand people shaking their legs under the table. Geezzz.

like

Hi Slalom Consulting fish! Can someone please explain how utilization and PTO work for you? How many hours are you expected to bill in a year? What’s utilization as a percentage? Particular interested in Slalom Federal but any answers would be appreciated!

like

Has PwC paid out this month's expenses yet? Amex isn't pleased..

like

Hey all, new hire here! Going to receive a $250 wfh credit; any recs on what I should get to build out my home office?

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal