Top consulting firms such as Bain&Company, Mckinsey, Oliver Wyman, Deloitte, Booz Allen Hamilton and others use case study interviews as part of their selection process.
Case studies rely on real-life or hypothetical scenarios, in which a certain company hires the services of one of the above firms in order to improve, or structure, new business strategies whose end target is profit maximization. The applicant is first asked to read a number of data resources including reports, market analysis, internal documentations and more, and then provide verbal or written recommendations for the situation.
Skills and competencies
Each case study is likely to involve a quantitative aspect that includes financial reports, statistical data etc, together with qualitative data in the form of research summaries, company's history, etc. In turn, the applicant's recommendation should include reference and integration of both types of data. The case is general enough to allow more than one solution to be acceptable, a feature which intentionally allows more room for creativity and a need for firm justification of the logical move made by the applicant.
Although these case studies do not require any prior knowledge of industries and set frameworks, interviewers are looking for an array of abilities:
- The ability to structure a business plan and devise a coherent thinking process
- Prioritization
- Logical reasoning
- A firm grasp of math and numerical reasoning skills
- Creativity
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