CSI:Case/Structured Interviews
Structured interviews aren't just designed to "get to know" the applicant as in a traditional interview, but rather to allow employers to make projections on how candidates will function within the job itself. Such interviews put candidates in hypothetical situations, call for specific descriptions of past actions, and test candidates' ability to function under pressure.
Case Questions
Many organizations, especially consulting firms, make use of cases. Case questions allow employers to gauge candidates' ability to: think, reason, & apply logic; communicate ideas; and handle pressure. There are three basic categories of case questions:
Market-Sizing Questions
Your ability to be resourceful and work with broad numbers is tested in market-sizing questions. You should know general numbers such as U.S. population or number of households (+/- 250 MM & 100 MM), and be prepared to make a "best guess" estimate for an answer based on your projections. Ex: How many contact lenses are sold in the U.S. each year?
Industry-Based Cases
Questions can be strategy- or operations-based, and will test your knowledge of general business terms and concepts, as well as your ability to apply them to a given situation. Ex: Disney is considering buying Blockbuster Video. Should they? Brainteasers & Quantitative Questions
These serve to see how well you think on your feet, and may or may not have a definite answer. Ex: Twelve is what percentage of 144? Or How much money does the Tooth Fairy leave per tooth?
Structure Your Answer
When asked a case question, use the following as a good, structured model for your response:
- Clarification: Repeat the question and write down salient facts to make sure you understand what you're being asked.
- Structure: Impart a logical structure to your response - not just stream of thought. Here are a few basic frameworks to consider in structuring your responses:
* Profit = (revenue - costs) x volume
* 4 Ps = Product, Price, Promotion, Place
* 5 Cs = Customers, Company, Competition, Costs, Channels
- Analysis: Describe your assessment of the case and the important issues.
- Conclusion/Summarization: Answer with authority and provide a concrete solution or recommendation.
Behavioral Questions
Case questions are not the only type of question you may face in a structured interview. Many companies, often with the help of professional interviewing consultants, have developed behavioral interview questions. Employers identify attributes, traits, or skills that are desirable for new employees to possess, and then develop questions around these key competencies. These questions:
- Seek to assess key competencies by asking for specific examples of past behavior as predictors of future behavior in similar instances.
- Are characterized by "Tell me about a time when." Ex: Tell me about a time when a project of yours failed and what you learned from it.
- Require specific examples from your past, not general thoughts or projections.
- Often address successes and setbacks.
Often, behavioral questions are grouped by topics, and specific competencies are probed in succeeding levels of interviews or addressed by different interviewers. Remember:
1. Clarification: Restate the question to confirm your understanding.
2. Structure Your Answer
3. Situation: Give the context of your example.
4. Action: Recount your response.
5. Outcome: Describe the results of your actions, and what you learned.
Additional Resources
This information is intended only as an introduction to structured case- and behavioral-based interviews. In order to best prepare for these types of interviews, you must practice, prepare, and do some additional reading. Good places to start include:
- UCS Career Toolbox
- Books on reserve in the "Business" section of the UCS Career Library, particularly Case In Point by Marc P. Cosentino; www.casequestions.com
- www.cartalk.com - check the "Puzzlers" section for brainteasers
- Mock Cases with friends and Mock Interview at UCS
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