As an experienced reapplicant, what to do to further improve case interview skills?

Hi there,

Were you successful in your previous attempt? Because if you were not, then your approach will not get you in a better place than last time. You need to do something different.

You seem to be asking specifically on the structuring part of the case, which requires someone to:

1. Have “business knowledge/sense” (to know how industries work, what are different types of business problems)
2. Be able to develop a customized objective-driven approach to the specific problem you want to solve. This does not work with generic “buckets” but instead with the questions you need to answer in order to make a decision (what needs to be true in order to meet this goal/decision criteria)?

Most candidates struggle with point 2., and if this is your case, you should practice cases focusing on developing this ability. Focus particularly on the opening of the case. 

You should consider working with a coach (or at least an experienced interviewer), as most peers are unable to help you with this. (you can't teach someone how to do something you don't know yet). A coach should also be able to identify other improvement areas that are blind spots for you and preventing you from getting the job you clearly want.

Since you already did a lot of preparation before, you should only focus on business sense after you became proficient on developing objective-driven approaches, otherwise you will only be reinforcing the “bucket” mentality that is actually detrimental to most candidates.

Happy to help you out if you want professional help on this. And good luck with your preparation.

Hi there,

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• First of all, it is great to read that you possess enough reflectivity to know about your weak spots! Still, I would advise you to have someone else assess your weak spots as well. I would be more than happy to work with and help you identify your true weak spots.
• Even if my aim is to enable you to solve any type of case study using the right approach, methodology and a customized roadmap showing case leadership, business acumen and professionalism, it is still worthwhile to think through what the key components of different types of questions might be. Obviously, you still need to customize your initial structure to the specific questions asked, but there is no meaning in starting “from a blank sheet of paper” with every case study.
• When it comes to business sense, it seems that your weak spot is more brainstorming questions. If so, I would advise you to use the closest proxy to a real case study which would most probably be case books or a session with someone purely focused on brainstorming questions. Here, you could, for instance, simply read the prompt and the brain storming question and think through both your structure and your answers, and also practice the presentation.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare as an experienced hire for your upcoming interviews, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

Hey,

Given you have done 80+ cases, you would have achieved good muscle memory and case practice. Over the next 4 weeks, have a razor sharp focus on your weak spots and continue to improve them. No need to do high volume of cases but rather work with a peer/friend/coach to go into areas you feel need further refinement e.g. structuring. Use frameworks wisely and more for reference. Be ready to adapt & create your own framework depending on the case.

Some good (and free) sources for business knowledge:

1. Bloomberg
2. CNBC
3. Inc.
4. TED Talks
5. Economist
6. Free McK Newsletters

• On the structuring part: Revise. Assimilate. Consolidate. And keep practicing. Don't try to over-think, over-simplify, over-catalog. 
• On the business sense part: News is always good. However, try to understand the value chains of the industries that you read about. Value chains help in quickly identifying what is wrong in a case - or even in developing a structured solution.
• Overall: Since you are already an experienced caser - the best way to improve is to get coaching. Do a diagnostic session with a coach that you find good. Identify areas of improvement. Then improve. Then do another diagnostic. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Hi there,

This isn't a pitch, but if you are really at that final stage and need an extra “boost”, there's no more direct path than coaching.

You've pretty much done everything else - it's really hard for people to look in the mirror and see what they truly need to fix. Hire a professional to do this for you!

Just get 1 session. Have them identify your lingering weaknesses. From there, they should give you resources, materials, and do live exercises with you to shift your mindset and get you past that final hurdle!

Hi there, 

Regarding the structuring part, sharing here a guide for you and other candidates who might be interested in this question:

• Free Guide: Mastering Structuring & Brainstorming

Best,
Cristian