Hi there, when I am answering questions in case interviews, do I have to add many relevant points in brainstorming questions or answering precisely is better?

Hi friend,  I hope you are having a great day. 

When answering brainstorming questions, both the number and quality of ideas are important. Your interviewer will evaluate you on both topics (think as he needs to complete a form with both). 

A strong and simple way to show quantity and quality is bucketing up your ideas before starting to bring them. For example, when asked about ideas to increase sales for a new sandals retailer (real question from an interview), you break your answer using a sales framework: 1) Pricing strategies, 2) Value proposition and 3) Locations and 4) Promotions. Then, bring 2 ideas for each (e.g., for pricing, "1.a. adjust pricing strategy with best elasticity to increase sales, and 1.b. use different groups of products for different price layers". Great ideas use something already seen in the case. 

I hope that answers your question! 

Good luck in your journey!  

Hi there,

You should approach a brainstorming question with the same structured thinking and communication as a framework question as they essentially test for the same qualities.

Dos:

• Broad (captures the topic well)
• Deep (create a structure with 2-3 levels and concrete ideas at the bottom)
• Insightful (variety of commonsense and more creative ideas)
• Interdependencies (consider how they affect each other)
• Communicate top-down, numbered, and signposted

Don't:

• Create a laundry list of ideas that you communicate with “and then”

Check out my book if you want to learn a modern approach to cases (including frameworks and brainstorming).

All the best,

Florian

Hi,

Thanks for your question.

If it is a brainstorming question, the more ideas you bring, the better since what they are evaluating you for is creativity. Depending on the context of the question and the amount of time you have, you can either bucket and have a few sub-buckets, or just list the first level ideas.

Example of listing the ideas:

What are the different ways you would increase sales for the theatre?

1. Cross sell 2. Marketing 3. Expand to other services

Example of bucketing with sub-buckets:

1. Cross sell -> level 1 - offer food and drink combos with ticket purchases, ...etc.

2. Marketing -> level 1 - 1. Digital, 2. print 3. radio 

3. Expand to other services - level 1 - 1. open a restaurant 2. open a game machine etc.

Which approach you take depends on the context for the question. For example, if you are at the beginning of the case or if the brainstorming question is asked as part of your initial framework, or it is a separate question in the case, you can spend more time. However, if this is a question in the middle or end of a case where the interviewer just wants you to share some ideas, you have to be careful on how deep you go, since it will take away time from the rest of your case. If in doubt, list the initial ideas and ask your interviewer if he/she would like you to elaborate more.

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out if any questions.

Thanks.

Be relevant and structured in all your answers.

Make sure you answer the exact question you have been asked. Be accurate. Be structured. Elaborate the rationale of your points. 

If you are asked to brainstorm, provide quantity and creativity. 

Hello there,

Brainstorming questions typically test 3 major things:

1. Structure: You should structure and present your points in MECE categories so you can cover the wide range of points relevant to the prompt
2. Exhaustiveness: The interviewer also assesses whether you have recognized the table stakes, bare minimum points that cannot be ignored in that scenario
3. Creativity: Finally, they check how much you can think outside the box for points that might not be obvious at first glance 

Feel free to reach out with any further questions.

Fathu

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, you should aim for both – it will not help if you provide a lot of invalid aspects, and it will not be enough if you only provide one or two aspects.
• Moreover, can you please provide a proposal that I can review?

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen