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How to react if the interviewer is not familiar with the case

Is it common for MBB interviewers being “not familiar” about the case? I've noticed that some of the case is from the firms' case bank, which means that the interviewer might give a case which is not in his expertise / industry focus, while at the same time he might not have been familiar with the case itself.

If it is the case, when the interviewer does not have a clear understanding about the case and some critical numbers, how should I react when facing this kind of confusion? I feel that the interviewers' input is a critical part, and if they are not familiar with the case,  it would cause some confusion and make it harder to solve the case.

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Moritz
Coach
on Jan 16, 2022
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | High impact sessions + FREE materials & exercises

No, this is not common and should not happen. Interviewers may not always give you cases they worked on (in fact that’s pretty normal depending on firm) but they should still be well prepared. They owe this to the candidates who often prepare for months and they’re well aware.

If you find yourself in a situation where the interviewer “performs” poorly, and therefore throws you off completely, I would flag this to HR in the most respectful way possible.

This is taken really seriously and you may be able to get somewhere with this approach. However, this is pure speculation since I have never experienced this.

Stephan
Coach
on Jan 16, 2022
Former BCG Con and political advisor here to help you crack the case (MBB, Europe & MidEast, non-business backgrounds)

+1 to Moritz. It is not the case that MBB interviewers would give cases they are not themselves familiar with. 90% of interviewers I know would choose projects they even worked on themselves as material for their interviews.

So do not worry, that is a myth not based in fact.

Even if it were the case, nobody would hold it against you and the interviewer would still be able to guide you through the experience professionally - otherwise they will not be an MBB interviewer for long.

Good luck 

Stephan 

Lucie
Coach
on Jan 17, 2022
10+yrs recruiting & BCG Project leader

Hi there, 


the interviewer should well understand his/her cases, I would just ask what made you think s/he was not? I am asking as in reality the industry is often not as relevant as the way how you approach the case. 


BUT I indeed experienced this in one of the 4 interview, I felt the interviewer didn't have a real case, so I asked him if he wants to understand how would I approach underperforming portfolio? He agreed and I just walk him through totally theoretical approach. 


I would hence recommend to clarify with the interviewer what you understood to perform and ask all the clarification questions. 


If you would like to dig deeper, please feel free to reach out directly. 


All the best,
Lucie


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Pedro
Coach
on Jan 16, 2022
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

It is not common at all. One may use cases from the case bank, but doesn't mean the interviewer will not study the case before hand. 

Even if you ask something that is a bit “off-script”, most interviewers should be able to provide the answer and steer you back to where you should be (this actually happens in both “own” and “case bank” cases). This assumes you can take hints. 

Of course, sometimes a candidate want to perform a market sizing with a very creative approach, and I may have to provide numbers “on the fly”. Of course, I wouldn't hold it against you (as long as the approach makes sense).

So I would not worry much about that scenario.

If this happened to you, then this is a different story - as you may approach HR and respectfully share your experience. But you should weight first on whether this was really on the interviewer.

Florian
Coach
on Jan 16, 2022
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hey there,

I had this happen once as an interviewee in a tier-2 firm. I cannot answer 100% for MBB as a whole but for 

McKinsey, interviewers usually use their own case that they created in accordance with the interviewer guidelines during a workshop to make sure it fits 

  • the overarching structure of the interview
  • the difficulty level and is well calibrated

Now, for the German office - with the introduction of virtual interviews due to COVID - in the first round there are cases taken from a case bank. Still, the interviewers should know them by heart by now.

Cheers,

Florian

Ian
Coach
on Jan 17, 2022
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Honestly this really should not happen. This is a crazy scenario - interviewers need to be familiar with the case and they are vetted/trained accordingly.

Ultimately, if it does, nothing changes. You need to drive the case in the same way. Adjust to the interviewer, new case information etc.

You cannot predict any particular case and what will happen, so please just make sure to go into all interviews being flexible/adaptable to the interviewer!

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