Here are my feedbacks for my failed interview, how should I improve?

interview feedback
Neue Antwort am 23. Okt. 2020
6 Antworten
1,1 T. Views
Anonym A fragte am 22. Okt. 2020

I failed my interview with a consulting firm and the feedback was:

1. not structured enough (even if the topic sounds very unfamiliar with you, you can still try to structure it)

2. didn't drive the case

What are some of the good ways to improve these two? Especially nowadays, cases are given without exhibits.

For 2, to what level should I drive the case? Since I got stuck in the case for a bit and the interviewer guided me. To what extent should I drive it/how spontanous should I be even under this condition? (got stuck)

Übersicht der Antworten

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Datum aufsteigend
  • Datum absteigend
Beste Antwort
Pascal
Experte
antwortete am 22. Okt. 2020
Ex-Bain Manager | 10 yrs MBB experience | 250+ people interviewed | Written case expert | Open to give limited discounts

Hi anonymous,

The only think you can do is to practice more, in real life settings. Not on your own behind a screen or on your own behind a book, but actually in front of real people (live or virtual). Presenting cases in front of real people, will automatically help you to structure your case. I have an engineering background, and also had to train a lot on structure, so I know what it takes.

The good news is that this platform is ideal for this purpose. You would benefit from repeated training sessions, both with peers to get the milage, and with experts who can help you to fundamentally change your approach and communication style. The actual ground work for a successful case interview.

Depending on how much time you have left towards your next interview and how much business experience you have (e.g. through education), you can play around with the balance between peer interviews and expert interviews.

Once you will get into one of the consulting firms, you'll see that it has been worth it!

Cheers,

Pascal

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Ian
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 23. Okt. 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

I agree with the rest: If you want to do this properly you need a coach.

There is literally no way to teach this via a Q&A....these are truly difficult mindset shifts that come over time and hardwork...made much much easier and effective if you have a personal coach.

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Robert
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 22. Okt. 2020
McKinsey offers w/o final round interviews - 100% risk-free - 10+ years MBB coaching experience - Multiple book author

Hi Anonymous,

The only way to improve here is getting your mindset and thought-process right in the first place. There is no short-cut for that - you need to start thinking like a tier-1 consultant does, and a professional coach can definitely guide you to increase your learning curve fast.

As said, there is no short-cut to fix this underlying root cause - it needs real-life interactive practice.

Hope that helps - if so, please give it a thumbs-up with the upvote button below!

Robert

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Adi
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 22. Okt. 2020
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

Hey there,

Its not a failure but a learning. You now know better what gaps to close.

Feels like you need to practice a lot more. Consider hiring a case coach. Please search the forum and there are plenty of threads that cover the two points you raise. E.g. have a look at this:

  • https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/struggling-with-initial-structure-1208
  • https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/50-cases-performance-still-not-good-what-can-i-do-3817

You will get there. Matter of time and practice.

Adi

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Gaurav
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 23. Okt. 2020
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Hello,

It's very difficult to judge and give you some specific recommendations basing only on this information.

Also, I'm sure that professianal career coach can easily assess your level and help your to improve for the shorthest period of time.

If you need any help, feel free to reach out.

GB

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Henning
Experte
antwortete am 23. Okt. 2020
Bain | passed >15 MBB interviews as a candidate

This very much sounds like a typical Bain feedback. It means your framework in the beginning was not on point and you did not take control of the conversation.

To get there, you need to practice case setup and delivery. Ideally with an experienced interviewer like a friend who has worked in a consulting firm or with coaches here on preplounge.

In my experience, practicing 15-20 cases is sufficient, if you do it strategically. My recommendation is as follows:

  • Read up on the typical approaches and standard frameworks to get the concept.
  • Then, do 5-6 cases to get a practical feeling for what a case is like. Start with easier ones - e.g. market size mini cases, simple profit tree cases, etc. This will help you develop a rudimentary sense for how cases work
  • The next 5-6 cases should cover cases from all major types and help you gain the experience and comfort with standard frameworks and the thinking required for solving the cases.
  • Lastly, you will want to do 6-7 cases to hone your skills. Practice with people who understand what they are doing - experienced interviewers, coaches, etc. that can give you 1-2 main items of feedback after each case that you can then practice to apply and improve on in the next case. During this time, you should also practice to move away from off-the-shelf frameworks and tailor, or - even better - develop your frameworks specifically during the case.

The further you move towards the final interview, the more important it is to practice with experienced interviewers. While you can easily ask any friend or practice with peers for the first few cases, you should aim for qualified, professional feedback as you approach the finishing line.

However, keep in mind, that this requires a strong plan and strategic approach to the preparation. I regularly see people doing 30-40 or even more cases. While this can also lead to success, in my eyes, it is a bit of a waste of time, especially for experienced hires that often also have a regular job to do while preparing for the consulting interviews.

Let me know if this helps. I'm also happy to elaborate any of the above in more detail. DM me if you like.

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Pascal gab die beste Antwort

Pascal

Ex-Bain Manager | 10 yrs MBB experience | 250+ people interviewed | Written case expert | Open to give limited discounts
179
Meetings
248
Q&A Upvotes
9
Awards
5,0
55 Bewertungen
Wie wahrscheinlich ist es, dass du uns einem Freund oder Kommilitonen empfiehlst?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 = Nicht wahrscheinlich
10 = Sehr wahrscheinlich