Nature of the telephonic case interview

Hello!

Congrats for the interview. 

Can you clarify a bit more the scope of the role and seniority? These are key points to give you an adequate answer. 

My toughts: 

1. The very same as if it was in person - this has not changed at all, same way as many of the things we used to do in person are now transfered online/telephone with no change it content. Why should this be different?
2. Yes, most likely will be related to the nature of the job and the industry. Indeed credit card cases are very common, you can start practicing with those (I got one of these with McK myself)
3. Same as with any other interview! Prep as much as you can both content and communication and ensure a good space for the interview. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hi there,

First, you need to talk to HR! Ask them what you should expect. Nothing better than getting this information from the source!

Second, study cases related to credit cards and payment systems! Happy to send you through a few.

Third, don't forget to prepare for the behavioral/fit. Make sure you can tell them about yourself (resume walkthrough) and why you're there "today" ("Why x company" and "Why digital consulting")

Besides stating the obvious, that you should make sure to understand their business, dynamics, trends, typical problems, stakeholders, etc. I would expect the following differences to a typical case interview:

• An increased importance of FIT and experience
• Phone interviews usually have less structured and lengthy case, so expect a bit more upfront framework discussion and creative brainstorming

And it's much more difficult to take the interviewer along wtih you - after all, you don't have mimic, gesture, body language or showing notes. So make sure to explain everything in detail to make your points come across.

Hi,

Unfortunately, their interviews are not structured as well as the MBB consulting interviews. Usually it's the following:

1. Phone interview with the recrutier where you just share your background, answer why a particular company and asnwer some fit story questions (I.e. provide the examples from your background for Leadership, Data analysis, Strategy development, etc)
2. Phone interview with one of the team members, where you will have both fit questions and the case
3. Interview panel with multiple interviewers (now I guess it's online)

Now answering your questions:

1. Similar to a classic case, but much shorter (general structure, a bit of math, creativity question, recommendation)
2. I would expect cases related to credit cards, payments, banking, etc
3. I would recommend checking the company annual report. Most of them are public (Visa, MasterCard, Paypal). Additionally I would check the products of major payment companies like Stripe

Best

Hi there,

I helped a few people for similar positions. Please find my answers below:

1. The only major difference you can expect in terms of standard cases is that there won’t be graphs
2. I would expect a higher likelihood of financial service cases
3. I would recommend the following:

• Prepare the place for the call. A quiet environment is a must-have.
• Prepare on the wall in front of you all the material you need (structures, tips for fit part, etc) so you won't have to look for it during the interview/ won't make it clear you are reading it
• Prepare your own questions. Relevant questions at the end are a great way to show your interest in the company and get additional points. This is particularly important in a phone/video interview, as the interviewer will naturally connect less with you. In the first reply at the link below you can find some tips on the ideal questions to ask at the end of your call: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/open-house-at-bcg-311
• Smile during the call. Even in case they cannot see you, it's a good way to show energy
• Use numbers when communicating your structure. This will make easier for the interviewer to follow you, since they probably cannot see your notes. As an example:“In order to help our client, I would like to focus on three main areas. First, I would like to focus on [FIRST TOPIC], secondly on [SECOND TOPIC], finally on [THIRD TOPIC]. Let me start with the first one."

Best,

Francesco

Dear A,

I would recommend you to contact HR and ask details and what to expect. 

Also, phone interview usually shorter and case may be related to banking and payment system. 

On how to prepare, I would recommend you to practice FIT question, and get to know more information about the company (as Vlad mentioned about annual report etc)

Hope it helps,

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. 

Best,
André

Given it is over the phone, I think more likely the case would be more conceptual, i.e. talking about how you would structure or approach a problem, but don't necessarily go into deep details and maybe not much data involved. 

The type of cases would be similar to usual case interviews. What you can do is do some googling and read up on digital banking, credit card market etc. So that you get a bit more familiar with topics might come up in the interview. 

Cheers.