Sometimes the case prompts can get quite long, is it fine if you are only able to capture a few points and then ask the interviewer if there were any other important details when you recap? I'd take down only important considerations but sometimes nuances in the context can be missed in long prompts. Are points docked if the candidate misses some points in the recap of a long prompt?
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Hi there,
When you repeat the prompt, the interviewer should let you know if you forgot something related to what you repeated. You can also clarify if what you repeated are the only objectives of the client, and asking that clarification would be fine.
The real problems are:
In terms of how to take notes, I would suggest to divide the first page into 4 parts as below:
Landscape format in general works better. Sometimes you will have to go back and forth, as you may get information, objective 1, additional information, objective 2, etc.
The vertical line should be closer to the left border and the horizontal line should be closer to the top border so that there is more space for the structure.
After the first page, you can structure it as reported below:
The vertical line can now be in the middle so that the left and right parts have the same distance.
Besides that, you can also improve your notes with the following:
Hope this helps,
Francesco
This is not ok and points will get docked. Think about it - when you're at the client site interviewing the executives, do you think you can miss major points that they make and ask them to repeat multiple times?
Unfortunately not!
I'm very sorry but you really need to work hard to improve this. Here are my main tips:
1) Decide physical vs virtual - are you a faster typer or writer?
2) If virtual, pick the best tool - try outlook draft emails (so you can store/organize with your email), try notepad, try a tablet so you can write on it, etc....find the one that works for you
3) Only write down what is important - you should know this! You don't need to capture everything. Just like in a case, figuring out what information is not needed is just as valuable as figuring out what information is needed.
4) And then, what you do write down, write it in shorthand!
I.e. If I say "Your client is Bills Bottles. They earn $800M in profits each year by manufacturing bottles to soda companies in the US and Europe. Over the past two years they've seen profits falling and have brought you in to investigate"
You should write:
You should write:
You need to able to listen to/read and zoom in on the most crucial details of the case. This requires practice. You wont be penalised for missing an odd detail here and there as long you capture the essence of the case and understand the problem clearly. Same goes with real life client situations.
There are many ways to do this and will depend on the case. But if the case is about a business problem/M&A/Transformation etc then following could help:
So when you get the case, take your notes against the above layers and play back the most crucial information. Feel free to send me direct message if you wish discuss more.
All the best.
No points are docked but I personally wouldn't be so selective. You don't need to repeat verbatim the case prompt to your interviewer but often you will be expected to pick up on the subtle nuances.
It's worth also noting that management consulting is largely about how you digest large volumes of facts and data into coherent insights and recommendations!
Good luck!
I would generally only recap if you want to make sure you actually understood the prompt correctly, not just out of habit. I would generally try to note down the key things, not every detail - though try to keep those in mind as well.
