Final Round Interview

Question

Hello, I had a final round discussion with a partner yesterday. The firm flew me from atlanta to new york. It was a very conversational interview took him through my profile and then he asked a very qualitative business problem (real case he was working on). I took him the through the approach and suggested the solutions he was like very good.

He spent some time on setting the expectation regarding work and what can I expect and checked on my inclination to work across industries. Overall the discussion was 30 mins or so. In the end he mentioned that hopefully you will hear from us soon.

I have two questions here :

1. We prepare a lot with cases etc. but in actual interview we might get a completely qualitative approach where the partner is just looking for what will you do. he's running out of time etc etc .. So how one should address that ?

2. Based the partners reaction - 'very good' , 'speding time on expectation settings', and "hopefully you will hear from us soon", how should one think of her performance to be.

Thanks

Answer 1

1. He's looking for the exact same things that a case is setup to test - he just wants to do it in a quicker/different way. You want to stay structured, clearly articulate your thinking, and drive to a clear answer.

2. Sounds positive, but you never know. Just focus on everything else in your life and don't think about it too much.

Answer 2

Hi,

1) Just the same way you would approach the case - by structuring the problem. He is looking for a structured approach and the right questions which can be qualitative or quantitative

2) There is absolutely no point in guessing and nobody knows. Just wait for a feedback

Best

Answer 3

Hi,

It sounds like you stand a good chance, fingers crossed!

It is true that partners usually do not stick to a standard case interview structure. The main reason is that you have already proven that you can solve cases in the previous rounds of interviews. Instead, they test how you think and your fit by providing you with an unconventional case.

There is really not an easy answer to your first question. You just need to keep practicing cases, as it improves your "consulting muscle". With this, you will stand a better chance during such unconventional discussions.

Addressing your second question, it sounds like he was happy with your performance. It is also important to know how you felt during the case. If the discussion was flowing as a dialogue, and you felt that he was treating you as a potential team member, these are promising news.

Best,

Deniz

Answer 4

Fingers crossed and wait for the feedback.

Best,
André

Answer 5

Looks like you have a good chances.

Wish you best of luck,

GB