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How to beat your interviewer at Audit side of case?

Today had a case interview about Food Industry. 

And my interviwer always was looking at case from the side of auditing. 

Like what if audit looks at that couple of years later, etc. 

How to get your interviwer off from auditing point of view and make him look at case as a whole? 

Position was consulting, but the guy was only looking from Auditor perspective 

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Top answer
Clara
Coach
on May 29, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Usually, you cannot make your interviewer change his/her mind about the way he/she looks at the case. Furthermore , think that some times they are making those questions only to make you sweat a bit and see how you react. 

Hence, don´t worry, since you don´t have much lever of action there. Just ensure good answers to the questions. 

Hope it clarifies!

Cheers, 

Clara

Sidi
Coach
on May 29, 2020
McKinsey Senior EM & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 400+ candidates secure MBB offers

Hi Alex,

you might want to consider changing your point of view a little bit. It is simply not your task (and also not in your interest) to "beat" the interviewer, or to "change his perspective". The interviewer uses the case to test a certain set of aspects, and the questions which he asks are catering for this test. Trying to deviate him away from this will not help you, since this will deprive you of the possibility to show the qualities that he/the firm is looking for.

Cheers, Sidi

on May 29, 2020
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Alex,

the short answer is that you cannot change the point of view of the interviewer. Even if you don’t agree with the elements or approach he/she is considering, you should keep a collaborative approach and answer to the questions asked.

Best,

Francesco

Emily
Coach
on May 29, 2020
9 years in MBB Southeast Asia & China| 8 years as MBB interviewer | Free intro call

Hey Alex, 

First, you don't "beat" your interviewer. Don't think of your interviewer as your opponent. Think of them as your guide. You try to convince them by logically laying out your reasoning, but if the conversation doesn't seem to go the right direction, take hint (or sometimes ask for help) from interviewer and go with the flow. If he/she keeps asking you on one aspect of the case, chances are that you might have missed something important there. 

That said, I haven't experienced or known any MBB interview that was focused on audit. Were you interviewing with Big 4? Was the intended position leaning towards strategy consulting or advisory instead? I am asking because I'd consider if the role is the right fit for me or not. 

Hope it helps,

Emily

Deleted user
on May 29, 2020

Dear Alex,

You can't change the point of view of your interviewer. Just imagine that in a real project, in a real interview, you just have to adapt yourself and make everything possible to beat it. 

Best,

André

8
Ian
Coach
on May 30, 2020
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi Alex,

Totally wrong approach. Read any case and you will see that there is a clear answer. The information provided is meant to steer you to a certain conclusion.

Yes, in real life topics are complex. However, in both casing and consulting, there isn't time. You need to go in, complete the mission you were assigned, and not waste time (money) on irrelevant things.

An interviewer WILL appreciate you adding a unique perspective ONCE. They WILL NOT appreciate you being obstinate and trying to prove them wrong.

Robert
Coach
on May 29, 2020
McKinsey offers w/o final round interviews - 100% risk-free - 10+ years MBB coaching experience - Multiple book author

Hi Alex,

As a principal point of view, your interviewer will look at cases in the way he prefers to do so. If he is interested in the audit side, you absolutely need to adapt to his requirement.

Same for a real-life project - it's not what you are interested in, it's about the scope of the engagement and the clients needs.

However, that being said, for the interview situation I absolutely recommend to clarify the scope and goal immediately at the beginning of your case.  If your interviewer somewhat still insists on the audit side, it's perfectly ok to clarify (once more and finally) if all other perspectives can disregarded for your discussion.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind to give it a thumbs-up now with the green upvote button below!

Robert

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