Is it okay to ask for time to think and write notes after each question in the interview? Also are there questions which you should answer immediately and would be inappropriate to ask for more time?
Additionally when you are providing your conclusion, is it fine to ask for more time if they say "the CEO just walked into the room and wants to hear your recommendation. what do you say?'
I am confused because I have heard conflicting opinions about this. Thanks
The reason for the conflicting answers is the simple fact that there are different interviewers out there. Some will grant your time, others won't. Hence, there's no right or wrong.
From my perspective, taking time to think and organize a response is essential in many situations. However, you can't always expect 2 min. Hence, this is what I would suggest:
Hope this helps!
Hi there,
In the case interview you can always ask for a moment to think if you need it. Actually you are expected to do so for most questions and it would be weird for the interviewer if you don’t take the time to think before answering. You can ask for time as well before the final conclusion.
Please note that:
In the fit interview that’s a different story as you should have already your answers ready. You can ask for time to think if you really don’t know how to answer but, assuming the question is one of the traditional ones you should have prepared (eg “Why us”, “Why consulting”), that’s not ideal.
Best,
Francesco
Hi there,
The short answer is yes, but the longer answer is it depends.
You do want to try to answer off the cuff, but still maintain structured thinking + communication. If you can't answer well without taking time, the simple answer is that you need to take time.
However, if you do this too much in a case that can get tiresome - you need to figure out when the question warrants time and when it doesn't. There are questions/situations where it would be silly to take time ("why do you think this" “what are some other ideas” “do you think this is a good number”) and others where it doesn't. It's nuanced and ultimately you need to be the judge here.
If they say the CEO just walked into the room, what do you think? Of course you don't get the time! The CEO just walked in.
Feel free to shoot me a message - I've recorded some live cases so you can see what optimal looks like for yourself!
Hi there,
There is lots of advice out there about this question. In my experience, it's always ok to ask for, and take, whatever time you need.
Yes, it's better not to need time and be super-quick with all your answers. But surely it's better to be right than to be quick. So if you need time, you take it. And since you always need to be structured and organized, you typically will need the time.
The only exception is if the interviewer says something like, “the CEO just walked into the elevator…” but even there you can pause a bit.
Practically speaking, my coaching is for you to learn to give proper answers, taking whatever time you need, and then try and speed things up. So first would on quality, then work on speed.
Hope this helps! Happy to explain more.
Best,
Allen
Hey there,
From a McKinsey perspective, it's appropriate and desired to ask for time to think about your answer to all questions. Only if it's a follow-up question, it should become more of a dialogue.
Cheers,
Florian
Hello!
When the interviewer tells you “the CEO just came in…” is precisely to not let you have that couple of seconds to think, unfortunately.
However, in other circumstances you can totally ask, the worst that can happen is that they say no
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
