Hey,
in theory, one should take some time to structure a market sizing question before approaching it. However, in several interviews now I was given a market sizing question without giving time to structure it. When I said that I would structure the question my interviewer just replied that I just should start and take him through that process.
Is that considered normal in an interview?
Hello,
Interesting question!
Firstly, I'd like to point out that your instinct is 100% correct - always take to the time to gather your thoughts and never assume that you are supposed to answer straight away. I have a friend who was unsuccessful in his final round interview because he thought the interviewer wanted him to answer straight away and then was given feedback that he was unstructured. This sort of situation is much more common than what you describe, in my experience.
That being said, I agree that there's an extra challenge here to guide the interviewer through your thinking as you are doing it. The interviewer knows this, they know you are thinking out loud, so of course they are not expecting the same answer as if you were reading your notes off a page, so it's okay if it's a little messier.
My main advice here is: After you finish, restate everything quickly in a more organized fashion. I find that interviewees don't do this often, but it's an easy way to make all your answers better and you can do it at almost any part of the interview, including behavioral to improve your answers. There's no rule that you only get one chance to say something and this is a good technique to improve your performance.
Hope this helps, happy to provide more details through the chat.
Best,
Allen
(edited)
Hi there,
This is exactly why I train my candidates to be prepared for anything!
Just because there are a million resources online, just because HR tells you the format will be x, doesn't mean the human element is eliminated! Ultimately, the interviewer will do what they want.
On a related note, you should also be prepared to have no time for a framework at the beginning of a case AND be prepared to have no time for a final recommendation (i.e. "Sorry, the CEO is calling right now" or "You've bumped into the CEO in the hallway")
Now, in terms of tips on how to handle this:
Hi Anonymous,
interviewers sometimes to that in order to test how you act under pressure. This does not mean you don't need a structure (it is essential in any case!), but rather that you think about, draw and explain the structure to the interviewer all in one step - just "think aloud". Guiding the interviewer through your thinking process is an essential skill you should master when conducting interviews.
Why does the interviewer do it? It is very likely that you experience a situation in which a client asks a question that you haven't prepared an answer for. Now, what will you do? You wouldn't say "sorry, I don't have an answer to this, but I'll come back in an hour", would you? Rather, you are expected to think it through and develop an answer while simultaneously guiding the client through your thinking process.
Hope this helps!
Best
Dorothea
Hi there,
An interviewer may do that indeed to see how you react under pressure.
I would recommend keeping a structure anyway. Simply present it at the beginning without taking time. You may want to train with peers if you find it challenging.
You may do a mistake in laying down the first level of the structure because you didn’t have time to think. Just acknowledge it, correct it and go on, the interviewer won’t expect your structure to be perfect given you did not have time to think.
Best,
Francesco
This is an interesting topic that affects many people.
Indeed, many times you won´t have time to lay down the structure, since this is one of the multiple parts a case interview has.
It´s common to have to figure it out on the go and walk you interviewer through the process.
The only way to get better at this -is scary, but then it gets better pretty soon- is to practice a lot with people who are experienced.
Best of luck!
Cheers,
Clara
Hi,
There is one trick that can help you: structure the market sizing top-down, not with a formula. In that case - you will not need any extra time.
A very simple example: you need to calculate the number of dogs on manhattan. A number of dogs = share of households having a dog * # of households. # of households = population / average household size. In the end, you'll have a pyramid where you have to fill the numbers on the base of the pyramid. This approach is much easier and help you track all the numbers
Best
Hi there! Interesting question!
Usually, they give time, however here you can see how it is essential to be ready for any unexpected circumstances. So during the preparation, you should also pay attention to this.
Good luck!
GB
Instead of quietly scribbling your structure, you just talk & explain your structure as you are drawing it. Its okay to strike out and start a new structure if you make a mistake. But keep talking. Generally, most interviewers will give you the time & space to structure and get ready before you start talking. But what you experienced is not uncommon.
Hi, in addition to the solutions proposed by the other coaches in the discussion, I would like to suggest similar cases in the platform to practice with:
Hope it helps,
Antonello
You're right, that is unusual. Normally, when interviewing the interviewer would offer 2-3mins at the start for you to structure.
In this case even if you don't get this prompt, you can propose it to the interviewer by saying you'd like a few minutes to think about this and then will answer the question, which would be absolutely fine
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