Oliver Wyman-final round question

Hi there, 

Wow, that's rather tight. 

If you don't feel prepared, you should just ask for the interview to be postponed. That's a very tight schedule that they provided you with. 

In terms of how final interviews differ from first round, you should expect the following:

1. Work on the feedback provided in the previous rounds. Most firms communicate the feedback from the previous rounds to the final interviewer. It's important then to show the final interviewer that you have a growth mindset and are reactive to feedback. This matters immensely. Make sure you are clear on your development areas and that you get the right support to polish them before the final interview.
2. Expect less structure. Senior interviewers already have the confidence that you are a decent candidate, your skills having been already vetted by their younger colleagues. They are rather more interested in your as a person and your way of thinking. So they might present you with an unusual case, or one that is created on the spot or no case altogether. Expect anything.
3. Focus on excellent communication. Senior interviewers care a lot about how clearly you communicate and how you manage to forge a connection with the interviewer. It's important to be top-down and concise as much as possible with your answers, while allowing the conversation to flow in a natural way.
4. Put yourself in their shoes. The one question senior interviewers are asking themselves throughout the interview is what will happen when they'll put you in front of a client they've groomed for years? Make sure that even based on this first impression you seem somebody who can be trusted and who can work with any client regardless of how difficult they might be.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

Q: I have an Oliver Wyman final round interview tomorrow (just found out today), does anyone have advice on how to best prepare/what to look out for between now and then?

In general, in a final round the interviewers may:

1. Spend more time on fit and your alignment with the company.
2. Ask questions related to the areas of improvement for which you got feedback after the first round.
3. Not use a “standard” case. During one of my finals I had one interview made by two market sizing questions and a brainteaser, without any business case.

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To prepare, you can work on the following:

1. Review your fit answers – they might spend more time on the fit part compared to the first round.
2. Work on the case areas they mentioned you could improve, if any.
3. Focus your case prep on the weakest areas. If you are tracking your performance, do drills for the areas where you are struggling the most / review cases where you made mistakes.

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Extra reading:

▶ How to Prepare for a Consulting Interview

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Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

Here's some reading to help:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

#1 Fix your weaknesses

#2 Be prepared for anything (build your fleibility/adaptability)

The more you go in expecting x thing, the more y and z thing will throw you off!

The differences between the two rounds are less than the differences between 2 random interviewers. Build out your objective-driven, structured abilities, clear + concise communication, etc.

Of course, you do need to improve on any weaknesses that may have been apparent in the first round.

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application process with Oliver Wyman thus far!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, remember that the final round is about more than just your analytical abilities. It's an opportunity for the firm to see how well you'd fit into their culture. Hence, aside from solving case studies, be prepared to demonstrate problem-solving and share experiences that reflect your team skills, leadership, and ability to drive impact.
• Moreover, it is important to familiarize yourself with the firm's values and recent changes. Incorporating this knowledge in your responses can demonstrate your passion and interest in Oliver Wyman.
• Lastly, given the short notice, I would advise you to focus on refreshing the fundamentals of case solving rather than trying to learn new concepts. Practice mental math, hypothesis-driven thinking, and communication skills.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

Best,

Hagen

Hello,

Looks like you've got some great advice on some prep materials here already, so I'll just give my additional two cents - given how little time you were given before notification and interview date, it's ok to ask to postpone the interview if you feel like you need more time to prepare! The worst they can say is no.