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ng about how products get from suppliers to end consumers, consider the value chain. Companies that are falling short on sales could use a profitability or cost vs. revenue analysis. If you39。t know what a pany39。re an improvement over simple fit or resum233。Cracking the Case: A Consulting Interview Primer Page 1 of 3 [Web Exclusive] You don39。 interviews. In most case interviews, the recruiter gives you an example of a reallife client problem. Some typical categories include: ? Company Strategy: “My client is thinking of making an acquisition, and …” ? Brain Games: “How many tennis balls are in the United States?” ? Operations Improvement: “Why is my client’s factory running behind?” ? Market Size: “How big is the global air conditioner market?” Although each requires a slightly different approach, all are meant mainly to evaluate the process you use, not the answer you e up with. Practice Makes Perfect You absolutely, positively must prepare in advance for case interviews. “It bees pretty clear pretty fast who has—and who has not—practiced,” says Gibney. “I know there is a basic sort of business acumen that may not be able to be practiced, but candidates must have an understandable approach to solving problems. That’s what our clients demand of us. If we can’t relate solutions to the client, it’s a problem.” Don’t assume that attending a caseoriented business school will give you an upper hand. John Flato, Cap Gemini Ernst amp。s goals are, you might e up with a valid—but misguided—solution. Use some basic frameworks to drive your questions—the four P39。re marketing a new pharmaceutical product, think about the 4 P39。s skill across a range of areas is the primary reason . uses case interviews. Coveney indicates that the case interviews are meant to (1) assess a candidate’s analytical ability, (2) evaluate a candidate39。s ability to structure and think through a problem as they would on the job. Words of Wisdom: Rindova says practice and familiarity with cases is essential, and stresses that an interview can go south if the candidate loses sight of the structure he or she is building. Lastly, beating a clear path to any response is more important than getting it right. “You can give (a recruiter) a wrong answer, but if you thought out loud through the process, you could still have a stellar interview,” Rindova concludes. Recruiter No. 3: Scott Berney, head of . recruiting operations, Monitor Group The Questions: Determining a person’s analytical skills, fort with manipulating numbers, and ability to integrate different pieces of data is the purpose of the case interview for Monitor Group. For the first round of interviews, case questions are usually written and are two to three pages in length. In the final round, a group event is used. Words of Wisdom: “My take on most other firms is that they put a premium on [the candidate’s] ability to ask questions in the interview. Monitor cases put a premium on your ability to analyze data, manipulate numbers, integrate, and e u