case study interview

case study interview

The Importance of Case Study Interviews

1. Introduction

Case interviews have been a long-standing approach of evaluating a candidate’s thought process and their ability to make business decisions. This method has been used by management consulting companies for years and more recently by product managers at technology companies. A case is presented, usually revolving around a business issue or decision that the company has faced, and the candidate is asked to work through the problem. The case interview is a simulation of a real business situation. It’s an on-your-feet thinking and analysis of a business problem. These types of interviews are an attractive proposition for a company because there are no right or wrong answers. It allows the interviewer to assess a candidate’s analytical capabilities methodically, structuring the problem and their communication skills. From the candidate’s perspective, this is a good opportunity to see if this type of work is interesting and a good fit. With the growing popularity of cases in the industry, it soon becomes imperative for a candidate to learn how to best prepare for a case interview. The good news is that preparing for standard job interviews and case interviews is not that different. High-level preparation would involve researching the firm, its culture, the types of industries, and case studies the company focuses on. An understanding of what role the candidate is expected to fulfill should also be established. Additionally, one should practice to brush up on their numerical skills and knowledge of business terms and concepts. Now, while all these methods are aimed at improving general preparedness, detailed understanding of what a case interview entails and sharpening problem-solving skills can be best addressed by knowledge of and practice with case study interviews. This document focuses on the latter levels of preparation.

2. Benefits of Case Study Interviews

What is a good case study? It is the detailed research of an individual unit such as a person or a company, aiming to generalize about several units of the similar type. A case study is usually undertaken to confirm the reliability of a specific theory and to exhibit its application. A good case study must have real significance for countless people other than the person representing the case or the person reporting the case. It must also set enough information concerning the case so the readers can recognize with the circumstances and issues at hand. Now that we comprehend what is involved in a case study, we can start to establish just what our specific interview and case study is. The goal of our case study is that Pam is attempting to study why Soar Nation is not the best place to play basketball and the lessons that can be learned. Pam’s thoughts are to validate her impressions of the program by reflecting exclusive interviews and by combining observations to compare and contrast to portray in wide-ranging detail how things got to this point. In addition, she wants to present to the administration the lessons learned and suggestions for positive change. In conclusion, one can see that if this is done unswervingly, it will certainly qualify as a case study. This is perfect for us because we have a captive audience and ample time to write our story before acting on changes suggested. This case study will wonderfully depict the state of the program, demonstrate how and why it got there, and offer suggestions and a possible vision of a brighter future. It goes without saying that this is the best way to gather meaningful data and paint a significant picture with which to begin changes in the program.

3. Steps to Conduct a Case Study Interview

It is important to inform the interviewee about the nature of the case study interview before the interview takes place. This will provide the interviewee the opportunity to gather relevant documents or other materials to discuss during the interview. Case study interviews often take multiple sessions, and it can be helpful to have a break and then revisit a topic after the interviewee has had a chance to think more about the question. This is in line with the iterative nature of a case study.

The second step is to compile a list of key questions. Depending on the objective, the questions may be very open-ended and will evolve during the interview. The questions should focus on the information needed to answer the key topics; no more or less. Open-ended questions are often phrased as a problem to be solved or a need to learn more about a certain topic.

The primary step in a case study interview is to define the objective of the interview. The interviewer should talk to the person being interviewed about what they want to do and accomplish with the interview. Then, it might be helpful to walk through the case and explain the approach to see if that uncovers additional information. As you understand more clearly the type of information that you seek, you can ask the interviewee to articulate different concepts more clearly so that you both understand whether the information fits the predetermined objective.

4. Common Mistakes to Avoid in Case Study Interviews

Case study interviews require the interviewer to allow the interviewee to talk. You should not answer your own questions for the interviewee, nor should you cut them off while they are speaking. Often times, the interviewee will be trying to remember details or backtrack to include certain points and it is important that you as the interviewer allow them to do this. Interruptions here can break the chain of thought and the interviewee may forget to include important details. Listen actively to what the interviewee is saying. Active listening encourages the interviewee to keep talking and may also encourage additional insightful comments. Active listening involves making verbal comments to encourage the interviewee – “yes”, “uh-huh”, “then what happened” etc. It also involves asking questions for clarification of vague statements. An example of this is, “You mentioned that the new policy wasn’t what the customer expected. Can you elaborate on that?” Without the proper follow up, this particular part of the interview may be forgotten and it could have been valuable. Finally, make sure the interviewee speaks for the majority of the interview. You are trying to understand their thought processes and decision making from the internal case, talking too much yourself may hinder this.

5. Conclusion

Unfortunately though, case study interviews have the disadvantage of being an uneasy experience and sometimes a biased decision can be made by the interviewer based on whether they liked the candidate personally. This area is open to further research. Another aspect that has not been touched on significantly is that of ethnicity. A USA National Science Foundation study in the year 2000 showed that at the graduate student level in the fields of science and engineering, the earning of a doctorate is strongly correlated with participation in academically enriching activities such as research assistantships or internships with faculty, and publishing results from individual or collaborative research. This may not be a specific case study but there are definitely correlations and case studies tend to involve a form of practicality exercise.

To conclude, the case study interview is vitally important whether it be the first or last stage of the process. Case studies have been proven to be more effective when compared to other types of exercises. They provide the candidate with a real feel of the job and often can be very indicative of how well somebody will cope in that position. In addition to this, by seeing how some current employees have got to their position now can encourage the candidate further and they could develop a career path off the back of it. From the employers’ perspective it is very beneficial as a bad hire can cost a company dearly and they want to minimise the risk involved. It was found that case study interviews were a very effective way to do this. A Bain & Company survey in 2006 showed that the case study interview is the most reliable method for employers to identify high-potential candidates.