Interactive Interview

PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW

Interview a professional in your chosen field of study. DO NOT interview a faculty
member, an academic advisor or a parent or close relative. Your report MUST BE
TYPED, and a MINIMUM OF TWO PAGES. Note the due date in your syllabus.
The paper will be graded on spelling and punctuation, adherence to
Requirements, etc.

Job Shadow/Interview

Students will learn more about careers in which they are interested through a variety of activities, including a job shadow or a career related informational interview.

• Students are expected to show a clear relationship between their career pathway/career interest and the person that they will shadow or interview.
• Whether the student chooses to do an on-site visit or an interview, s/he will write a reflection paper following the activity. (questions follow)
• The amount of time to conduct a Job Shadow will vary according to the nature of the business; it will not be necessary to document the time on-site or the time to conduct an interview.
• A signature and date from the business representative are required

The Case Interview

Case interviewing is very common in interviews with consulting companies.
There are two general types of cases: traditional and wild card. Case interviewing requires you to listen carefully to a description of a situation and rapidly put together a logical and systematic way of analyzing and solving the problem.

First, you will receive a description of a problem with varying amounts of related information. You will have a certain amount of time to develop a solution and presentation; and then a certain amount of time to present. The key to preparing for case interviews is to practice with anyone you can. Practice with schoolmates as well as alumni in the management-consulting field.

Sample Traditional Case Interview Question

"Congratulations! The firm of your dreams has just hired you. For your first assignment, your client is a software development company that specializes in spreadsheet add-in products. These products enable spreadsheet users to do complex numerical analysis, run simulations, linear optimization, distribution fit, decision-trees, what-if analysis, and a host of other high-octane mathematical functions.

The firm was started by an Engineering professor at the University of Maryland, and has grown to its current size of 43 full-time employees. Tired of programming a mainframe computer to help with his routine but sophisticated calculations, he developed a program for his work. He soon realized the market potential and began this firm to help reach that potential.

Now, 12 years later, the product has developed a loyal following, but has yet to break wide open. Current uses of the main product lines include professionals in the petroleum industry, financial markets, manufacturing, health care, academia, and others."

Solution/Structure for this Case Interview Question

• Determine a mission - what is the purpose of this engagement/case? In this example it is to increase product sales for the client.
• Define the problem and analyze why it exists.
• Examine target segment - who uses the product, who isn't but should use the product?
• Analyze the product - who would use it and why, what are the substitutes and competition?
• Examine the channels of distribution.
• Provide options and rationale for each one.

Tips for Effective Case Interviewing

Always write things down! Bring a pad of paper and a pen to write notes while listening to the case.

Take your time. After hearing the entire case, don't be afraid to ask the interviewer for time to collect your thoughts.

Never panic. Remember that you're not expected to know everything about the industry...ask for clarifications and assistance if you need some.

Read all information before proceeding. Especially check for information on the back of the page!

Clarify what you don't understand.
The interviewer may be asking intentionally ambiguous questions to see your reaction.

State what you don't know. You may need to make crucial, underlying assumptions if the interviewer doesn't give you needed information.

Give an outline before you dive in. After you've thought about it, tell your interviewer how you plan to structure your response. He may tell you not to worry about certain information you planned on discussing.

Your approach is more important than the solution. The interviewer is looking to see how you analyze a problem, how you think, and how you present. Make sure your approach is logical, creative, and leads to an implementable solution.

Still make sure that you answer the question. Yes, the interviewer is more interested in the approach used than the actual answer, but you still want to make sure that you provide an answer to the question.

Use visuals if appropriate. Don't be afraid to be creative if the question makes you think you should be.

Treat the interview as a client-consultant interaction. Always treat the interviewer as a client and give him answers that a high-paying client would expect from a consultant.

Be professional and try to hide your nervousness. Everyone is nervous in these situations, but a firm wants someone who will impress their clients with confidence and professionalism.

Mimic the interviewer's personality and physical movements. If the interviewer crosses his legs, then you should, too. If the interviewer is acting either nice or aggressive and demanding, you should respond in the same manner.

Be prepared to use different languages. If you mentioned that you could speak another language on your resume, don't be surprised if you are interviewed in that language.

Watch for deflections. Interviewers will sometimes purposefully not answer a question to see how you react. If you believe it is important, and unless they tell you otherwise, keep pressing for the answer.

Watch for feedback. Most case interviewers are willing to help you...watch for body language and listen for verbal clues.

Benchmark your progress. During the interview don't be afraid to ask if you're on the right track or if there's any information you're missing.

Video interviews are becoming more commonplace in the workplace. As hiring becomes more global, both for employers and candidates, video interviewing is a way to expedite the interview process. Hiring managers and recruiters can conduct first round interviews more quickly, save on transportation costs, and get the interview process started much faster using video conferencing than they can scheduling in-person interviews.