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A Guide to Interviewingat Inductis
www.inductis.com
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2What We Look For
Analytic andQuantitative Skills
Leadership Ability
Teamwork
Ethics and Integrity
Organization
Computer Skills
Communication Skills
Characteristics
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3Our Interviews
Fit CaseOffer
Typically each interview is a mix of a fit interview and a case interview.To receive an offer you must succeed in both
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Objectives
The main purpose of the fit interview is to discover whether you will "fit" with the firm'sculture and people
The Fit Interview: Overview
To explore your personal integrity and ambitions
To learn about your interests and to see if they matchthose of the firm
To see whether you can "present" yourself in a coherentmanner
To ascertain your level of knowledge and interest inconsulting
To provide an opportunity for you to learn more about ourfirm
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5Typical Questions to Expect
Tell me something about yourself
Give me an instance when you performed under stress
Give me an instance where you have delivered a creative solution. What wasthe impact of your solution?
Tell me an incident where your views were in conflict with team. How didyou resolve?
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6The Dos and Donts of a Fit Interview
DO: Relax and be comfortable Express your own interests and
expectations Convey a coherent picture of yourself
and your skills Ask good questions Demonstrate your knowledge of the firm
(i.e. its culture and history)
DON'T: Get defensive or let nerves overcome
you Feign interest in subjects to impress
the interviewer Tell stories that confuse the interviewer
or provide confusing images of whoyou are
Ask questions for the sake of askingquestions
Appear ignorant about the position forwhich you are interviewing or about thefirm with which you are interviewing
Since the fit interview is designed to see simply if you match well with the firm,it is difficult to put forth a set of rules. However, there are some basic dos and don'ts
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7The Case Interview: Overview
To ascertain how you think through problems
To determine your ability to structure a logical argument
To test your analytic and quantitative skills
To give you a flavor for the types of problems consultantswork on
Objectives
Case interviews seem to be one of the biggest sources of stress surrounding theinterviewing process, but they don't need to be. If you understand what the intervieweris looking for, case interviews can be quite manageable
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8General Hints for Approaching Cases
Think first, then speak Be as clear and concise as possible (e.g. 1, 2, 3)
Ask questions, don't just give answers
Make sure you are answering the problem being asked
Establish the scope of the problem before digging deep in one area Always state your assumptions
Don't be afraid to take notes if there are a lot of facts
Be sure you explain your thought process/logic path
Select a solution and justify it Don't forget possible alternatives
Read the newspaper the day of your interview; many times interviewers will pull theircases from the day's news
No matter what kind of case you face, there are a few guidelines you should alwayskeep in mind
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9Basic US Statistics
Population of the World:6.2 billion
Population of the U.S.:290 million
Number of adults in the US:210 million (18+ yrs.)
200 million (25+ yrs.)
Number of Cars perHousehold:
2.5
Number of US Households:105 million
Minimum Wage:approx. $5 per hour
While you certainly shouldn't go and memorize the census report, there are certainstatistics that you should be familiar with in order to help you solve cases. You shouldalso be familiar with general demographic trends (i.e. Gen-Xers vs. Baby-Boomers andincome distribution)
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10Interviewing Styles
Detailed introduction ofcase
Specific problem to besolved
A few starter facts
Many additional facts
available, if asked Conversational feel
throughout case interview
Detailed Problem
Brief introduction
Very broad description ofproblem (e.g. poorperformance)
Few, if any facts available
What do you thinkresponses to many
questions
Conceptual Problem
Case Descriptions
Two Extremes
Every interviewer will have a different interview style. When explaining a case youmust feel comfortable with each of the different approaches and be able to adapt yourapproach
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11Types of Cases
Special CasesEngineeringEconomics
Data AnalyticsPuzzles
Miscellaneous
Strategy Brain-Teasers
Types of Cases
The types of cases you are likely to encounter will generally fit into one of threedistinct groups
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12Strategy Cases
Types of Strategy Cases
Costs
Revenues
Marketing
Strategy cases generally involve one or more of the following three issues, but thesecertainly do not represent the universe of possible scenarios
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13Frameworks for Approaching Strategy Cases:The Four PsWhile you probably do not want to make it obvious that you are using an economicframework to solve a case, employing the underlying logic should help you structure
your argument and solidify your analysis. One popular framework is the Four P's:
What product do you want to sell?What product are you able to produce?What advantages does your product offer?
What price must you charge to make a profit?What price are consumers willing to pay?What price are your competitors charging?
Where is there a demand for your product?Where are your suppliers located?
What distribution channels are being used?
Who is your target audience?How do you reach them?How much do you want to spend on promotions
and advertising?
The Four P's
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
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14Frameworks for Approaching Strategy Cases:The Four Cs
What do the customers want and need?How will you satisfy those needs?What is most important to the customers?How much will they pay for it?
What are your competitors doing?
What are their strengths and weaknesses?How are they meeting the customer's demand?What is their cost structure?
What are your company's capacities:- financial- organizational
- production- marketing?What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What is your cost structure?- fixed costs- variable costsHow have your costs changed over time?
The Four C's
Customers
Competitors
Capacity
Costs
Another helpful framework in approaching a strategy case is the Four C's:
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15Framework for Approaching Strategy Cases:Marketing Strategy Model
ConsumerAnalysis
CompetitionDistribution
MarketingMix
Economics
What is the relevant market?Who is buying and who is using
the product?What is the buying process?How can I segment the market?
What are your company'sstrengths and weaknesses?
What are your competitor'sstrengths and weaknesses?What is your relative size and
position in the market?How do your resources differ
from those of your competitors?
What are the costs?What is the break even?How long is the payback
on my investment?
How does my product fitwith my other products?How will I differentiate my
product?
How does the product lifecycle affect my plans?
How can my product reach the consumer?
How much do the players in each distribution channel profit?Who holds the power in each distribution channel available?
Start
While it is slightly more complex than the previous frameworks, the marketing strategymodel provides an excellent frame of reference for marketing cases
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16Brainteasers and Special Cases
Ability to breakdown a complex problem into simple steps
Conceptual reasoning skills
Logical reasoning
Quantitative skills
Basic Economics Knowledge
Basic Engineering Knowledge
Creativity
Brain Teasers and Special Cases are meant to test the following
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17If You Get In a Jam
Pause to collect your thoughts. Remaining silent is better than blurting out anincoherent thought
Recount what you already know to the interviewer. By reviewing what you knowabout the case, the next step often becomes more clear
Don't give up. Interviewers are judging your poise and maturity in addition to yourproblem-solving skills
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Thank-you for applying to Inductis.
We look forward to meeting you through the interview
process.
Additional information on the company can be foundon our website: www.inductis.com
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