Case Interview Workshop Notes

Introduction

• Facilitator: Victor Chang
• Duration: 8 hours
• Background: Former McKinsey consultant, Stanford graduate (Undergrad & Master's)
• Objective: Provide comprehensive insights into case interviews and demystify the process.

Victor's Background

• Stanford recruitment into McKinsey: 400 applicants, 4 offers from Stanford.
• Only 10 out of 100 analysts were promoted to associate.
• Experience on both sides of the table (interviewee and interviewer).

Key Goals of the Workshop

1. Familiarity with the case interview process
   • Understanding the formulaic structure in opening and closing cases.
2. Key skill development
   • Focus on skill-driven approaches for the first half of case interviews.
   • Business judgment and analytical insights come into play in the latter half.
3. Building confidence
   • Sharing personal experiences and methods that worked well.
   • Emphasizing that there are multiple ways to succeed in case interviews.

Understanding the Interviewer's Mindset

• Importance of knowing how interviewers think to impress them.
• Predictable behaviors of interviewers can help in preparation.
• Understanding case interview formats and new twists.

Case Interview Structure

• First 10-15 minutes: Formulaic approach to opening the case.
• Middle 20-30%: Focus on analytical insights and business judgment.
• Final part: Showcasing personal talent and insights.

Key Skills in Case Interviews

• Ability to elicit data from the interviewer, as initial information is often minimal (e.g., a single sentence).
• Need to prioritize questions and determine what data is most critical to ask for.
• Skills developed through practice and familiarity with case structures.

Areas Not Covered in Workshop

• Regular job interview questions (strengths, weaknesses, etc.).
• Recent twists in case interviews not experienced directly.
• Estimation cases (market size estimates) – recommended resources available.

Recommended Resource

• Book: "Case in Point" by Mark Cosentino; covers estimation and new case formats.

Importance of Practice

• Emphasis on the necessity of extensive practice before live interviews.
• Personal anecdotes of bombed cases and the value of learning from mistakes.

Charity Mentioned

• KidPower.org: Organization training kids in safety skills.
  • Background: Founded by Irene after witnessing an attempted kidnapping.
  • Training methods: Focus on teaching through role-playing.
  • Request for participants to consider a $50 donation to support training for kids.

Agenda for the Day

1. Overview of case interview basics.
2. Explore the interviewer's mindset.
3. General process for opening, analyzing, and closing a case.
4. Practical demonstrations of case interviews.
5. Tips for practicing interview skills.