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Case questions are most commonly used in consulting interviews, but they can be used in other situations, such as in interviews for marketing positions with consumer goods companies. Simply put, a case interview is the analysis of a business question. Unlike most other interview questions, it is an interactive process. Your interviewer will present you with a business problem and ask you for your opinion. Your job is to ask the interviewer logical questions that will permit you to make a detailed recommendation. The majority of case interviewers don't have a specific answer that you, the candidate, are expected to give. What the interviewer is looking for is a thought process that is at once analytical and creative. Here's a sample case question:
You are advising a credit card company that wants to market a prepaid phone card to its customers. Is this a good idea?
You: What is the role of our company? Do we simply market the card or must we create them ourselves?
Interviewer: This card will be co-marketed with an outside phone company. We don't need to perform telecommunications functions.
You: What are our expenses connected with the card?
Interviewer: We must pay 15 cents for every minute we sell. We also have to pay $1.00 as a start-up cost for the card and card systems.
You: What are our marketing expenses?
Interviewer: We normally use slips of paper that are attached to the backs of our credit card payment envelopes. We sometimes also send customers a direct mailing - in a separate envelope. Or we can have telemarketers call selected customers.
You: What's the cost of each of these marketing techniques, and what is their response rate?
Interviewer: Telemarketers have a 2 percent response rate, and cost $1.00 per call. Direct mailings cost us 40 cents per mailing and have a 0.50 percent rate of response. Our payment attachments have a 0.25 rate of response, but only cost us 5 cents each.
You: I'm going to assume we will sell one-hour phone cards. That will cost us $9.00 for the minutes and a dollar per card - so each card costs us $10.
Interviewer: That sounds reasonable.
You: And what is our expected revenue on a one-hour phone card? What is the current market rate for a 60-minute phone card?
Interviewer: Assume it's 50 cents a minute.
You: So if we sell the cards for $30, we have a $20 profit, minus our expenditures on marketing.
Interviewer: What's our cost structure look like?
You: Okay, let's figure this out. To sell 1,000 cards through telemarketing, we would need to contact 50,000 people. That would cost us $50,000. To use direct mail, we would have to contact 200,000 thousand people, which, at 40 cents per mailing, costs us $80,000. Since the envelope inserts aren't very reliable, we will need to contact 800,000 people using that method. But at 5 cents each, it costs only $20,000 to sell 1,000 cards.
We make $20 profit on each card. But even at the cheapest promotional vehicle, at $20 profit, we would only break even, because our profits on 1,000 cards would be $20,000. We shouldn't market this card, unless we can further cut our marketing costs or increase the price of the card. If we could slice the cost of the envelope attachments a penny or so, or sell the card for $35, or convince our co-marketer to reduce our costs, it might be worth selling.
Commonly-asked Questions
Companies these days look for more than whether you're a witty or especially cool individual when it comes to personality. Among the characteristics highest on their list are teamwork and innovation. They may not ask whether you are a team player, or creative -- doesn't mean you shouldn't go ahead and tell them. But then again, a lot of interviewers will ask you outright: tell me why your personal traits will work here.
1. Why are you applying for this position?
Probably the most commonly asked question at job interviews. You need to convince your interviewer that you are enthusiastic about the job.
2. Tell me about a time when you used initiative/Give me an example of when you came up with an innovative solution/Give me an example of a time you exceeded expectations.
In this ever-changing world in which we work, employees are supposed to be innovative, to be able to "think outside of the box. Questions like these (such as the way the "initiative" question and "exceeded expectations" questions are worded) can be used as opportunities to talk about creative faculties -- pick an instance when showing initiative meant coming up with an out-of-the-ordinary solution.
3. I see on your resume that you served as chairperson of such-and-such committee. What was that experience like?
Along with innovation, employers often look for leadership ability. In general, interviewers are looking for evidence of a willingness to listen, an ability to give feedback, and a firmness when it comes to getting things done.
4. What would members of your basketball team/business school cohort/ butterfly catching expedition say about you? Tell us about a time you had to deal with a difficult team member.
Teamwork is another highly valued trait these days, companies are looking for employees who work well in groups. If your interviewer doesn't bring up teamwork, do it yourself. These questions are similar to the leadership questions - interviewers are looking for both an openness to ideas and a willingness to nudge team members toward a goal.
5. Why did you decide to switch careers/Why did you decide to go back to school/Why did you take time off during college?
Be prepared to walk through your resume with your interviewer, especially at companies that like to promote from within. They want to know that you're committed to the industry and will be loyal to their company.
6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
You don't necessarily need to say that you want to work for the company forever, but you should express how you think the position to which you are applying will help you grow.
7. So you just graduated. How did you like school?
Loved it. Learned so much. And let me tell you a little bit about what types of activities I was involved in.
8. What lessons did you learn from you last job that you think can be transferred to this position?
9. What do you consider your biggest fault?
Interviewers love this question, even though it sort of invites dishonesty. You're supposed to say something like: "I'm a perfectionist." Or: "I tend to work too hard." You may want to prepare a more thoughtful answer, but you should at least anticipate this question.
10. If you could go any

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