Consulting interviews are tough. Anindya Bhattacharjee, IIM Calcutta, Strategy Consultant, Reliance Jio & Niraj Chaudhary, NUS Singapore, Manager, Accenture will tell you how to crack the trickiest case-based consulting interviews.

1. Cracking
Consulting
Interviews

2. Instructors
Strategy Consultant, Reliance Jio
IIM Calcutta
Anindya Bhattacharjee
Manager, Accenture
NUS, Singapore
Niraj Chaudhary

3. Contents:
What consulting companies look for
What does a typical interview look like
What do you do with the “case”?
Let’s try this out!
A
B
C
D

4. A successful consultant: Problem Solving, Communication, Functional Knowledge
and Team Dynamics
A
Consulting
firms look
for …
Skill Area Learning Pointers
Problem
Solving
Description
1. Identify core issues
2. Break down problems
analytically into manageable
parts
3. Build solution approach
4. Articulate recommendations
1. Approach to structured problem solving
2. Developing Issue Tree & MECE framework
3. Hypothesis building and testing
4. Research techniques – Primary & Secondary
5. Analysis & Synthesis
Communica
tion
1. Written Communication
2. Verbal Communication
3. Non-verbal Communication
1. Storyboarding techniques
2. Articulation in clear and concise manner
3. Essentials of Body Language
Program
Management
1. Idea of critical success factors
for a project
2. KPI mindset
3. Effective reporting
4. Escalations & Troubleshooting
1. Break-down of critical actions
2. Dashboarding
3. A, B and D
Team
Fitment
1. Knowledge of self
2. Interpersonal skills
3. Firm Initiatives
1. Team work – rules of the road
2. Influencing techniques
3. Giving & receiving feedback
4. Alignment with Team
5. Firm Initiatives
A
B
C
D
Critical for Interviews
Confidential

5. B
A typical
Interview
Section
The case(s)
Summary
“Any
questions?”
B
C
D
Ice
breaking &
Getting to
know the
A
Problem
Solving
Commu
nication
Program
Management
Team
Fitment
How are these skills tested in an interview: Problem Solving, Communication,
Functional Knowledge and Team Dynamics
Confidential

6. C
Case Stages What do you do? What Interviewer is looking for?
Start
- Listen carefully
- Identify the key question (profit, go/
no-go)
- Build structure
- Clarify (details vs strategy)
- Did she identify the key question?
- Is there a structure to her thinking?
Middle
- Identify the key calculations
- Assume missing data
- Compute (accuracy vs speed)
- Realign with interviewer
- How good is she with numbers?
- Are her assumptions reasonably
explained?
End
- Interpret the data
- Integrate with your structure
- Recommend next steps
- Did she lose sight of key question?
- Can she summarize crisply?
Confidential
Solving the case: Clarify, Quantify & Summarize, Communication, Functional
Knowledge and Team Dynamics

7. D
Solving the case: Example 1, Communication, Functional Knowledge and Team
Dynamics
- An Auto major introduces a new model with double the mileage.
However the life of the car is only 80% compared to a typical
incumbent model.
- What should be the price of the car?
Confidential

8. D
Solving the case: Example 2, Communication, Functional Knowledge and Team
Dynamics
- A global paint company is looking to enter India. They have hired
you to help them decide.
- How will you go about it?
Confidential

9. D
Solving the case: Test 1, Communication, Functional Knowledge and Team
Dynamics
- Delhi Metro – 50 stations, 5 different lines and 7 interchanges as of
today. Under next phase of development, 10 more stations would be
opening over next 6 months with two new lines taking the number of
interchanges to 13.
- Government is also facing cash crunch to maintain old stations and
lines while catering to increasing footfall, especially during office
hours.
- A major retail chain is planning to open a store in the oldest and most
centrally located interchange, Rajeev Chowk. Should they?
Confidential

10. D
Solving the case: Test 2, Communication, Functional Knowledge and Team
Dynamics
- Indian Telecom sector is witnessing high degree of competitiveness
with introduction of entrants, changes to usage behavior and high
cost of maintaining infrastructure.
- A marketing manager runs a discount scheme for new customers,
charging them 50% of the bill for first six months. The scheme brings
in 50,000 new customers. He wants to continue this scheme again
next month. Should she?
Confidential

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