Interview Best Practices

1. BITSoM
Best practice of interview preparation
27 July 2022
An IIMB NSRCEL & Goldman Sachs Supported Firm

2. TMSAY
16 Years of experience
IIMA PGP 2006-08
Investment Banking (Transaction Advisory) at EY – Power & Infrastructure
Finance & Strategy Advisory Firm – Real Estate, Construction, F&B, Music App
Harvard Published Case Author – IIMB
IIMB WSP 2017 | GoCrackIt | Mentored 1000+ students
Alok – Cofounder | IIMB alum | Consulting | Mentored successes!

3. Agenda
1. What do recruiters look for in candidate during interviews?
2. Different type of interviews
• Resume Based
• Behavioural/Situational/Fit based
• Case Interviews/Guesstimates
• Industry/Domain based
3. Commonly asked questions
4. Structuring of answers
5. Online interviews

4. What do recruiters look for in candidate during interviews?
Talent | Potential
Competence for
the job

5. What do recruiters look for in candidate during interviews?
Talent | Potential
Achievements |
Projects | Spikes
Competence for
the job
JD | PPTs |
Websites | Mentors
from that company/
industry

6. Before you start…

7. Before you start…
• Make a target list of domain, company, industry
• For your target list understand, appreciate and use terms
• Websites of consultants
• Your target companies’ websites
• Read thought leadership articles, case studies
• Job description

8. Resume Based

9. Resume based interviews - Objective
• Know you better as a professional
• Achievements
• Competencies
• Depth of experience & expertise
• Working style

10. Resume based interviews
• Be very thorough about your resume
• Not knowing any point written in resume in great detail is strict no-
no
• If you have done a lot of job shifts, be ready to answer that
• If you have shown poor academics, be ready to defend that
• If you have travelled across countries/ geographies etc. , be ready to
talk about the difference in culture etc.
• Be prepared with all the details in a structured format

11. Resume based questions - Example
• You have saved xyz mn in this project, this seems unbelievable can
you explain?
• You have worked in this project tell me some of the learning from
this project?
• You have worked in this algo/ model how you can use that in our
case

12. How to prepare -Resume based questions
• Use interview preparation sheet and expand each point (including
work ex, academics, EC, Academic projects) of resume in that sheet
• Ask “But Why” and “So What” to at least 3 levels for each point
• Use “Interview Preparation Sheet”

13. Resume Point – Possible Questions?

14. Resume Point – Actual Questions Asked
• How would you improve NTPC’s profitability?
• What policy level changes would you suggest for Indian power
sector?
• What are critical maintenance activities?

15. Behavioral/Situational/Fit

16. Behavioral interviews
• In behavioral interviews, you need to showcase your knowledge,
skills and competencies by giving specific examples from past
experiences
• Expect questions like "Tell me a time when..." or "Give me an
example of when..."
• Which types of companies are famous for behavioral interviews?

17. Behavioral questions examples
• Tell me about a time when you had to analyze large amount of data
to solve a problem ?
• Tell me a time when you have to take calculated risk?
• Tell me a time you have take initiative to solve a problem?
• Tell me about a time when you took a decision under pressure
• Tell me about a time when you committed to a team member but
could not live up to their expectations. How did you earn their trust
again?

18. Behavioral questions: Common mistakes/ issues
• Choosing a story that is not impactful
• Choosing a story in which you can not explain your role
• Poor communication skill
• Telling a story with too much technicalities
• Telling a story which is too much detailed (use executive summary,
be crisp, sense check in between)

19. Behavioral interviews – how to prepare?
• Create an ”Interview preparation sheet" in excel and write one line
each of whatever you have done in the past
(Use Amazon 14 principles of leadership as reference)
https://aws.amazon.com/careers/culture/
• In next column describe each instance in detail using STAR format

20. Situational interviews
• Like a behavioral interview, during situational interview candidates
are asked specific questions about what may happen on a job.
• The candidate is asked to assess a situation and to provide solutions
on how he or she would handle it.

21. Situational questions – Examples
Team Dynamics
• What you will do if your team members are not listening to
you?
Customer handling
• How do you deal with an unsatisfied customer?
Decision Making
• What you will do if your team is not able to take decisions?

22. Example
• Your team members not listening to you, what will you do?

23. Situational interviews – How to prepare
• Try to come up with a similar situation in the past and answer it like
a behavioral question

24. Situational questions: Common mistakes/ issues
• Not using any structure / examples
• Giving up too early

25. How to prepare for Situational interviews
• Try to come up with a similar situation in the past and answer it like a behavioral
question
• Use “Interview Preparation Sheet”
• Create a sheet with frameworks of motivations, teamwork, customer satisfaction &
delight, conflict, stakeholder management, change management, decision making
framework
(don’t just copy the framework but also understand how had/will you modify
them for the situations)

26. Tricky & Important…
• What is your weakness
• Don’t be evasive
• Understand which trait has ‘consistently’ impacted your work performance
• What are you doing to improve and what’s the status
• Use examples/ stories
• Why do you want to join this role
• Tell genuinely how it aligns with your short term/ long term objective
• Talk about learning opportunities, quality peers etc.
• You can reuse some relevant facts/ examples mentioned by them in PPT/
website

27. Industry/Domain

28. Industry/ function/ technical knowledge based interviews
• Industry structure, KSF, key players, new trends, disruptions,
future potential
• Knowledge of company/ its products etc.
• Understanding of function and its theoretical/ practical aspects
• Knowing current trends, future projections etc.

29. Case Interview/Guesstimates

30. What is a case
Source: McKinsey Deck

31. Case interview: Common mistakes/ issues
• Not listening the question properly
• Not clarifying
• Directly jumping to the solution
• Not laying down your approach
• Not asking key questions or asking irrelevant questions
• Not thinking aloud
• Not taking interviewers’ hint
• Not doing data driven analysis
• Not concluding properly (or concluding without confidence)

32. Example: A consulting case
• A telecom company losing market share, how do you suggest to
improve the market share

33. Example: Guesstimates
• How many golf balls in Singapore?

34. Product management Cases
• Which is your favorite product?
• One thing which you like the most about the product and why
• One thing you hate about it and why?
• How would you redo the feature/element that you hate the most?
• Tech related questions!

35. How to prepare for cases
• Read The McKinsey Way
• Understand key frameworks (Profitability, Industry structure, Cost structure,
Market entry etc.)
• Know macro numbers (Population, Internet penetration, literacy rate, income
distribution etc.)
• Form a group of 2 to 3 students and start practicing as early as possible
• Practice, practice, practice

36. Commonly Asked Questions

37. Some common questions - TMAY
• One line of basic detail about you/ broad profile (years of exp, company
you worked in, graduation etc.)
• Don’t take too much time here
• Talk about your accomplishments (Academic, Professionals & Personal)
• Try to prioritize the relevant accomplishments for the company and bring
out some relevant knowledge, skills as required for the job
• Why you are interested in the job/ role
• Optional: Close with something which you want recruiter to ask questions
on

38. Example- TMSAY
• I completed my electrical engineering from VJTI, Mumbai, where I did exceedingly well
throughout and was the institute & university topper
• Post that , I joined NTPC Ltd, through their rigorous ET selection process and worked in
Operations & Maintenance at thermal and gas power stations.
• I was the only woman who worked on the shopfloor in the powerplant, where typically women
were given desk jobs. I chose to be in Operations, since that’s core to NTPC and is very important
for a fresher.
• I was responsible for maintenance of 2 generators, 424 motors, MV/LV switchgear, DC systems,
cabling, hoists. I contributed to first-ever major plant overhaul without the help of French OEM
supplier, which helped in saving INR 2.6 Mn
• I look forward to work in roles such as XX, which will leverage on my past experience and
learnings from MBA
• Later : First woman SAC member in history of IIMA, Harvard Published Cases

39. Interviews around MBA courses / Value add from MBA
• At least be ready with two subjects fully
• Know all the important frameworks 5S, 4P, BCG matrix, Porter's
etc.
• For preparing for value add from MBA type of question, use your
Interview Preparation Sheet, in which add one more column and
write how you will do it differently post MBA

40. Structuring your answers

41. Use a structure approach – STAR framework
• Situation
An event, project or challenged faced
• Task
Your responsibilities, assignment or objective of the project
• Action
Steps taken to relieve or rectify the situation
• Results
Results of action taken. Try to bring out not only specific impacts
but also how it helped the company in their overall business

42. STAR framework - Example
• Situation
In my last job, we needed to develop a very complex and urgent logistics software
development for a client which was launching its operations in UK.
The project was very critical since, if we did not do this, then our client will lose a lot of
money and we could also lose our current and potential deals.
In this situation I had to work alone as my coworker had a family emergency and
needed to miss work for some days.

43. STAR framework - Example
• Task
My supervisor instructed me to take on the project alone, and with no
leniency on the deadline, I had few days to complete the project that
originally should have done with two resources.

44. STAR framework - Example
• Actions (Bring your skills here)
Amongst others, I did three key things:
i) I negotiated with my boss for a reduction in my weekly goals, allowing me
more time to attack the special project.
ii) I delegated my other weekly goals to some of my teammates.
iii) I broke down the problem into smaller modules and prioritized those
which are “Must Have” as per my analysis

45. STAR framework - Example
• Results
With the reduction in my daily goals, I was able to dedicate more time to
the special project. This allowed me to finish it 5 days before time, enable
my client to start the operation as planned and with complete accuracy.
My supervisor appreciated my attitude and drive, and I was given
several more projects after that, along with an eventual promotion and
pay raise.

46. STAR framework - Example
• Executive Summary
I completed a very complex SAP logistics development project within 4 days (as
opposed to 9 days) for a large FMCG client which was entering in UK market despite
working alone as my coworker got some personal emergency.

47. Online Interviews

48. What should be kept in mind for virtual interviews?
Clear
communication
skills
Engaging
conversation
Back up plan for
network issues
Keep all you
projects/ proofs
handy and in soft
copies
Do not google !
Do not read from
Internet

49. Summary
• Explore
• Go through websites of MBBs/Accenture/ your target companies etc. and read case
studies
• Read up emerging technologies: Use cases, benefits, RoI, Risks, how different companies
are adopting/ convincing to adopt
• Read up a lot of JDs, make notes of what is the requirement of the company: Knowledge,
skills, key words etc.
• Read up a lot of frameworks & reflect how you can apply in real situations (not force fit it,
not throw jargon but utilize them properly)
• Read The McKinsey Way/ Goal
• Prepare
• Interview preparation sheet including what is the value add from MBA
• Prepare all behavioral answers, resume points in STAR framework

50. Summary
• Prepare at least 2 subjects well
• Understand/create your frameworks for answering situation questions
• Practice
• Answering your stories
• Practice case studies and guesstimates with 1-2 people apart from with
GoCrackIt mentors
• In general do a lot of practice, practice, practice

52. Example: Process of a large FMCG firm
• Shortlist
• 1st round: Video introduction
• 2nd round: Behavioural questions in writing
• What is the only value that trumps over honesty?
• What are your accomplishments (Academic & Professional )?
• Relevant Skills?
• Your Passion?
• Your unique strength?
• What is your weakness?
• How did you grow as a person in last 2-3 years
• Any additional info?
• 3rd round/ 4th rounds : Interviews – knowledge of company/Products/Marketing strategies/
Behavioral/Fit