Interview and

Assessment Skills
UK GRAD
15th April 2005
 Agenda
Agenda

•Aims of the workshop

•What are employer’s looking for?
•Interviews
•Assessment Centres
What are employers looking for?
ƒ Strong intellect
ƒ Problem-solving skills
ƒ Teamwork
ƒ Leadership potential
ƒ Communication and
interpersonal skills
ƒ Proven analytical ability
ƒ Initiative and curiosity
ƒ Creativity
ƒ Confidence
ƒ Relevant knowledge
ƒ Experience
 Why do we interview?
“…toWhy
obtaindoand
weassess information about a
interview?
candidate which will enable a valid
prediction of potential job performance…”
 Preparing for the interview

•Review your strengths/weaknesses

•Know what you have applied for
- Employer (do you know their business?)
- Position (what will you be doing?)
•Do your homework
•Think about likely questions
•Practice any tests you might have to perform
 During the interview...

During the interview…

Make eye contact

Relax and breathe
Shake hands firmly
Body language
Smile!
 During the interview….

•Don’t rehearse answers (but be prepared)

•Don’t lie (because it shows!)
•Hint at what you would like to talk about (raise your
experiences where appropriate)
•Take your time
•Be concise
•Avoid one word answers
•Avoid negative language (But…Only….Just…)
 You may not want to mention….

•I’m not too sure what your company does

•My salary requirements are very flexible
•It would be cool to nail this gig!
•In five years, I see myself on a boat in the Caribbean
•You see, I just went through a painful divorce..
•What can your company do for me?
•I left my last job because my boss was a real idiot
•So, how much do you earn?
 Questions you might be asked….

Questions you may be asked…

•Why did you choose to do these A Levels?

•Why did you take a gap year before
University?
•What do you know about this position?
•What are you looking for in a career?
•Do you know who our competitors are?
 Behavioural Questions
•Why are you applying for this position?
Show genuine and knowledgeable enthusiasm
•You were college chairperson of X – how was that experience/Tell us about a
time you worked in a team
Demonstrate leadership, willingness to listen, give feedback and communicate and
goal-orientation
•Where do you see yourself in five years?
Express your desire to learn and grow professionally, do not say that you want to stay
at the company forever
•How did you like University?
Again, talk about your curiosity, ability to learn and gain experience
•What is your greatest weakness?
‘I’m a perfectionist’ or ‘I work too hard’ are trite and transparent as answers, so give
an example of a situation where you learnt to overcome a difficulty or to solve
problems
 Types of assessment techniques

•Group exercises
•Presentations
•Aptitude tests
•Interviews
•Case study
What you can expect - Group Exercises

•It’s quality not quantity that counts

•You should aim to complete the task
•Don’t seek to destroy
•Know how and when to compromise
•You can’t be assessed if you can’t be heard
•Read written briefs before exercises carefully
 What you can expect - Case Study

•Test your ability to assimilate written material and draw

out the important points
•Could be a case study, in-tray exercise or role-play
•Get an overview of the issues first
•Logically argue your case
•Keep cool
 Case Studies
Case studies vary from market sizing tasks to brain teasers and
business strategy/operational questions – all require the same process

Use a
Listen to the Take time Home in on relevant Offer
data, take to think key issues, framework actionable
notes, ask about avoid to structure solutions,
clarifying answers, distracting your not just
questions don’t rush tangents or answer, no theory
data jargon

Remember, there is no right answer – you are being tested on your

ability to think logically and communicate persuasively
 Purpose of Case Studies
Case studies are valuable to the
interviewer because:
The measure how well you are suited to the
type of work that a firm does day-to-day
They asses your analytical skills, creativity
and problem solving ability
They assess you ability to work in a
consulting project team
They require you to demonstrate your
communication skills (written and verbal)
Can you clearly explain your ideas?
What impression would you give a
client?
Case studies are valuable to the
interviewee because:
They allow you to experience many of the
aspects you will encounter in a career as a
consultant
Working with unfamiliar people from
different backgrounds
Quickly assimilating and presenting
information
They give you the chance to show that you
are right for the job
You don’t need any specialist
industrial or technical skills to
perform well in a case study
 What does an interviewer look for?
Performance Factor Interviewer’s thoughts
Analytical Skills Can you think creatively?
Do you think in a logical manner?
Strategic Thinking Are you able to use business frameworks to organise your thoughts
Do you consider the organisational and process issues?

Structured Problem Can you identify and prioritise the issues at hand?
Solving Can you break the problem into logical components?
Do you clearly state your assumptions?
Can you draw together your analysis of each component to make a sensible
conclusion?

Effective Comms Do you ask the appropriate high-level questions?

Can you effectively articulate your thoughts, ideas and recommendations?

Interpersonal Skills + Are you relaxed and confident?

Working Style Are you a good team player?
What impression would you give to the client?
 Common types of case study
Market entry and Industry analysis
A U.S. package company would like to enter the UK market, would you advise it
to do so?
Positioning and marketing
A financial services firm is offering a new type of loan. How should it be
marketed to maximise sales?
Performance improvement strategies
A major beverage manufacturer is reporting rising sales but declining profits,
why?
Benefits Assessment
An airline CEO has asked you to evaluate the benefits and pitfalls of electronic
ticketing

And sometimes you can be asked brain teasers!

e.g. market size estimation problems
ƒ How many tennis balls are there in the UK?
ƒ How many pints of beer are drunk in Cambridge each year?
 Approaching the case
Regardless of which type of case study you are presented with, your approach should
be the same:

Clarify the Structure Analyse the Synthesise

Problem the Issues Information and
Conclude

ƒ Ensure that you ƒ Logically break- ƒ Use the data and ƒ Draw together your
have a good down the problem information findings to present
understanding of into its component provided to a sensible
the business parts investigate each conclusion
issue in hand component

ƒ Remember, there is no ‘right answer’ – you are being tested on your ability to think logically
and communicate persuasively
ƒ However, there can be wrong answers, reached by ignoring important facts that you have
been given
 Organising your thoughts: models and frameworks
Frameworks are useful for providing structure to an analysis
Never try to squeeze a case into a framework, rather the framework should be
tailored to suit the case
We’ll consider 3 frameworks today:
SWOT analysis
Porters 5 forces
4 P’s of marketing

Health Warning!
ƒ It’s great to use frameworks for organising your thoughts, but it’s not necessary
to mention them explicitly during a case interview
ƒ Frameworks are not ‘magic wands’ that can solve any problem, you must be
creative to make good use of them
 Models and frameworks: SWOT Analysis
Strengths and weaknesses
Positive and negative aspects internal to the entity

Product: Quality, maturity, availability Organisation

Market Share Employee Relations
Brand Strength Culture
Customer Satisfaction Innovation
Management Finance: Reserves, cash flow, cost structure

Opportunities and Threats

Positive and negative aspects external to the entity

Economic Factors: Exchange rates, Interest rates, Technological change

growth rates
Regulators: Governmental influences
Market Trends: Consumer behaviour
Competitors: New products, new processes,
mergers etc.
Social factors: Disposable income, employment,
health and safety
Supply factors: cost, availability of energy, raw
materials
 Models and frameworks: Porter’s 5 Forces
Michael Porter’s Five Force model characterises the dynamics of competitive rivalry within an
industry:
Potential Entrants
Threat of New Entrants

Suppliers Industry Buyers

Bargaining power of Competitors Bargaining power of
suppliers Rivalry among existing buyers
companies

Substitutes
Threat of substitute
products or services
[Source: Competitive Strategy, Michael Porter]
 Models and frameworks: 4 P’s of Marketing
Provides a checklist of factors to consider when marketing a product
4 P’s are Product, Place, Price and Promotion

Product Place Price Promotion

Quality Channels List Price Advertising
Features Coverage Discounts Sales Promotion
Options Location Allowances
Style Transport Payment Period
Brand Name Credit Terms
Packaging
Service
Warranties
 Key Learning points
Do’s Don'ts

ƒ Listen carefully to the interviewer ƒForce-fit frameworks

ƒ Think before you speak
ƒExpect to find a ‘perfect’ answer
ƒ Ask for help when you are stuck
ƒUse too much jargon
ƒ Make notes

ƒ Draw diagrams if they aid your ƒPresent theoretical recommendations that

explanation could not realistically be implemented

ƒ Consider the organisational and process ƒBe over-dominant in group case study
issues in addition to the strategic issues exercises

ƒ Demonstrate enthusiasm

ƒ Show confidence, without being arrogant

Questions