Can I get some more time for my case interviews???

Hi there,

It depends on how you're recruiting. It also depends on the firm and their pipeline/needs.

Recognize that if firm x needs to hire people to fill their pipeline requirements, that that is when you want to interview. You risk them filling their positions and not needing additional people afterwards.

Read: Risk, not certainty.

If you are in a recruiting cohort (e.g. MBA recruiting) you cannot delay interviews.

Ultimately, if they get back to you and offer you interview dates, the best option is to be 100% case ready by then AND accept their dates. However, you can ask to mvoe dates…they can say yes or no, and it can carry risk.

If you're worried about being ready in time, consider the following:

1) Coaching

2) The Most Common Pitfalls in Case Interview Preparation

3) Successful Interview Prep (preplounge.com)

4)End-to-end case interview training – from beginner to advanced (preplounge.com)

Hi there,

It depends.

If the office is recruiting on a rolling basis, you can extend your dates a bit. If the office recruits with a fixed window, you usually cannot extend it by a lot, if at all.

At the moment, there are also other considerations such as hiring quotes and a slowdown where it could make sense to not drag it out for too long as you risk being to late.

All the best,

Florian

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, it's quite common to request a rescheduling of your interview dates if you feel unprepared or have a valid reason. However, it's important to approach this request professionally and at the earliest opportunity.
• Moreover, this will depend on the region, country and consulting firm you will be interviewing with. For example, if the consulting firm conducts interviews on a rolling basis, you will most likely have more flexibility in scheduling than in a situation where the consulting firm conducts interviews in a fixed time slot.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

You can find the consulting salaries report 2024 here!

Hi there,

if you feel like you cannot pass the interviews without more preparation, then you should delay to at least have a realistic shot. But anything beyond a 2-week delay would raise eyebrows - as in why did you apply if you weren't planning on interviewing anytime soon?

However, as described already, postponing your interviews can carry the risk of the consulting firms already hiring the resources they need in the meantime or you missing specific recruiting deadlines (depending on the recruiting specifics and time windows of the individual firm).

In my opinion, you should only apply to consulting firms when you are about 80% interview ready so you won't run into a situation where you have to push the interview if you are one of the fortunate ones who get an interview invitation (unless there is an emergy of some sort of course). 

Best of luck

Yes, you can ask them for an extension if you need more time.

Hi there,

Q: Can I extend dates for case interviews if possible? If yes, by how long at max?

This depends on how the recruiting pipeline is structured (i.e., if it is with specific deadlines or rolling admissions). The best thing is to contact HR once you get an invitation and ask them if there is an option to postpone, worst case, they will say that’s not an option.

Good luck!

Francesco

This happens often.

The short answer is that yes, you can postpone. 

By how long? It depends on the office and firm. I've worked with candidates who postponed for 4-6 months and it was totally fine. 

What I would certainly avoid is postponing multiple times. 

The average candidate spends 2-3 months on their prep. So if you're at the start, that's the sort of timeline I'd have in mind. A coach could help you be more targeted and compress that timeline.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

I think it depends on the application process at the firm you are applying to. If it is on a rolling basis with a limited quota, then you have to apply and do the interview as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will want to give yourself enough time to prepare before your 1st round interview. My suggestions would be - you should be at least 70-80% interview-ready before you reach out to your contact for referrals, which will give you another 2-3 weeks to prepare before the 1st round of interviews. Hope this helps and best of luck!

Cheers,

David

If it is part of a recruitment cycle from University etc. then it is unlikely they will extend unless there are exceptional circumstances. However, if you are applying off-cycle then they usually agree to extend by a up to a few weeks. 

Hi,

Especially if you are an experienced hire, this is normally possible. Based on several coachees, I have seen anywhere from 1 week to 2-3 months, depending on the firms requirements and processes. 

All the best!