How can I become more conversational in case interviews? Advanced degree candidate, seeking advice after feedback from Bain Advantage interview. Thanks!

Congrats! You seem to be doing really great if that is the feedback you got. 

Introverts make for great consultants. You don’t need to be an extrovert and you don’t need to be confident either.

Interviews simulate real life work with clients in which you give them the center stage and collaborate with them to solve their problems. This requires:

-        Collaboration over presentation

-        Active listening over presentation

-        Clarifications over presentation

-        Etc.

 

You can see the pattern. 

Your role in engaging the interviewee is not to simply speak out loud and to present your thoughts to the interviewer, your role is to work with the interviewer as if they were a client. 

How can you do this?

1. Sit at 90° from the interviewer, NOT ACROSS. If you don’t have control over where you sit and you end up across, OFFSET yourself a little bit to either side. You want to avoid being directly across because that is the most confrontational position you can have. You will feel nervous, and so will the interviewer.

2. Always involve the interviewer. Whenever the interviewer speaks to you, come up with a follow up question or share your initial thoughts, and when you speak always ask for the view of the interviewer. This shows you are an active listener and a collaborator. 

3. Whenever you need thinking time in silence, ASK for it! Candidates often only do this at the beginning of the case while structuring. You can do this at any time, especially if you are not good at talking while thinking. It’s a way to involve the other person in what is going on. 

4. Draw / write down and turn the piece of paper to the interviewer. Especially if you are seated at 90° from the person this will be very effective, because now the interviewer has no choice but to be part of your team. Also, this action removes attention from yourself, you will both be looking at the paper. And it is a great way for you to talk without having to think what to say: your piece of paper has your talking points.

5. Explain, do not present. I cannot emphasize this enough. Whenever you share your thought process always follow the structure of “this was the starting point – these are my hypothesis – these are the analysis or questions I would ask to confirm them – this is what I found out – WHAT DO YOU THINK?”. 

6. Use the Q&A part of the case or the last 5 minutes with your interviewer. Most candidates neglect this and it is as crucial as the case. The last minutes are your chance to manage last impressions. Prepare questions that are interesting. The case you just did is most likely a real one the interviewer did in real life. Ask them about what happened and about their careers in the company. You will come across as a curious person, as interested in the other person, and as interested in the company. 

None of these actions require you to develop any particular skill or confidence or character trait. But if you do these people will find you “engaging”, regardless of how much time you talk, how confident you are, or how extroverted. 

At the end of the day, the interviewers are asking themselves: do I want to work with this person?

If the answer is YES, it will be a lot harder for them to turn you down, regardless of how you performed during the case.

That's a bummer you didn't get the Bain Advantage offer, but congrats on passing the other interviews! It sounds like you have strong case-cracking skills already. Here's how you can become more conversational in your next MBB interviews (McKinsey Insight, Bridge to BCG):

Understanding Conversational in MBB Interviews

It's Not Just Chit-Chat: Being conversational is about building rapport with the interviewer, actively listening, and engaging in a two-way dialogue during the case.

Think Collaboration, Not Presentation: MBB interviews emphasize a collaborative approach to problem-solving rather than simply delivering a polished presentation.

Becoming More Conversational

Active Listening: Pay close attention to the interviewer's questions and prompts. Summarize key points to demonstrate you are following along and avoid asking questions already answered.

Clarifying Questions: Do not hesitate to ask clarifying questions to ensure you fully understand the case situation. This shows your engagement and thoroughness.

Verbal Cues: Use verbal cues like "okay," "right," or "interesting" to acknowledge the interviewer's points and maintain the flow of conversation.

Explain Your Thinking: Rather than just presenting solutions, explain your thought process. Phrases like "Here's why I think this is important..." or "Let's brainstorm some options..." illustrate your analytical thinking.

Summarize and Check-in: Periodically summarize key points and conclusions. Ask the interviewer, "Does this make sense so far?" to ensure you are aligned.

Tips for Introverts

Prepare Conversation Starters: Have a few questions about the case or the firm ready to break the ice and show your genuine interest.

Practice Makes Progress: Role-play case interviews with friends or classmates, focusing on conversation and building rapport. Record yourself and review to identify areas for improvement.

Utilize Your Strengths

Leverage Your Analytical Skills: While being conversational is important, do not lose sight of your strong analytical skills that helped you succeed in previous interviews.

Be Yourself (Confident Version): You do not need to become an extrovert overnight. Be yourself, but with a confident and engaged demeanor.

Remember, even introverts can be excellent consultants. By focusing on active listening, explaining your thinking, and using conversational cues, you can showcase your strong case-cracking skills and collaborative spirit in your upcoming MBB interviews. Best of luck!

Hi Lakshay, your information in this question is conflicting with your other questions

• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/looking-to-pivot-into-consulting-with-a-social-science-background-advice-on-leveraging-my-unique-skills-and-finding-opportunities-20595
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-can-i-become-more-conversational-in-case-interviews-advanced-degree-candidate-seeking-advice-after-feedback-from-bain-advantage-interview-thanks-20588
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/senior-at-target-school-applying-for-full-time-associate-positions-is-management-consulted-black-belt-helpful-seeking-mbbbig-4-advice-for-latecomers-20587
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/ive-worked-in-operations-and-marketing-for-5-years-i-applied-for-a-tech-consultant-role-but-lack-the-necessary-skills-help-20594
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/interested-in-management-consulting-with-unique-experience-graduating-with-35-gpa-prestigious-college-no-interviews-from-top-firms-is-stem-required-20586

Can you please clarify which one is true?

Congratulations on the multiple offers, even though you have not had any MBB interviews prior to this that is a great sign. In terms of the actual feedback - it really seems very specific to your performance in the interview so in this case it would help to get either a coach or someone familiar with the recruiting process to help dissect the feedback and help you improve for your upcoming McK interview.

Great that you received this feedback directly. 

It's an important point because most candidates misunderstand the interview and get into this state where the interview is more like a tennis match than a conversation. 

But a conversation is exactly what it should be. 

The whole point of the case interview is to see how you would think through a problem with the client. 

There are lots of things that you can do, but one is to proactively ask for feedback and the integrate that feedback from the interviewer. 

Practically, for the calculation component for instance, you should share how you would solve the problem step by step and then ask for feedback on the approach from the interviewer. If they do have suggested changes, they do make sure you integrate those. 

Best,
Cristian

Given the ammount of contradictory questions you've written on the same day… are you posting these questions for someone else?