Oliver Wyman 2nd round of case interview

Question

Hello,

I passed my 1st round case interview with Oliver Wyman for an internship position in Doha. I found it quite simple and pleasant.
My next interview is next week on Tuesday with a Partner whose background is in Government and Public Affairs. Very similar to my professional background. I think it might be that it was done on purpose that they matched our profiles.
Anyway, please tell me how my 2nd interview could be different from the first and how I could prepare better.

Best,

Answer 1

Congratulations on landing a second-round interview with Oliver Wyman!

How the Second Interview Could Differ from the First

More Senior Interviewer: The dynamics might feel more conversational and strategic. Partners typically focus on assessing:
- Problem-Solving Depth: They may push you to explore the "big picture" implications of your answers and push you on the 2nd/3rd order implication of an insight/analysis (ask why/how)
- Business Judgement: Partners will test your ability to keep the client's best interest in mind and to propose solutions that are practical to implement, giving strategic priorities, cost/timing constraints, and any other pointers shared during the case
- Executive Presence: To put it simply, could the Partner leave you in the room with a reasonable senior client and not be afraid of how you will interact / represent OW. A few things that matter here: 1) top-down (structured) communication, concise (as opposed to wordy) statements, body language, tone, space, etc
Potential Focus on Your Background: The alignment between your and the Partner's background in Government and Public Affairs might lead to:
- Case contexts that reflect public sector challenges
- Behavioral questions digging into your experience to assess relevance to Oliver Wyman’s work in this sector

On the Day of the Interview

Treat the interview as a two-way conversation
Demonstrate a genuine interest in public sector consulting (try to find articles from that practice, esp. ones co-authored by the Partner)
Stay confident but humble—partners look for consultants they would enjoy working with on client engagements

Best of luck for Tuesday! If you would like more in-depth coaching to ace your second-round interview and increase your chances of looking into this offer, let's schedule a coaching session this weekend.