Take a look at our Interviewing Handout (pdf).
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- Behavioral Interviews
- Case Interviews
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Interview Types
The majority of interviews for entry-level hiring fall into two types, behavioral interviews and case interviews.
- A Behavioral Interview is used by an employer to assess a candidate's skills and fit with their organization. At the core, the principle behind this type of interview is that past behavior will predict future behavior.
In most cases, the employer has predetermined a specific set of characteristics, often referred to as “competencies,” that are required to be successful in the available position. Examples of competencies might include problem-solving, teamwork, communication, and leadership. The employer then designs open-ended questions that ask you to refer back to a particular situation and describe how you responded.
For example, an interviewer may request, “tell me about a time when you were on a team that was not working well together.” The expectation then is that you site a specific situation from your own experience. Unless the interviewer indicates otherwise, the incident you describe can come from your work, school, activity, or volunteer experience. It is important that you have something specific to say and that you can describe your own role and what you learned from the particular situation you site. Be aware that the interviewer is expecting to ask you multiple questions in a thirty minute interview, so be as concise as possible while getting your point across.
- “A Case Interview is a dialogue about a business problem derived from real-life business situations. During the course of the discussion, the interviewer and interviewee will collaboratively work through a number of qualitative and quantitative approaches to the business question. The discussion typically moves from identifying a critical issue, breaking the problem into component parts, and finally recommending one or more solutions.
“A consulting firm, such as Bain & Company, uses case interviews to see how you think about the types of business problems we work on each day. The best case interviews are thoughtful and collaborative dialogues about potential approaches to solve a tough business problem. We are not looking for a "right answer" or asking you to display knowledge of specific business terms, current events or well-known frameworks. Rather, we hope to see a good dose of analytical problem-solving skills, creativity , common sense and recommendations aimed at generating results for our clients.
“Finally, at Bain we believe a good case interview should be fun and thought provoking as it is very similar to discussions you would have daily as a member of our team.
Adam Borchert, '98; Manager, Bain & Company
Interview Preparation
- Know the company – Well in advance of your interview, check the employer's web site and read any literature you picked up at events. Be sure to do a Google search and check relevant industry and news sources to pick up recent information.
- Know your resume - Be prepared to discuss anything and everything on your resume. Employers are interested in knowing what you've chosen to put your time and energy into, and why. Whenever you can, focus your responses on how these relate to the job for which you are interviewing.
- Strategize - Before the interview, outline your goals to determine what you want your interviewer to know about you by the end of the session. Identify three or four points that you want to communicate; prepare a couple of conversational segues in case the conversation lags or wanders so that you can redirect the topic to your qualifications.
- Prepare questions - Have questions about the employer in hand so you can obtain the information you need to choose wisely and also underscore your interest in the job. Don't wait for your interviewer to ask you the right questions -- take the initiative to present yourself confidently.
- Dress the part – Dress codes vary among different industries and fields. Most employers expect students to be dressed in corporate attire for their interview; but, nonprofits may be more informal than business; retail and advertising employers may be more "creative" and fashion-conscious. Regardless, you should appear fresh and neatly groomed.
- Have a good attitude - Project enthusiasm, confidence, and a positive attitude. You must convey the message that you are the best candidate for the position and that this is the organization where you want to work. Be professional, polished, and confident.
Second Round Interviews
If you are a serious candidate for employment, an employer will likely invite you for further rounds of interviews, perhaps at a location in Boston or Cambridge , but often on-site in the city where you will be working. If an employer invites you for second or third round interviews, you can generally expect a fairly full day of meetings with a range of potential colleagues and supervisors. Make sure you get the names and titles of people with whom you'll be interviewing so that you are prepared. The interviews are likely to be similar to your first round, but more in depth and with more and more senior interviewers. Know that while you are a serious candidate if you've made it to this stage, every part of the day (including lunch) is evaluative.
Interview Help at OCS
- OCS Power Half-Hour Interviewing Workshops – Check the OCS Program Calendar for dates and times.
- Mock Interview Marathons – Schedule a mock interview with an employer or an HBS student who has experience in your industry preference.
- General Mock Interviews – Make an appointment for a mock interview with one of the OCS career counselors.
- Industry Specific Interview Workshops – Led by employers in areas such as consulting, financial services, and banking, check the Employer Events and OCR Calendars for dates and times.
- OCS Publications – The OCS Interviewing guide is available at OCS.
- OCS Resource Library – Includes titles like Case in Point by Marc Cosentino and free access to http://www.casequestions.com.
