INDIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
CONSULTING CASE BOOK
Class of 2017
THE CONSULTING CLUB
HYDERABAD | MOHALI
Contents
From the President’s desk ..................................................................................................................3
Letter from the Vice President ............................................................................................................5
Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................8
MANAGEMENT CONSULTING INDUSTRY .............................................................................................9
KNOW YOUR COMPANY ................................................................................................................... 15
McKinsey & Company................................................................................................................... 16
Boston Consulting Group .............................................................................................................. 17
Bain and Company ....................................................................................................................... 18
A.T. Kearney ................................................................................................................................ 19
Accenture Strategy ....................................................................................................................... 20
The Parthenon Group ................................................................................................................... 21
Deloitte USI S&O .......................................................................................................................... 22
Ernst and Young – Performance Improvement .............................................................................. 23
KPMG .......................................................................................................................................... 24
Roland Berger .............................................................................................................................. 25
Dalberg Global Development Advisors .......................................................................................... 26
ZS Associates................................................................................................................................ 27
PREPARATION FOR DREAM JOB ....................................................................................................... 28
CV/COVER LETTER ............................................................................................................................ 33
Resume........................................................................................................................................ 34
Sample Resumes ................................................................................................................................. 39
Sample Cover Letters .......................................................................................................................... 40
PERSONAL INTERVIEW ..................................................................................................................... 42
CASE INTERVIEW APPROACH ............................................................................................................ 47
CASE FRAMEWORKS ........................................................................................................................ 53
PROFITABILITY FRAMEWORK ........................................................................................................ 54
MARKET ENTRY FRAMEWORK ...................................................................................................... 64
PE INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK ..................................................................................................... 69
VALUE CHAIN FRAMEWORK ......................................................................................................... 70
M&A FRAMEWORK ...................................................................................................................... 72
NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH FRAMEWORK ......................................................................................... 75
PRICING FRAMEWORK.................................................................................................................. 76
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SALES FORCE EFFECTIVENESS FRAMEWORK .................................................................................. 78
OTHER TYPES OF CASES ................................................................................................................ 79
GUESSTIMATES ................................................................................................................................ 80
KNOW YOUR INDUSTRY ................................................................................................................... 86
Pharma (India) ............................................................................................................................. 87
Healthcare Industry ...................................................................................................................... 88
Telecom Industry ......................................................................................................................... 89
FMCG ........................................................................................................................................... 90
CASE EXPERIENCES ........................................................................................................................... 93
McKinsey & Company................................................................................................................... 94
Boston Consulting Group ............................................................................................................ 135
Bain & Company ........................................................................................................................ 144
A.T. Kearney .............................................................................................................................. 159
Accenture .................................................................................................................................. 164
The Parthenon Group ................................................................................................................. 179
Deloitte USI (S&O) ...................................................................................................................... 183
Ernst & Young – Performance Improvement ............................................................................... 191
KPMG India Pvt Ltd..................................................................................................................... 196
PwC India Pvt Ltd. ...................................................................................................................... 200
PwC DIAC ................................................................................................................................... 205
Roland Berger ............................................................................................................................ 208
Dalberg ...................................................................................................................................... 211
Mu Sigma ................................................................................................................................... 216
Cognizant interview tips ............................................................................................................. 219
PLAN B : WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? .................................................................................................... 223
What is a Plan B?........................................................................................................................ 224
Why is it important? ................................................................................................................... 224
How to interpret the testimonials? ............................................................................................. 224
APPENDIX ...................................................................................................................................... 231
Personal Interview Question Bank .............................................................................................. 231
Gallup Personal Interview questions ........................................................................................... 238
SOP for Standard Activities – Hyderabad campus ........................................................................ 239
2
From the President’s desk
Dear Consulting Enthusiasts,
I take immense pleasure in sharing Co2017 case book with you and I hope this document
acts as a good guiding document about the club and related activities.
Broadly, consulting club aspires to help students do following:
Provide clarity on the consulting as a career
Prepare complete life cycle of the interview process
Exposure through case competitions and networking
Consulting is a myriad of opportunities. Providing clarity helps student understand various
career options within consulting. Club organizes a number of events to increase awareness
about types of consulting firms and understand nuances about roles they offer. We invite
experienced consultants and partners to share their experience and address student’s
queries.
Lifecycle of an interview process can be overwhelming in ISB’s fast paced curriculum.
Planning your prep by understanding relative importance of each phase helps to identify
improvement areas and avoid issues such as information asymmetry. Club focuses on all
the aspects starting from resume building to mock interviews. Club arranges workshops
from the best in the industry and assigns a buddy for personalized coaching for the
shortlisted students. This casebook intends to apprise you especially regarding the case
preparation. Overall, preparation is a robust process and enables students to assess their
profile and chances of success on the D-day.
Consulting club organizes ‘Consilium’, a business strategy case competition, inviting
students from other top B-schools and offering a platform to compete with the best.
Competition is judged by a consortium including judges from the top consulting firms.
Although, going forward, it is plausible to engage with a consulting firm and explore
opportunities such as pre-placement offer. Also, club arranges networking events prior to
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placements to learn about different interview experiences, lifestyle and career progression
of these firms.
Successful implementation of all the above mentioned activities requires support and
participation from ISB students. Participation in huge numbers drives motivation of the
overall campus and helps club assess student’s requirements.
Lastly, I’d like to thank all my colleagues who contributed their case interview experience
for this case book. I’d also like to thank the alumni involved in guiding us through our
placement process as well as contribute ideas to the club activities. I request all of you
leverage consulting club to the fullest and wish you all the very best for your dream jobs
and career.
Cheers,
Kanishk Chaturvedi
President, Consulting Club
Class of 2017
4
Letter from the Vice President
Dear all,
I hope you are enjoying the ISB experience and learning from the varied opportunities that
ISB has to offer. Now that you have opened this case book, I am sure that your dream job is
to get into a top notch consulting firm. As you would have stepped into ISB, our alums
would have advised you to use your time wisely to get those grades and prepare yourself
fully for the coveted consulting job. This case book is an attempt to help you thoroughly
prepare for the consulting interviews.
Before you dive into the case book, I would like to elaborate on how to best leverage this
book for your preparation.
Pre-preparation – many of you would have come from a non-consulting
background. The Co17 has worked extremely hard to compile a section for you in
the case book to help you understand how the industry is structured, who the top
players are and what the typical career graph is like. I hope this benefits everyone in
the class to be better prepared for personal interviews at consulting firms and also
to understand which firm suits their pre-ISB experience the best.
Resume and cover letter – the first time a consulting firm will ever get to know
you are through your CV and/or cover letter. A well – structured resume can
significantly increase your chances of getting that coveted shortlist. You will hear
alums tell you that you need 20 – 30 iterations on your CV (sometimes maybe more)
and they are right! I cannot stress more the importance of having a well – rounded
CV. The section on ‘resume and cover letter’ details out how you need to work on
your resume and cover letter with appropriate timelines on when you should begin
and have a draft ready.
Personal interview – most consulting aspirants leave out this part thinking that
majority of the weightage is given to case interviews. Well, consulting companies
look for well-rounded personalities. Yes, critical thinking is an important aspect of a
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candidate’s personality but a candidate is also judged on how hardworking he/she
is, how well he/she can work in teams and how comfortable he/she is interacting
with clients. All these qualities come out through the personal interview. We have
compiled a list of questions in the appendix and also have pointers on how to
prepare for the personal interview in the ‘preparation for the dream job’ section.
Buddy groups – it is extremely critical for you to know which of your classmates
are interested in consulting so that you can form peer buddy groups with them. The
good thing about ISB is its peer diversity and the fact there is so much to learn from
every student at ISB. Therefore, find your friends and form buddy groups ASAP!
Case interviews – probably the most dreaded and the most difficult part of a
consulting interview! Well, fear not. The consulting club is here to help. This part of
the preparation should begin with understanding the case frameworks and
practicing at least 4 – 5 cases with your buddy group every day. The intensity should
definitely increase once you near your placements. Remember, frameworks are just
a guiding tool. On the day of the interview, the interviewer would prefer if you can
exhibit out of the box thinking while solving cases. The section on ‘case experiences’
will help you to understand how the Co17 tackled the cases during their interviews.
If not consulting, then what? – as much as we would like it to get our dream jobs in
our post MBA careers, sometimes things may take a different turn and land us in a
completely different field. That doesn’t mean that you are any less than the rest of
the class. Many of the alums/batch mates actually end up making wonderful careers.
Read on the section on ‘Plan B’ to understand what other options you can have apart
from consulting. Don’t ever be disheartened if you don’t get into a consulting firm.
Remember, whatever happens, happens for the best!
Now that I am on the other side of the table, I would just like to reiterate not to get stressed
with the amount of work that needs to be done for consulting interviews. You are all
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brilliant ISB students and will fare well. Be disciplined, start early and keep track of your
progress.
Lastly, I hope you enjoy your entire ISB journey. Remember, the school has a lot to offer
and I hope you work on building on your soft skills, leadership abilities, and network with
classmates and alums in order to learn from their experiences. It is not just a school that
will help you get the dream job but a platform that will help you build your career. I am
confident that you will graduate from ISB with flying colours. I wish you all the best with
your preparation!
Best wishes,
Grishma Chowdhery
Vice President, Consulting Club
Class of 2017
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Acknowledgements
It took almost over a month to compile the casebook and restructure the same. We have
added new sections and restructured the format to enhance the preparation for the future
batches. I am grateful to the following people for working on the case book for the year
2016-17:
Ambuj Tiwari
Ashish Khanna
Asif Zafar
Dhruv Goel
Divya Garcha
Gaurav Pansari
Hridhay Rajkumar
Kaushal Narayan
Kunal Jain
Mugdha Dhavalikar
Pranav Prince
Pranjal Deshmukh
Premanand Hegde
Sean Fernandes
Sibin Varghese
Tanuj Govil
Varun Sugandhi
Also, special thanks to our batch mates who patiently documented their interview
experiences and shared the same with us.
Without your support, this case book wouldn’t have been possible!
Best wishes,
Grishma Chowdhery
Vice President, Consulting Club
Class of 2017
8
MANAGEMENT CONSULTING
INDUSTRY
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“A management consultant is a man who knows 101 ways to make love but doesn’t know any
women.”
Now that we have your attention, we hope to, in the next 15 minutes, give you an overview
of the industry you wish to join. This article is divided into 3 sections. We begin by
describing what consulting is via ‘Consulting 101’. Next, we take a shot at classifying
different types of consulting firms. Finally, we leave you with a list of the major consulting
firms (most of which hire from ISB) along with links to additional resources so that you can
dig deeper at your leisure.
Part 1: Consulting 101
Consultants are problem-solvers for hire: businesses and government bring them on board
when they have a problem that’s too complicated or the resources needed would be too
great for internal staff to resolve.
Let’s zoom out. The consulting industry is part of the much bigger ‘Professional Services’
industry. Management consultancy, investment banks and big law firms are considered the
Holy Trinity of white-collar careers and, that’s probably why this job tickled your fancy.
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Let’s zoom in now, shall we? At the heart of the industry stand 5 main segments–Strategy
Consulting, Operations Consulting, HR Consulting, Financial Advisory and Technology
Consulting. While there are many types of consulting firms, we will focus on the
management consulting firms (firms that offer strategy, operations and human resources
consulting).
Part 2: Types of Consulting firms
Hold on, what’ the difference between management consulting and strategy
consulting you ask? The two terms are often blurred together, because ‘strategy’ seems to
get MBA students, such as you, to perk up their ears. A firm that calls itself a ‘management
consulting’ firm on its website, will probably tell us that they are a ‘strategy’ firm in their
PPT (Pre-Placement Talk). However, let’s answer a basic question first: What the heck is
strategy? This is how Bain & Company describes it:
Imagine you are a CEO. You are beginning to lose market share on your key product.
Marketing urges you to increase advertising and reduce prices. R&D has high hopes on a
new product and wants more money. Finance is worried about your debt level. Human
Resources does not find enough qualified people to support your development. And you
have just been offered to buy (at a good price, of course) one of your competitors. What do
you do? First, you'll have to make choices. Then, you'll have to ensure that these choices
will give you the proverbial competitive advantage. Maybe you need to trim costs. Maybe
you need to spend more to innovate. Maybe you need to expand to exploit economies of
scale. But whatever you do, you must do it better than the competition.
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That is business strategy. Strategy consulting is done at a very high level in the
organization, typically that of the Board and the CEO. These are the ones making the
choices. Below, the organization focuses on implementing the decisions (sometimes
assisted by OTHER consultants). These ‘other consultants’ are the ‘non-strategy’
consultants providing Operations Consulting, HR Consulting, Financial Advisory &
Technology Consulting.
A partner at a strategy consultancy claims “OTHER consultants sit at the front of the
classroom. Strategy consultants stay in the back, not paying attention, throwing paper
airplanes. But they still get the girls and get rich.”
Ouch. But it does contain a grain of truth. These OTHER consultants—the fine-detail guys
who tinker with businesses’ internal processes to make them run better—generally do not
enjoy the same glamour or financial rewards as strategy specialists, whose job is to advise
firms on make-or-break deals, adopting new business models and other big stuff. However,
the important point to remember is that though there is a difference in initial (joining)
salary between strategy and non-strategy (other) consultants, in the long run the
best of both get similar compensations.
Strategy firms like McKinsey, Bain and the Boston Consulting Group (also known by ‘MBB’)
are packed with highly paid partners and whisper their counsel in CEOs’ ears. In contrast,
non-strategy consulting firms such as Accenture and the Big Four accounting firms
(Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC) employ armies of specialists; and tend to answer to the client
firm’s finance or tech chiefs.
However, that line has begun to blur as Big 4 + Accenture have all either acquired or have
started their own strategy practices. Their push into strategy has been a decade in the
making - they foresee the two sides of consulting converging as more clients want a onestop shop that can both devise a strategy and execute it. That foresight is backed by data
which proves that at traditional strategy-consulting firms (MBB), the share of work that is
classic strategy is now about 20% - down from 60% to 70% some 30 years ago.
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Part 3: List of firms and links to additional resources
The following is an attempt at classifying some of the best-known consulting firms.
Group#1 (Crème de la crème):
Group#2* (focused on strategy):
Group#3 (do all kinds of consulting, including strategy, but do not have a sharp focus on
strategy):
*Several of the Group#2 companies have their roots in a specific domain/function and are a
force to reckon with (i.e. they are better than MBB in that domain/function). Parthenon Education Strategy, A.T.Kearney - Operations Strategy, Accenture - Technology Strategy,
Roland Berger - Manufacturing Strategy.
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For the curious cats among you, here’s some more information on consulting:
Want to know how to customize your cover letter for each firm? You’ll want to
find out what each firm is looking for in the MBAs they hire. Get that information at
Poets & Quants’ MBA Career Guide. http://poetsandquants.com/mba-career-guide/
Wondering about the future of the consulting industry? Find our more in the
Harvard Business Review (HBR) article - Consulting on the Cusp of Disruption by
Clayton Christensen et al. https://hbr.org/2013/10/consulting-on-the-cusp-ofdisruption
Curious about the history of management consulting? The ‘Consulting Industry
Overview’ on STREETOFWALLS is an excellent resource.
http://www.streetofwalls.com/finance-training-courses/consulting-interviewtraining/consulting-industry-overview/
If you want to dig deeper still, the following additional resources are a good starting point:
a) CaseInterview.com: What is Management Consulting - Victor Cheng
(http://www.caseinterview.com/management-consulting)
b) MBA Crystal Ball: How the consulting recruitment cycle works on campus at ISB Kanav Sharma (http://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2016/05/18/consultingrecruitment-cycle-isb/)
c) Vault (http://www.vault.com/industries-professions/industries/consulting.aspx)
Note:
Several infographics, paragraphs and sentences in this article, have been quoted from
Consultancy.uk, The Economist, OpenBusinessCouncil.org & Getajobinconsulting.com
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KNOW YOUR COMPANY
15
Overview
McKinsey & Company
About – McKinsey and Co. is a global management consulting firm
and also forms a part of the elite big-three ‘MBB’ consulting firms.
Types of consulting services offered – Management
Acquisitions of other consulting companies (last two years)
o Quantum Black (data analytics firm)
o Lunar (design consulting firm)
o 4tree (German big data solutions company)
Strategy vs implementation? – Primarily strategy but increasingly
moving towards implementation as well
Non-hierarchical, strictly merit-based firm with a fantastic training
and review process
Typical career
Junior Associate
path
Manager
Quick facts
Established - 1926
Associate
Associate Partner
Consultant
Engagement
Partner
Number of employees (worldwide) – 10,000+
Number of practice areas with few egs. – General Practice,
Industrial Operations, McKinsey Digital
Number of offices and countries present in – 110+ global offices
across 60+ countries
Global MD – Dominic Barton; India MD – Gautam Kumra
Interview
Pre shortlist – Resume (the standard ISB format), no cover letter
process
required [ the most crucial stage]
Round 1 – Personal + Case interview
Round 2 – Personal + Case interview, post which a shortlist for
round 3 is released
Round 3 – Mostly personal interview with a short case
N.B – In some cases an offer can be made even without having a
round 3 interview. Basically, you need to receive a green signal
from two partners.
16
Overview
Boston Consulting Group
About –One of the Big Three consulting firms globally, with 3
offices in India (Mumbai, Gurgaon, Chennai). Features regularly in
top consulting and top workplaces lists
Types of consulting services offered - BCG offers strategy
consulting for corporates, public sector and social sectors
Strategy vs implementation? – BCG’s major projects are in sync
with industry demands and most projects are end to end provision
of consulting services, i.e. it includes implementation of solutions.
The firm believes in a bottom- up approach to solving problems.
Lookup BCG Henderson Institute for details on research in BCG.
Typical career
Senior Associate (Typical hiring position from ISB) > Consultant>
path
Project Leader> Principal> Partner
Quick facts
Established - 1963
Number of employees (worldwide) - ~12,000
Number of practice areas with few egs - Diversified
Number of offices and countries present in – 88 in 48 countries
Interview
Pre shortlist – PPT -> Resume Shortlist -> Buddy Program ->
process
Dinner/ Lunch -> Interviews
Round 1 – Interview with a team lead, lasting 45 min.
Round 2 – Interview with another Project lead. Case was one that
he was working on presently
Informed about selection for next round within 5 min post interview
Round 3 – Interview with Project Lead. Live case discussion and
conversations around different projects the PL was working on.
Round 4 – Interview with Partner lasting about an hour. Case he
had recently completed.
Additional info:
All the interviews were conversational – no pressure situations
Confidence in the interviews is must
17
Bain and Company
Overview
About - Bain & Company is an American global management
consulting firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It provides
advisory services to businesses, nonprofit organizations, and
governments, and is one of the Big Three strategy consulting firms
(MBB).
Types of consulting services offered - Strategy
Strategy vs implementation? - Strategy
Great work culture, strong peer group, amazing exit opportunities
Typical career
Associate Consultant -> Senior Associate Consultant -> Consultant -
path
> Case Team Leader -> Manager -> Principal -> Partner
Quick facts
Established - 1973
Number of employees (worldwide) - ~6,000
Number of practice areas with few egs - Private Equity, IT, CPG,
Corporate Finance etc.
Number of offices and countries present in - 50+ offices in ~34
countries
Interview
Pre shortlist – CV
process
Round 1 – Case interview with a manager, minimal PI (hardly 5
minutes)
Round 2 – Case interview with a manager, minimal PI (hardly 5
minutes)
Round 3 – You may or may not have an additional case interview
with another manager. Same format as the above rounds.
Round 4 – Case interview with Partner. Limited PI, focusing
broadly on work experience and why consulting.
18
Overview
A.T. Kearney
About – A.T. Kearney
Types of consulting services offered – Strategy, Procurement and
Analytics
Strategy vs implementation? – Both
The firm has two practices: General Practice (GP) and Procurement
& Analytic Solutions (PAS).
GP recruitment is for the India team and these recruits are usually
staffed on engagements within India. PAS recruits are a part of the
Global Staffing and majorly work on International engagements.
Typical career
Analyst, Senior Analyst, Associate, Manager, Senior Manager,
path
Director, Vice President, Partner
Quick facts
Established - 1926
Number of employees (worldwide) - 3600
Number of practice areas with few egs – GP & PAS
Number of offices and countries present in – Offices in more than
40 countries
Interview
Pre shortlist – Resume
process
Round 1 – Case Interview & PI
Round 2 - Case Interview & PI
Round 3 – Case Interview & PI
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Overview
Accenture Strategy
Accenture Strategy operates at the intersection of business and
technology. Vault ranks it as the 5th best strategy consulting firm.
Consulting services offered - Strategy/Operations/Technology/HR
Acquisitions - SBC, Kurt Salmon, 2nd Road, Javelin Group, Seabury
Group, Axia Limited (6 acquisitions in past 2 years).
Accenture Strategy is primarily focused on strategy. Other
Accenture divisions focus on implementation.
Industry specializations - 15 different focused industries, including
media, energy, life sciences, banking, health, public service etc.
Insights – Prioritizes hiring women (40%+ consultants are
women). Futuristic (looks for entrepreneurial disruptor mindset in
new hires). Hires for 2 divisions IB (India Business) and CN
(Capability Network). IB serves Indian clients while CN serves
global clients. Globally ranked # 1 consulting firm for IT, # 3 for
Ops. and Energy
Typical career
Analyst -> Consultant (Associate) -> Manager (Engagement
path
Manager) -> Senior Manager (Principal) -> Managing Director
(Partner)
Quick facts
Established -1951 (formerly known as Anderson Consulting)
Number of employees at Accenture Strategy - 9,000 (worldwide)
Accenture (ACN) is the world’s largest stand-alone consulting firm
with ~ 400,000 employees in 200 offices across 120 countries
Interview
Shortlist - Resume based screening. Unlike other major consulting
process
firms, they do not filter based on GPA. Work exp. is key criteria.
Round 1 - Case interview with some behavioral questions
Round 2 - Case interview (intense). Given a live case (Interviewer
was working on it). Look for practically implementable solutions.
Round 3 - Partner round. He already has feedback from the
previous interviews. Casual chat to evaluate for cultural fit.
20
Overview
The Parthenon Group
Founded in 1991 by 2 Bain consultants – John Rutherford and
William Achtmeyer
Focuses on strategic consulting primarily
Look to hire ‘smart’, ‘nice’, ‘driven’ individuals
Works in multiple sectors such as consumer, education, financial
services, healthcare, life sciences, oil and gas, private equity etc
Global leaders in education consulting
Typical career
Associate > Senior Associate > Principal (Hired from ISB) > Senior
path
Principal (Vice President) > Partner (Managing Director)
Quick facts
EY advisory purchased ‘The Parthenon Group’ in June 2014
Number of countries present in – 22 countries
Number of employees (worldwide) – 600+
Company hires for their Mumbai office from ISB
Interview
Pre shortlist – PPT -> Resume Shortlist -> Buddy Program ->
process
Dinner/ Lunch -> Interviews
Round 1/2/3 – Interview – could be personal interview or case
based
Round 3/4 – Partner Round – A case presentation to partner for 45
mins. Case to be provided 30 mins prior to interview
Additional info:
People from firm judge you on how well you will be able to fit in the
company fabric
Cases can vary from guestimates to Private Equity or Mergers
Company practices double staffing i.e. employing a consultant on 2
projects in parallel, hence do pursue the interviews only if you are
willing to give all your time to work
Confidence in the interviews is must
21
Deloitte USI S&O
Overview
About - Deloitte is one of the "Big Four" accounting firms and the
largest professional services network in the world by revenue and
number of professionals.
Types of consulting services offered - Strategy
Acquisitions of other consulting companies - Monitor Deloitte, exists
as a separate entity
Strategy vs implementation? - Strategy
Notable developments in the past 2 years - Joint Venture between
USI and other member firms
Amazing work culture, great mobility options
Typical career
Consultant - > Senior Consultant -> Manager -> Senior Manager ->
path
Director
Quick facts
Established - 1845
Number of employees (worldwide) - 244,400
Number of practice areas with few egs - Strategy & Operations,
Technology, Strategy & Architecture, Human Consulting,
Technology Consulting
Interview
Pre shortlist – Only CV required
process
Round 1 – 30 mins PI and guesstimate with a manager
Round 2 – 45 – 60 mins case round with a panel
Round 3 – 30 mins PI with a partner and a manager
22
Overview
Ernst and Young – Performance Improvement
About – EY is one of the big four accounting firms. Its Performance
Improvement service (under its advisory division) helps clients
solve their management and operational challenges
Types of consulting services offered – strategy, supply chain,
finance, customer and people and organization
Strategy vs implementation – high focus on implementation with
some strategy projects
Industry – TMT, Industrials, Infrastructure and Consumer Goods,
Financial Services, Government Advisory
Lots of opportunities available within the firm to grow quickly and
ample travel opportunities within India
Typical career
Analyst
path
Associate Consultant
Consultant
Senior Consultant
Manager
Senior Manager
Director
Executive Director
Partner
Quick facts
Established - 1989
Number of employees (worldwide) – approx. 200,000 including
audit, tax and advisory
Number of offices and countries present in – 700 offices in 150
countries
Interview
Pre shortlist – CV
process
Round 1 – 30- 45 mins case round with a manager
Round 2 – 30 – 45 mins PI with a partner. May include a case too
Round 3 – 30 mins PI with the HR manager
23
Overview
KPMG
About - A professional services company and one of the Big Four
auditors, along with Deloitte, EY and PwC.
Types of consulting services offered – KPMG offers operations,
strategy, and management consulting services under its Advisory
wing.
Strategy vs implementation? – In keeping with industry
requirements, most of KPMG’s projects are an end-to-end provision
of consulting services i.e.: it includes strategy and implementation.
The firm prefers developing industry-level expertise among its
consultants, rather than taking the generalist approach.
Typical career
Analyst/ Associate Consultant
path
Consultant (Typical hiring position for ISB)
Senior Consultant
Manager
Senior Manager
Partner/ Associate Partner
Quick facts
Established - 1987
Number of employees (worldwide) – 189,000
Number of practice areas with few egs – Audit, Tax and Advisory
(with Consulting coming under the wing of Advisory services).
Number of offices and countries present in – 152 countries,
multiple offices in each country.
Interview
Pre shortlist – PPT -> Resume Shortlist
process
Round 1 – Group Discussion lasting ~20 minutes
Round 2 – Personal Interview with a Partner and a Manager, lasting
~1 hour
24
Overview
Roland Berger
Global Strategy Consulting firm based in Munich
Strategy , Management & Ops Consulting
Acquired FMC Consultants
Project continuity till strategy implementation
Expanding globally especially in India
A lot of new projects that the company is working on
Quick facts
Established - 1967
Number of employees (worldwide) - 2400
Number of offices and countries present in - 50 in 36 countries
Interview
Pre shortlist – CV required along with optional cover letter
process
Round 1 – Interaction round where they ask questions to
understand you better + case. After successfully finishing the case ,
the interviewer opened the floor to ask any questions the
candidate had regarding the firm or the role
Round 2 – Some of the interviewees had an intermediate round
which was along similar lines as detailed in the Round 1
description
Round 3 – This round was with the partner. It was mainly
conversational. It started off with personal questions and some
current affairs discussion. May include a case. The candidate was
asked to ask any questions he/she might have.
25
Overview
Dalberg Global Development Advisors
About - consulting for the development space. Typical clients
include Governments, NGOs, impact funds, private companies
looking to work in the development space.
Types of consulting services offered - mostly strategy
Strategy vs implementation: mix of both. But more strategy than
implementation.
You need to be ready to work in this space for some time before
getting into it. Typical aspirational exit opportunities include
central agencies like World Bank.
Typical career
The rough path is: Consultant, Senior consultant, project manager,
path
senior project manager, Partner
Quick facts
Established - 2001
Number of employees (worldwide) - 200
Number of offices and countries present in - 15
Interview
CV shortlist
process
10 minute Skype interview testing reading comprehension, basic
quant and the motivation to join Dalberg.
Round 1 – typical case interview in the development space with a
consultant
Round 2 - typical case interview in the development space with a
project manager
Round 3 – Case interview with Partner
Round 4 - Case interview with Partner
26
Overview
ZS Associates
About - ZS Associates is a global management consulting firm
specializing in using data driven strategies to provide sales and
marketing solutions.
Types of consulting services offered - ZS services include
consulting, outsourcing, technology, and software
Strategy vs implementation – Mostly implementation with a bit of
strategy
Industry specializations - Pharmaceuticals
Notable developments in the past 2 years – The company has been
growing at an accelerated rate with a total strength close to 4K in
India itself
The firm believes in partnering with the clients and helping them
solve their problems in a collaborative fashion
Typical career
Consultant
path
Manager
Associate Principal
Principal
Quick facts
Established - 1983
Number of employees (worldwide) - 5000
Number of practice areas with few egs - Sales and Marketing
Consulting; Outsourcing; Technology
Number of offices and countries present in – 22 offices across the
globe
Interview
Pre shortlist – PPT
process
Round 1 – Behavioral interview - 45 minutes
CV with cover letter
Round 2 – Case interview - 45 minutes
Round 3 – Partner round – 30 minutes
27
Resume shortlist
PREPARATION FOR DREAM JOB
28
This section summarizes what you need to do to prepare for the dream consulting job. The
information is collated from the experience of the Co17 batch as well as those of our alums.
What do you need to prepare?
Resume
Personal Interview
Course material knowledge
Case interview, including guesstimates
Company specific knowledge
Timelines
• Resume – First cut: Beginning of term 3, Finalize: End of 4th term
• Personal Interview- 5th term onwards
• Case interview- 5th term onwards
• Company specific knowledge- Few Weeks before interview
Resume
Get started with building your resume ASAP. This is not a small task and can easily take
over 4 to 7 days and much iteration. Go through the resume section of this book. Also
compare your resume with that of people who were selected last time. You don’t have to
create a final copy now, but write everything down and identify what is missing.
Are you coming out as a balanced personality with some kind of focus or peak in life? If
there are holes in your resume fill those in next couple of months. E.g. what extracurricular activities you have done lately? Have you demonstrated leadership anywhere?
Revisit your resume at the end of fourth term, get it reviewed by your friends, alums make
sure there are no holes. Again compare your resume with that of people who were selected
last time.
Course material knowledge
Focus on studies for the first four terms. Get as much knowledge as possible, get grades as
well. After fourth/ fifth term (our placements took place in the beginning of term 6 in Nov)
you don’t need to worry too much about the grades, but focus on interview preparation.
Focus on selective subjects in electives. Revise following subjects before you go to
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interview:
Marketing Frameworks
Competitive strategy frameworks
Micro economics
Macro economics
Operations management/strategy
Accounting
Make sure you review the following core term lecture slides (they are packed with
interesting frameworks) – Marketing Management (Term 1), Managerial Economics (Term
1), Competitive Strategy (Term 2), Marketing Decision Making (Term 2), Global Economics
(Term 2), Management Accounting in Decision Making (Term 3), Corporate Finance (Term
3), Operations Management (Term 3), Management of Organizations (Term 4).
The following elective courses could also be useful – Business Valuations using Financial
Statement, Strategic Performance Management, Corporate Control, Mergers & Acquisitions,
and Consumer Behavior.
Personal interview preparation
Starting 5th term make groups with other people interested in consulting and start
preparing for interviews. Limit the group size to max 4.
Know your resume in and out. Don’t think that you have made your resume and thus you
know it all. The interviewer can ask questions on even a single word that you have written.
There is a huge list of personal questions, take that and see if you can answer those
questions. If possible write down your answers. Do mock interview sessions in your
interview preparation groups.
Case interview preparation
Loads of cases are available in ISB consulting books over the years. Focus should be first on
completing ISB books and then moving on to other. Do mock case interview in your
interview preparation group + Solve cases on your own + live cases once shortlist is out.
Try to identify case categories and create a mental map of how you would approach a
particular type of case.
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Also, maintain a notebook where you write down case tips, PI tips, structures and any notes
that you might pick up during your practice sessions, alumni sessions etc. It is easy to
review a single notebook that pour over case notes, lecture notes etc. The notebook will
also prove to be very valuable on D-Day.
Company specific knowledge
A few weeks before the interview, go through the website of the company that is
interviewing you, understand their offerings, their revenue figures, how they are growing,
what are their problem areas and any recent press coverage. You can also talk to alums that
are in the company to know company specific culture. If some info is possible on the
interviewers ten that also is helpful.
D-Day – What to expect!
Day 1 can be arduous, especially for those with multiple shortlists. It is an emotional roller
coaster. Hence, you should preserve your mental and physical stamina on that day. You
need to be as fresh at 9pm as you were at 9am. You could be giving anything from 2
interviews to 15-16 interviews on that day. During the last 15 days, try doing couple of
marathon case sessions (including PI) with different people on same day. On the day
before, make sure you get lots of sleep. Relax and take it easy. Everyone has their own way
of doing this. If it makes you feel better, run through your notes, but avoid doing cases. CAS
plans your interview schedule to avoid conflicts. Review this the day before.
Physical Stamina
-
Keep a stock of chocolates, water etc. Keep your energy levels up.
-
Have someone close to you (family/friend) accompanying you. It helps take your
mind of distractions.
-
The day actually zips through before you know it. There might be times during the
day when you feel exhausted. Sit down and relax.
-
Be alert! There will be lots of phone calls from firms confirming you for the next
round, re-scheduling interview etc.
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Mental Stamina
-
Take it 1 case at a time. Don‘t worry about what happened in the preceding
interviews. Always remember that there is no gain in crying over spilt milk.
-
Hopefully, by now, you would have had a lot of practice. That really makes a man
perfect and case cracking would become second nature to you. Be natural.
-
CAS plans your interview schedule to avoid conflicts. Review this the day before.
Deal with clashes by calling up the volunteers and seeking re-scheduling.
The Interview
-
Enjoy it!
-
Connect with the interviewer during the PI. Almost all firms share the profile of
their interviewers in advance.
-
You will have the opportunity to ask the interviewer questions. Use this well.
Prepare your questions in advance.
-
If you have multiple shortlists, have an internal pecking order ready. It will help as
you come down to the final rounds and are still interviewing with multiple firms.
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CV/COVER LETTER
33
Resume
Introduction
Resume is that one piece of paper that will actually get you the shortlists that you want,
specially consulting. Therefore, it is extremely critical to have a well-made resume failing
which a lot of people start missing the shortlists of their dream companies. Resume making
marks the start of the placement preparation at ISB. A good resume is a tool which
effectively communicates your story and differentiates you from other candidates. It is ‘not’
a laundry list of achievements you might have had in your life. It should highlight the so
called “spikes” that you have as a person, be it in professional, academic or any
extracurricular phases of your life. You should be able to highlight your key skill sets and
achievements required for a successful management consulting. One should start working
on their resumes a bit early (in early August). This is because companies like McKinsey,
come for resume review sessions in early September and if you have a draft ready, and you
can benefit a lot from that. Primary sources needed for making a good resume are KM
Portal, alum reviews. A good resume may take anywhere from 20 to 40 iterations so be
prepared to get it reviewed by as many alums and friends as possible.
Expectations of top consulting firms from a good resume
Each consulting firm on campus has its own subjective/objective criteria of short listing of
resume. It completely depends on how you can highlight the relevant skill-sets better than
others and convince the firm that you have the ‘spike’ in your resume. Typical
characteristics that firms look for in a candidate are:
1. Analytical skills
2. Problem solving
3. Communication
4. Leadership
5. Client/Senior Leadership management
6. Business/Commercial knowledge
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7. People Skills
8. Creativity
9. Quality of work experience
10. Non-Academic initiatives
What is a ‘spike’ in your resume?
Typically, lot of big consulting firms look for 2 spikes from the 3 sections of your resume
(Academics, Extracurricular Activities and Work Experience).
You will hear this word very frequently and wonder what exactly it means to have a spike
in your resume. However, there is no fixed rule or set guidelines which companies use to
consider any achievement in your resume as spike or not as the boundaries of spike are
very vague. Here are a few examples that can give you some clarity
Spike in academics:
If you are among the top 10% of the ISB class, consistently very good performance in
academics since under-graduation, any Olympiads or competitions that you may have won,
or Extraordinary GMAT score etc.
Spike in work experience:
Brand value of your previous organization such as ITC, McKinsey etc., Role and
responsibility handled in your previous job,
any significant value addition to the
organization, some very good projects that you might have done in your previous work
place, your rating as a profession at your work place
Spike in extracurricular:
Any significant position of responsibility (in ISB or outside), Extra-ordinary achievement in
sports/cultural events, passion that you pursue with full dedication such as dance,
adventure, and theatre can be used here.
It is noteworthy not to write something very inconsequential. Remember what you write as
an achievement is reflective to the company of what you think is an achievement? (THINK
RELEVANT)
35
DISCLAIMER: This illustration by no means implies that if you don’t have these things on
your resume, your chances of getting shortlist are by any means less. These are factors in
resume which enhance your chances of getting a shortlist from a consulting firm.
STEP 1: Making the first draft
The best way to start making the resume is to list down all the achievements you have done
till now. After that the next step is to go through the KM Portal and download all the
resumes of the alums that have been recruited by your dream companies. After that skim
through each of the resumes and find the ones that match a bit with your profile. This step
is primarily important because, it makes it a lot easier for you to present the
information/achievements that you have in the correct way on your resume. Once this
activity is done, start prioritizing your achievements. Make sure you try and give equal
weight age to all the sections of your resume – academics, work experience and extracurricular while selecting your achievements for the resume. However, not everyone has all
the 3 sections as strong. Therefore, it is advised to focus more on the sections that can be
your potential spikes, but at the same time the weaker section should not be ignored
completely. The weaker section becomes your hygiene section where you should at least
have certain things that you have achieved which may not be significant.
SEAL also holds a resume making workshop which details out the template used by
ISB and list of catch keywords that can be used on the resume to capture the
attention of the recruiter.
You have only one page to convince the recruiter that you are the best fit. Therefore, use
every line of your resume wisely. Make sure that your achievements are recent but more
importantly give an underlining story about you as a person.
A good framework to draft your bullet points in an effective and impactful manner is
context-action impact. For a good bullet point, make sure all these elements are
mentioned. Impact if quantified through numbers or comparison with known references
leaves a better impression than a qualitative one. For e.g. “Youngest to get promoted in 2
years” is good but “Youngest to get promoted in 2 years against an average of 4 years”
makes it even more impactful. Another example can be related to any impact that you
36
might have created by getting business to the firm, or any saving that you might have
achieved for the team which you can quantify.
Note: Some of the tips when you are working on each line separately in your resume.
1. Don’t bold too many things, just what you think are the important ones. Another
rule is that try to bold things which if only read without the not bold ones , it should
still make sense
2. Make sure that no statement that you write is vague, it should give some relevance
and impact that it has created
3. If you have done a lot of things in one section, for eg. Dance in Extracurricular
activities that you can create the sub-section separately and highlight all the
achievements Check and double check any spelling mistakes. Take sample printouts
to check for the margins.
4. If possible, stick to the ISB format. Don’t try to be extravagantly different in format.
5. Get constant feedback from family/friends/alums on your resume.
6. Use informational interviews rather than company presentations and websites to
find out what is really different about each firm, and why you would be a good fit.
Think carefully about which of the three typical CV formats (Chronological, SkillBased or Hybrid) you should use – there is no one “right answer” for everyone.
STEP 2: Quick Tests to check your CV’s effectiveness
So what Test
For every bullet point you write, you should ask yourself “so what if I did ___”. For e.g. if I
have led a team of 5 people on xyz assignment resulting in 10% cost saving. Now you
should ask yourself “so what if I have done this”. Is this a strong enough differentiator for it
to come on my CV? Does it suggest a strong skill required for consulting which gets
communicated through this point and appears nowhere else on my resume? Is it something
which sets me apart from the rest or makes for an interesting read for the reader? If
answer to any of the questions above is yes, then keep the point or else discard it.
37
Half Page test
Once the first draft of your resume is done, take a printout and fold it into half along the
longer side such that only the first half of every bullet point is visible. See whether the first
half of every bullet point gives the reader an idea of the content of the bullet point. If yes,
the bullet point is correctly framed or else you have to reframe the point in such a way that
the first 4-5 words describe the point. This rationale behind the test is as humans, we tend
to focus more on the initial part of sentence while scanning. Details in the middle part or
the latter part of the sentence tend to get missed out when we are hurrying through things.
Try to put quantitative numbers that you want to highlight in your resume in the left side,
i.e. in the first half of each statement.
30 second Test
This should be done when you have almost reached your final version of resume. Give your
resume to one of your friends who haven’t seen your resume before for exactly thirty
seconds. Take back your resume after 30 seconds and ask him/her what he/she
remembers about your resume and looking at the page, what he/she can make of you as an
individual in one line. This test gives a check of whether the storyline you want to
communicate through your resume is actually getting communicated to a third person. If
not, you need to focus more on the points which reflect your skills sets and leave an
impression on the reviewer.
STEP 3: Making the final draft
After you are done with whatever you can do best at your end, it is now the time to show
your resume to as many people as you can. These people will be mostly your alums, or who
you think might give you a critical feedback. Make sure that you also show your resume to
people who don’t know you at all to get an unbiased feedback, because in reality this will be
the case most likely. Ask them whether your resume communicates the messages you want
it to convey or is it just another laundry list of bullets. Reach out to alums and seek their
advice on how your resume can be improved. This process is very iterative and takes most
of the time in resume building.
38
Some precautionary Don’ts
1. Mention anything fake or something you would not be able to pull off in the
interview.
2. Inflate numbers or your responsibility/work area. Interviewers have been short
listing resume every year and can differentiate actual from inflated.
Time Line (Tentative)
Term 3: The ideal time to start with your resume first draft is somewhere near mid-term 3.
Take at least a week to figure out your story i.e. how would you like to put forth your
candidature. Have a look at various resume of previous years on KM Portal. Also, get
acquainted with ISB resume format by end of term 3.
Term 4: First week of term 4 or the term break, you should start the iterative process of
refining your resume. Contact alums/consulting club members/family/friends and start
taking their opinions about the resume.
Term 5: Towards the start of term 5, make sure you have a semi-finished draft in your
hand. There will be a lot of resume review workshops conducted by CAS/ professional
clubs/ consulting firms. Make sure that you take full leverage of these workshops to fine
tune the shortcomings in your resume.
Sample Resumes
Look at few resumes below from previous years’ batches to get an idea of an ideal
consulting
resumes.
Also
do
go
through
resumes
(http://172.16.0.171/CAS-KMP/Account/Studentpanel.aspx)
Sample 1.pdf
Sample 2.pdf
Sample 3.pdf
39
available
in
KM
Portal
Cover Letter
It is your expression of interest for the job posting and is very important for some firms like
Parthenon etc. This piece can be make or break case for short listing. Few points to note
while writing expression of interest are:
1. Give a personalized reason in your cover letter for why you are the best candidate
for the job. Be sure to make a bridge between what you have done, where you want
to work and how the particular job posting help you to achieve your career goal.
2. You need to exhibit some knowledge about the firm and demonstrate a fit between
the company and yourself. Previous years’ EOI on KM Portal, alums working in the
firm and company’s website might come in handy for gathering information about
the company.
3. Address the EOI to the right person and the firm.
4. Do not copy letters or pieces of letters from sample sources. Recruiters do recognize
them easily.
5. Do not exceed 1 page for the cover letter.
6. Do not use any fluffy or generic statements about yourself or your experiences (e.g.
excellent interpersonal skills, team player) unless you back them up with tangible
examples.
7. Do not use generic statements about the company you are applying to (e.g. leading
firm, excellent reputation, blue-chip Company etc.). For one, this also applies to
most of their competitors. For another, this shows that you have not done your
homework to identify why you really want to join the company.
8. Get your cover letter reviewed by at least two other people to check for spelling
mistakes, grammatical errors and ease of reading
Sample Cover Letters
Here’s one sample cover letter along with resume. For many more, please go through KM
Portal. (http://172.16.0.171/CAS-KMP/Account/Studentpanel.aspx)
40
CV (14).pdf
41
PERSONAL INTERVIEW
42
Personal interview questions form a critical segment of the entire process and for the
interviewer. If you would go through case experiences of people, you will find that this
portion of the interview set the tone of the next portion, which is usually a case-interview.
Remember, you never get a second chance to make the first impression so prepare well,
and you will go a long way in a successful consulting career.
What is it?
Your consulting interview usually kicks off with a 5-7 minute personal interview
that is mostly based around the CV
This is the best time for you to connect with the interviewer. Many alumni will tell
you that if you handle the PI well, the case is usually easier to tackle
Be original in your answers and be truthful. Interviewers are mostly Partners and
Principals and they can quickly make out if you are truthful or not
Try to engage the person – Remember, they are interviewing for as long (if not
longer) as you are and they are humans too! Maintain eye contact and sit/talk
confidently
Regardless of which interview in the day it is for you, stay peppy and smile
Brevity is important
What are the firms looking for?
The idea behind the personal interview is to know the candidate better and to answer a few
questions:
Will the candidate be able to handle the pressure of the consulting world- this is
reflected by assessing the candidate’s demeanor, which should be confident and
comfortable
Is the candidate agile and can he/she take up challenges- this is reflected in the
candidate’s ability to portray leadership skills and he/she can take up initiatives
Can the candidate work in teams- this is reflected either in prior experience of the
candidate or questions asked in the interview process
Lastly, it is difficult to survive in the consulting world without showing some drive,
passion, aspiration, energy and of course morals and ethics
43
At every stage in the process, remember you are being tested on several factors including
teamwork, leadership, and ability to handle failure, level of gumption, persuasion skills, and
strong communication skills.
How do I practice?
What is your story: Every individual is different (just like everyone else) and hence it is
important to have a story that is yours, completely.
This must be a continuation of your CV. The story that you wove together in your CV
must come to life during the interview. Although you won‘t have too much time, get
every strand of your story in place. The interview could touch any part of your story
You must know your strengths, weaknesses, your fit as a consultant and more
specifically your fit with the firm
Do not neglect the PI to the very end. Keep working on it from Term 5 – Keep
playing your story repeatedly in your mind
The firm: If you know about the ‘dream’ firm you want to join, you will find yourself more
convinced, your voice will have more conviction when you tackle the personal interview
questions.
Equally important to an interviewer (besides your analytical horsepower etc.) is
why you want to join a firm. They don‘t expect you to parrot the usual (what you
will find in the ―’About Us’ section of their website). They want you to go deeper
and understand the true nature of the firm
Spend the last few weeks before the interview in de-constructing each of the firms
you are interviewing with. Visit websites, check out their profiles on Vault, and
speak to alumni, read case studies (HBS has case studies on unique aspects of all
firms).
Attend all the sessions that firms keep organizing throughout the year. You will get
to listen to interesting aspects of the firm that you will otherwise not know
Where do I start?
This is a question that haunts everyone – where to start and when to start. When you go
through the repository of the questions attached, you might feel these are questions you
can handle with a blink of the eye once you know ‘your story’ and ‘the firm’. However, this
44
isn’t completely correct. These questions need their own sweet preparation time for you to
make the first impression you want to.
There are several categories in which we can divide the personal interview questions and
some of the lines between the categories might be blurred but it does not hurt to overprepare just a little bit. While you go through these, always remember two things – what is
going to take you a long way is clarity in what you want, conviction in what you speak and
being truthful to your story.
1. Personal: This is primarily ‘your story’ which includes who you are, what are your
goals, and how does consulting fit into your goals and in bigger scheme of things
(philosophically known as life). This is where your values, what you believe in also
becomes important. The interview tip here is to know yourself in an out, know what
you stand for, what are your goals and be true to them.
2. Management/ leadership style, and interpersonal skills: This ties back to knowing
your leadership and management style. Are you a leader who believes in leading by
example, or are you a collaborative leader. Remember, no leadership style is right or
wrong but knowing your style is critical. It is ok to have multiple leadership styles,
which can change with situation but what is your core style is important to answer
all question – situational or direct.
3. Strengths, weaknesses and skills: Know yourself. This should not be easy. I am sure
by the time you would have started preparing for these questions, you would have
built on what you would have already known while preparing for ISB interviews and
other job interviews. Focus on strengths and don’t ignore your weaknesses. One tip,
look for real weaknesses and not the ones those look good.
4. Extra-curricular: This again forms a part of your personality but serves independent
mention primarily because it communications whether the candidate has passion
and interests outside studies. This is a direct reflector of passion, dedication, and a
well-rounded personality. Important thing to note here is not how much you can
blow out, but how passionately can you speak about it
Personal interview preparation process will not just help you in the job but to understand
yourself better as a person. Go through the process diligently. We have shared list of
questions that one will usually come across in the Appendix.
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46
CASE INTERVIEW APPROACH
47
What are case interviews and what do firms look for?
A case interview is nothing but a short business case/situation, which is often
representative of a real-life consulting assignment (obviously, condensed to facilitate a 3040 minute discussion) that the interviewer was a part of.
These interviews can be divided in two types – guesstimates and business problems.
Guesstimates are focused towards assessing the analytical skills of a candidate. Businesses
cases used in interviews mostly do not have a predetermined answer and candidates are
evaluated based on how he/she deals with the problem. Assessment is done based on how
one approaches the problem and if one can reach a well-supported conclusion. Ability to
prioritize issues and exercising judgment based on the business context is crucial to the
process.
The interviewer is looking to test a few things during a case interview – your ability to
think in a structured manner, analytical skills and creativity, test of skills learnt in the MBA,
test your pre-ISB work experience and ability to handle ambiguity among other things.
How should you approach a case?
Interviewers are necessarily looking to see you show your prowess in solving a case across
four broad steps. [REMEMBER 3S -> Scope, Structure, Summarize leads to 4th S Success)
Define the Problem -> Structure the Problem -> Analyze logically to develop answer ->
Synthesize the discussion
Define the Problem:
1) Listen closely to problem definition
2) Take notes and ask questions to improve understanding
3) Synthesize the facts to confirm the problem statement (restate if necessary)
4) Remember that some information may be less important
Structure the Problem
1) Organize your thoughts, structure your ideas
2) Describe / syndicate your approach
48
3) Break the problem into discrete pieces / issues / State / syndicate crisp
assumptions (be creative)
4) Avoid using frameworks explicitly
Analyze logically to develop answer
1) Walk the interviewer through your thinking
2) Prioritize issues
3) State your assumptions and ask for relevant facts o State findings for your analysis
4) Refine your solution
5) Probe further if necessary
Synthesize the discussion
1) Develop overall recommendations
2) Discuss trade-offs
3) Relate back to problem statement
4) Suggest next steps
It‘s important for you to also keep track of the interviewer. While it is always advisable to
display your skills across all the four steps, you might find the interviewer wants you only
to focus on one of these steps. In such cases, follow the interviewer‘s lead. There is no hard
and fast rule.
Some DOs
1) Make it a dialogue; not a Q&A – Think of it as a joint problem solving session. No one
is looking for industry expertise.
2) Bring insight; it‘s an intellectual discussion – Organize your thoughts and stay
structured. Be creative and push for conclusions.
3) Communicating effectively is critical – Listen (take notes if you wish) and explain
your thought process. State your assumptions.
49
Some DONTs
1) Resist force-fitting a framework or defending impractical solutions – A framework is
a proxy for structured thinking, but the best frameworks are those which come
naturally during the course of your thinking. Remember, there need not be a
solution for the case.
2) Don‘t stop or waste time if you are stuck. It‘s ok to acknowledge this and ask the
interviewer for help (don‘t make a habit out of it though!) – It’s a good sign,
indicating receptiveness.
3) Don‘t be hasty and jump to conclusions. Everything should be logically thought
through and concluded. The interviewer will be dropping hints throughout the
interview – never forget to pick them up. If you ignore hints, it will be seen as an
inability to be receptive.
4) Do not shy away from numbers. Embrace them! You will not be asked to calculate
234533 divided by 45223. The calculations will be very basic, write them down and
avoid mental arithmetic.
How should you practice?
Form a good group of 3-4 people
o Let people from different backgrounds be there [or different industry or role]
o Choose wisely: Seriousness of each candidate is important
Each person prepares 1 case and asks another, so in total the take away for the
group would be 3-4 cases in one sitting.
Write the cases & the workings you do in a separate notebook
No. of Cases: Many questions arise on the magical number of how many cases need
to be done for cracking the dream job. Frankly, it is not the number but the depth
and breadth of cases covered. If done diligently any number around 50-60 would do.
Breadth & Depth of the cases covered:
Industry & Sector: Since cases can be from any industry and any area, it is important to
cover different industries to understand the industry’s dynamics, problems, solutions and
other aspects [This is where your peer form different industries help]. As a consultant, you
50
would be expected to work on problems in different industries, many of which you would
have no experience in. Same is expected from a case interview.
Types of Cases: Not just different industries, but different types of cases are also to be
covered. Profitability, growth, market entry, Market Sizing, pricing, M&A, Response to
Competition, new product development etc. [If constrained by time the first 5 Main types
can be selected]
You can create a matrix (like below) to keep a track of whether you have covered
everything or not.
Main List of Industries
Banking Manufacturing Retail / FMCG Pharma Technology / IT Non Profit Logistics Education Telecom
Main Types of Problems
Profitability
Not Done
Weak
Good
Good
Not Done
Not Done
Good
Good
Weak
- Rev Pb
- Cost Pb
Pricing
Market Sizing
Market Entry
Growth
M&A
Competitive Response
Not all kinds of cases can be found, but make sure the main industries and main types of
problems are covered [NOTE: The above matrix is just for illustration purpose and can
be done by your group itself].
Profitability problems if covered across all industries will give you a very good overview of
revenue and cost drivers of a particular industry and different trends in the industry!
General Tips:
While practicing a case, the interviewer [person who prepared the case] would ask
the interviewee. Let it be as formal as possible so that there would not be any jitters
on the interview day. Even PI questions can be mixed with the case to be as realistic
as possible.
51
After everyone has solved the case, the case can be discussed as a group to see
where the improvements can be made. Ask inputs from any person from the same
industry [Peers or Alums etc.]
Write down the mistakes you have done in the case and where improvements can be
made. A note book just for the mistakes & insights will be a great asset before the D –
day.
Buddies: Many of you would be allotted buddies from different companies. Make
sure you leverage that. The cases you do with them are truly invaluable because they
are in the industry and can give you accurate feedback. Share those feedbacks and
cases with your peers and vice versa.
What are the general resources for the preparation?
Go through these as you start your case preparation. Both should go in parallel for
effectiveness.
Case in Point by Marc Cosentino [All the cases]
Wharton’s Guide to Solving Cases
Previous years’ ISB case books (must!!) + One other school – IIMA, Ross, Cornell
Kellogg etc
Cases from buddies
Few Self-created cases from newspapers and latest current affairs. [In our batch, Ex:
Flipkart billion day sales – insights, problem, solutions etc.]. You can expect the
interviewer can take that day’s newspaper and frame a case then and there! Be
ready for everything!
Extra References: Victor Cheng – Only if time permits – See the best case scenarios.
Most cases are US based; format has changed pretty much now.
Be sincere and focused! Above all, enjoy the preparation.
52
CASE FRAMEWORKS
53
Frameworks can act as useful tools to structure thoughts during a case interview. Moreover, they ensure that
you ask the right questions and help you reach the answer fast. By using frameworks, you will seldom miss
solutions to ‘standardized’ cases such as Profitability, Market entry etc. However, interviewers these days
enjoy asking abstract cases such as “How will you reduce terrorism in India” or “Should Subhash Ghai sign
Aishwarya or Katrina for his next movie”. You definitely can’t apply standard framework to such cases. You
are expected to relate the problem to a business situation and create your own framework on the spot.
Below we have collated a few important frameworks, from different casebooks, to help you get an
idea of how any problem can be broken down into:
PROFITABILITY FRAMEWORK
Profitability cases are the most common type of cases that you will see. The importance of the case stems
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from the fact that profit-making is the final goal of every business problem. It is always recommended to
think on first principles when you approach a case-problem. Here we will try to run through the anatomy of a
profitability case.
Breaking profitability down to its simplest components is the key in consulting cases. Dividing profitability
into components such as revenue and cost can be helpful in discovering the causes of a less than favorable
bottom line. It is to be noted that many a time, the interviewer will not specifically mention the type of the
case. The candidate is expected to follow a sequence of logical steps by gathering information (by asking
relevant questions). The structure shown above will be useful in exploring how to go about exploring the
case.
Deconstructing the case-problem
The profitability problem is very vast and generally comes in varied dimensions. Thus, scoping of the
problem becomes very important in order to make a structured headway in the case. This could be done by
asking a sequence of logical questions. The idea behind these questions is two-folds – a) to scope the problem,
b) to gather relevant information available with the interviewer.
Defining the problem (Scoping)
Q1) What is the magnitude of loss/profit? Since when has the trend occurred?
Also, it is noteworthy to inquire if profits are declining or profitability has been affected. (These are two
different things. Profits are merely a difference of Revenues and Cost, while Profitability is a measure
of profit margin.
•
Gross profit, operating profit and net profit
Dep/Amort + Interest + Tax +
Profit =
Revenue-COGS
-
SG&A + R&D + Restructuring +
Licensing and regulatory
Writeoff + Losses/gains
Blue: Gross profit
Red: Operating profit
Green: Net profit
Q2) Ask if gross margin/operating margin or net margin which is facing the decline?
Now, going ahead with the framework, we first define profits as ‘Revenues – Cost’. Thus, it is a function of two
drivers. We deep dive into one driver and hold on to the second one for the time being.
Q3) what is the target of profit / profitability? Any other constraints or secondary objectives (eg market
share)?
55
Q4) is there a timeline that the company wants to solve the problem in?
Q5) Just to get a background of the company, I would want to know the product mix and revenue streams
for the company.
Q6) Ask for data on trends of each product and ascertain the product(s) which is leading to the problem.
Q7) is the profitability problem across the industry and trends for the product? If problem is across the
industry ask for context
•
Demand
o Macroeconomic factors
o Changing priority of customers – change in demographics
o Regular market disruptions
Supply
o Regulatory – change in policies
o
Increase in fragmentation (high supply, low demand) – leading to commoditizing the
product
Q8) Competitive landscape – No of competitors, market share and its trend
Define and reiterate the statement: Improve Profits in X product from A% to B% by n years.
A brief structure as below would help to landscape the problem Structure
The problem may lie in two areas - revenue and costs. What are the trends of revenues (up or down)
and costs (up or down)?
Depending on the response, choose which one to go in first and take buy-in of interviewer
REVENUES
Revenues are dependent on two factors –
Average Price
Thus, if revenue side has been affected then either Average Price across the product mix has decreased
(Majorly due to competition or company policy). Quantitatively, we can see that –
Average Price = Price of all the products/Total number of products
Here, the advice is to stick to first principles and be aware of the fact that Price of the products in the product
56
mix and total number of products could also affect the revenues.
Internal factors
Company tried to reduce price to increase revenues but it backfired
o Increased price because costs increased
o Transfer pricing (may be relevant if problem is limited to a division of a company)
External Factors
o Price war
o Other stakeholders demanding more in value chain eg – increased distributor margin
o Government regulation (price cap)
o Customer preference changed. Had to reduce price
Resolution:
• Product Differentiation –
1. Better features
2.
•
•
Better brand
3. Better packaging
Innovative Pricing Methods
1. Loss Leader Pricing/ Captive Pricing (Razor Blade),
2. Bundle Pricing
Different methods of pricing:
1. Value based Pricing (Premium Pricing & Price Skimming)
o Aspirational value of a similar product
o
Opportunity cost of not getting the product/service
o
It is also a function of the size of the target customer segment. As larger size would allow
us to charge lesser than the maximum aspirational value in order to penetrate into the
new market
2. Cost plus Pricing
o R&D Costs
o
Manufacturing/servicing/construction costs – Fixed and Variable Costs
o
Break-even costs, WACC
3. Comparable (Parity) Pricing
o
Existing products with similar features => Marked Price + Mark-up
o
Existing products with superior features => Marked Price of the existing product + Value
of additional feature to the customer
o
If no similar product exists, then consider => NPV of substitute product
Bundling & Cross selling
Consolidation: Acquire other markets players – Charge premium price, Have more units sold.
In case Product/Service mix – volume has changed….
Identify which product’s relative volume increase has led to overall revenue decrease. For that product,
following parameters could be assessed –
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Product Related Problem
•
•
•
•
•
Poor product quality
Problematic product mix
Inadequate breadth of product line
Depth of product line
Network effects with other products/complementary products
Service Related Problem
o
o
Poor service quality
High cost of service
o
Training adequacy
o Curriculum
o Frequency of training
o
Depth and Breadth
Volume
Ascertain changes in number of units sold. The two potential reasons for a volume decline are –
a) Market share decline b) Market size decline
If Market share declines...
Market Share = %Aware X %Preference Buyers X %Available X % Time for adoption X %Repeat Purchase
•
•
Price
o Have these increased? What is the elasticity?
Product
o Share of Mind (Likeability)
Poor quality
• network effect with other products
• substitutes
• product mix
• better product in market
• quality of service
Perception of poor quality but good product
• check perception and preference map
o If problem in perceptual map, check for accuracy in positioning
• training adequacy (curriculum or frequency of training)
•
•
Remember – The final consumer might not always be the purchase decision
maker. There might me other stakeholders involved, for whom we might
need to make the product attractive.
Promotion
Share of Voice (Awareness) – how to increase awareness. Check for failures in each of the
following stages.
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o
Promotion schemes for enabling purchase – eg financing options, discount coupons etc
SOV x SOM X SOD = Availability x Product Offering (Likeability) x Accessibility
One must try to think in terms of consumer purchase funnel -
•
Place
o
Share of Distribution (Accessibility) – penetration, trade mix, lead time, distributor margin
(agency problem), sales force (less or not trained), Skill and will of sales force
If market size decline…
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Demand (mature stage in PLC)
o Check product life cycle
o Demographics change
o Product obsolescence
o Usage rate gone down
Solution – Ansoff Matrix
Same Product - New Market (Geographic
expansion)
Which geography?
Consider risks such as
attractiveness of overseas market
can the firm establish competitive
advantage by replicating the strategy
identify the right geographies
Price: Play with elasticity (skim vs penetration)
New Product - New Market (Diversification)
Related diversification – developed
market
Unrelated diversification – developing
market
Look at synergies (asset utilization)
Same Product – Same Market (Market
penetration)
Capture market share: 4P, Product Mix
New Product – Same Market (Product
Development)
Vertical integration
New product development based on
attractiveness,
capability
(asset
utilization)
Increasing the pie: New target segment (user),
different application (uses), per customer
Consumption (usage). This is more applicable
in mature/declining phase of industry life cycle
•
Supply (still in growth stage of PLC)
o Are you the only supplier and constrained by supply?
o
Are the SKUs being offered being liked by consumer? Change in consumer preference for
another SKU
Solution:
o Short term
o
o Increase distributor margins
o Target new segments
Long Term
o Launch new SKUs
COST
Break the costs into
a) Fixed costs and variable costs
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a.
In a high fixed cost business there is very high temptation of price wars (Remember MADM
fundas). For Fixed Costs, following considerations need be made –
a) Capacity Utilization
b) Increasing the scale of business/manufacturing – What causes it?
c) Complex Product: High Costs - What causes it?
Complexity arises from additions to number of different products produced or activities
managed Often without increase in overall volume
That cannot be added at low marginal cost or minor adjustments in
production/staffing
Complexity can arise in numerous parts of cost structure –
Manufacturing: machine change-over and setup; increased inventory
- Starter runs: Machine changeover and setup
- Higher inventories: especially if little interchangeability
- Additional/longer product lines: often at lower volumes
Sales/distribution
- Sales force requires in-depth knowledge of full product line
- Increased storage facilities, distribution logistics
Administration
- Tracking and coordination issues
b.
Remember it can be a product specific problem or a product mix problem something such as
that we are selling more of higher cost product
b) Albeit simpler, FC and VC approach is considered limited in considering the entire set of costs related
problem. Here Value Chain analysis helps us to consider all the costs in detailed.
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The value chain depicted above represents a manufacturing setup. However, thinking on first principles one can easily
construct a value chain for any business mentioned in the case. For starters, think of Suppliers, Distributors
(inbound/outbound), storage/warehouses, end-customers (VERY IMPORTANT)
c) Costs income statement wise (COGS, SG&A, Interest, Depreciation, Tax)
What is the percentage split of costs across these different processes?
• In case one particular head has highest % say 50% or more then you can ask the interviewer that you would
want to look at this head to start with.
•
Many a time there might not be one major head and there could be two heads with 30%-30% split. In these
cases you’ll need to explore both heads and also see that the profitability decline could be partly because of
one and partly because of another.
Exploring each head one by one
In case of manufacturing Industry,
• Raw Material Cost:
o Start by asking type of good (Perishable/durable)?
o Where does Competitor source from – does it get better prices?
o
o
o
If says same price, ask about efficiency of utilization – conversion ratio/wastage/efficiency for us. If
efficiency is improved => less RM lead to reduced costs
If the problem is higher price or higher overall procurement cost then:
Resolutions
Specification
Substitution (Different Raw Material)
Cheaper material - indigenization/rationalization?
Quantity
Value engineering (Use lesser Raw Material)
Per unit price
Same Supplier
•
o
Better Negotiation/Bulk Order – Can you provide something in return for a
better price?
o
Time of Sourcing (Opportunistic) – Buying when prices are low
Alternate supplier
o
o
o
o
Currency Hedging – Use forwards/futures if prices are expected to rise. Also use
call or put options for the variable part of future demand.
Standardization of Parts– ordering more of same type of good
Backward Integration
Cheaper supplier - china etc.?
•
Inbound Logistics:
Do you and your competitor use the same Mode of Transportation?
Do you incur the same rates and same overall cost?
Explore Distance Travelled – could be that the rates are same but your factory is further away from the
supplier base.
Are you ordering at the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) – Trade of between Set up cost, holding cost and
expected demand
•
Production/Operations:
Explore Labor cost and efficiency vis-a-vis competitor.
Inventory Cost (EOQ)
Overheads such as Electricity/Rent same or higher?
Machine Utilization: % Downtime - High?
Machine broken?
Maintenance/spare cost Power outage?
Labor unavailability?
Total availability will be a function of (% of time labor, % time machine available, % Idle time)
Resolution – additional dimensions:
Outsource
Economies of Scale/Learning curve
Labor cost arbitrage
•
Distribution/Outbound Logistics:
Explore same as (Inbound)
•
Post Sales Cost:
Installation
Service or Warranty cost?
•
Gross margin is same but Operating margin has reduced:
Marketing & Administration – SG&A
R&D cost
Restructuring cost
Licensing and regulatory costs
•
If NOPAT is down
Depreciation & Amortization
Interest Expense
Tax rates – which geographies (VAT) does our company operate in?
Inventory Write off
Gains/losses or external investment
Loss due to some catastrophic event
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MARKET ENTRY FRAMEWORK
To put it very simply, there are two basic considerations for market entry – a) is it a good idea? b) How to enter? We
will try to put together a framework which strives to answer these two questions quite exhaustively.
Structuring the problem
Structuring a market entry case problem is a four step approach –
1) Deciding on the Goals/Objectives – a) Strategic Intentions b) Economic Intentions
2) Evaluating whether to enter the industry or not is a function of three parameters – a) Industry Attractiveness b)
Financial c) Strategic Intentions.
The 3 parameter approach helps one to answer the two fundamental questions associated with market entry – a)
Where to invest: Value chain wise, Geographically b) How to Invest: Mode of entry
1. GOALS/OBJECTIVES
Defining the problem
Q1. Motivation behind entry?
a) Why into new industry?
b) Why into this particular industry?
c) Anything other than profits a motivation?
Q2. Target for profitability? Timelines?
a) Cost of capital? Target Rate of Return?
b) Target market share?
c) Target revenues and target profits?
Q3. Any constraints on investment and scope of thinking?
a) Levels of investment
b) Geographies of investment
Q4. Understand the company, line of businesses and the existing business model
a) Will help from the synergies point of view
b) Corporate structure/Organization structure
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2. SHOULD WE ENTER?
Evaluation Parameters
INDUSTRY ATTRACTIVENESS
FINANCIAL GOALS
STRATEGIC GOALS
Affecting Factors
- Market Size
- Growth/life cycle
- Value Cycle: competitors, substitutes, suppliers
- Customers – WTP, Demand-Supply, price elasticity, backward integration,
switching cost, brand loyalty
- Barriers – Regulatory, forward integration, economies of scale
- Risks – PESTLE Analysis: External Vs Internal
- Quantitative analysis to evaluate on the Financial Metrics (Mentioned
Below)
-Organization Design/structure
- Sustained competitive advantage: VRIO framework, Brand Equity, Market
share gain, Patent/Proprietary Technologies
- Cost-Benefit of entry: Economies of Scale, Supply Chain/Distribution
Synergies, Breakeven is aligned with goals, competitive advantage
Industry Attractiveness – ANSWERING THE ‘SHOULD WE ENTER?’ QUESTION:
This part of the structure tries to determine how attractive the industry is? Sometimes one may be asked to
evaluate/compare more than one option. At other times, you might be required to generate the options and the case
opening can be vague. In such cases, the best option is to draw the value chain (with the help of the interviewer),
and identify which part of the value chain the company should enter. A short-listing criterion like top decile of
return and bottom decile of risk can be used. Whenever you have to make a choice, remember you need to
develop a choice rule or mathematical metric of evaluation. However, the choice cannot be made entirely based
on qualitative analysis and quantitative metrics need to be developed in order to exercise the choice. The metrics of
evaluation could be –
o
o
o
o
Investment (Upfront, Change in Working Capital)
ROI/IRR/Payback Period
NPV/Profit
EVA – Economic Value Added: NOPAT – WACC x Invested Capital
65
o
o
o
o
o
Opportunity Cost of Investment
Real Option
Projected Cash flows
Terminal Value
Risk
A best case/worst case analysis can be performed if required.
Based on the above analysis, we can move towards evaluating the market entry case by using a
Fundamental Attractiveness Vs Relative Competitive Positioning graph –
Fundamental Attractiveness:
o Barriers to Entry
o
Government Regulation
o
High Capital Requirements
o
R&D – IP/Patent
o
o
High Brand Equity
Human Capital – High Costs
o
Economies of scale/scope
o
o
Switching costs – Network Effects
Distribution Network
o Competition
o Consolidated/Fragmented Market
o Market Share distribution among competitors
o Supplier/Distributor Channel – Strength & Weakness
o Contractual customer lock-ins define market trends
o Buyer
o
Segment Growth
o
WTP – f(demand)
o
o
o
o
Distributor Channel Preference (Outbound Logistics)
Demand-Supply Gap (Important)
Price Sensitivity – Ascertains whether to go for Premium Pricing or not
Threat of forward integration – VERY HIGH SUPPLIER POWER
o
Needs w.r.t current product mix being offered in the market
o Value Chain & Substitute products
o
o
o
o
o
Switching cost of buyers/suppliers
Threat of backward integration – Competition might acquire vendors to control its supplies of RM et al.
Manufacturing Resources – Talent/Expertise availability?
Availability of substitute products?
Consumer Behavior evolutionary trends
Relative Competitive Positioning: f (Financial Goals, Strategic Goals)
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Also, it is prudent to assess the relative competitive gains for our client on following parameters –
o
o
o
o
o
Brand Equity
Economies of Scale
Supply chain/Distribution Synergies
Market share gains
Patent/Proprietary Technologies
o
Organization Design/structure
o
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Strategic Goals
Strategically, does it make sense for the company to enter the market?
Short Term (FIT) :
o Prior Experience in moving to new markets
o Synergy with existing operations
o Tactical Decision – 4Ps
o Game Theoretical perspective – Strengths/Weakness of each player
o Competition Response
Long Term :
How to build a sustainable competitive advantage?
o Create Barriers to Entry/Exit
o Create Customer Lock-ins
Now for case solving purposes we might as well plot the graph between Fundamental Attractiveness Vs Relative
competitive positioning and mark the client’s positioning on the graph on the basis of both qualitative and
quantitative assessment made above. Graphical presentation of your analysis earns you more points –
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3. MODES OF ENTRY – ANSWERING THE ‘How to Enter?’ QUESTION:
Parameters
Financial
Greenfield
Franchise
M&A
JV
Profits
Investment
Operational
Management Control
Expertise
Cultural fit
Strategic Vision
Risks
Lock-in
Coordination
Cross effects
Threat of competition
Also, following parameters need be considered to ascertain how the weights are to be distributed Risks
Financial Risks –
o Cash position of the parent firm?
o Impact on the financials of the parent company if this new venture fails?
Technology Risks
Political Risk
People Risk
Management Control
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PE INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK
This section discusses investment into a business for financial gain.
Whenever asked to evaluate an investment it is essential to understand the objective first.
o
o
o
Why? – Objective of investment: direct return from investment, incentives in the current business, synergies,
etc.
What? – What is the target rate of return from investment
When? – Timeline of investment
Once the expectation setting is done, rationale to make an investment can be evaluated as follows:
Only if the industry is attractive, target has high potential and expected return from the investment (from all sources)
exceed target ROI, investment is justified.
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VALUE CHAIN FRAMEWORK
Value chain analysis is an extremely useful tool to solve many business problems. The basic idea here is to
understand different parts of the value chain and look for abnormalities/inefficiencies at each leg of the value
chain.
A general value chain structure is as follows (some parts may not be relevant for certain industries):
Demand
Sourcing
Forecasting
Warehouse
ing
Logistics
(inbound)
Manufact
uring
Logistics
(outbound)
Distributi
on
After
Sales
service
A few important questions to ask under each part of the value chain will result in insights for problem solving:
Demand Forecasting
How volatile is demand?
What is the method used for high demand and high volatility raw materials?
Recommendations – Careful estimation of raw material quantities for high profit margin and high variability
products
Sourcing
RM Costs
Transportation
costs
Supply
- Price
- Negotiation
- Long term/ future
contracts
- Volume discounts
- Suppliers
- Supplier rationalization
(alternate suppliers,
consolidation etc.)
- Backward integration
Demand
- Reduce Wastage
- Operational
improvement (value
chain analysis)
- Substitutes
- Change specification
- raw material specs
- finished product specs
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- Price (Negotiation,
LTC/
futures etc.)
Network optimization
- Supplier rationalization
- Mode of transport
- Efficiency of transport
(TAT, load factor,
quantity
transported per trip etc.)
Warehousing
Are warehousing costs significantly higher than the industry average?
Warehouse capacity sufficient?
Is warehouse optimally utilized?
Visibility of SKUs?
Automated vs Manual operations
Recommendations – apply EOQ to reduce inventory costs, manpower rationalization, layout modifications
etc.
Manufacturing
Benchmark all costs with industry average
o Direct Labour
o Direct Material
o Overheads
Reason for higher costs?
o Process (process parameters, sequence of operations, utilization etc.)
o People (Incentives, skill, motivation etc.)
o Technology (obsolete, inefficient etc.)
Recommendations – Make vs buy (outsource?), Consolidate manufacturing capacity (Economies of Scale and
Scope), upgrade technology, people management and training, process redesign etc.
Logistics
Benchmark with industry average
Price (Negotiation, LTC/ futures etc.)
Network optimization
Supplier rationalization (consolidation, alternate suppliers etc.)
Mode of transport
Efficiency of transport (TAT, load factor, quantity transported per trip etc.)
Distribution
Penetration (no of distributors)
Shelf space (% of own items vs % of other’s items)
Recommendation – look at distributor commission structure (push), discount schemes (pull), expand
distributor network etc.
After Sales Service
Service time, quality and cost
Variety of services
Accessibility/Availability
Benchmark with industry average
Recommendations – improve the metric (time, cost and quality) which is most important to the customer,
open more service centers, relocate centers, acquire other service centers, outsource etc.
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M&A FRAMEWORK
There are two ways any M&A can generate value – 1) Value of Control 2) Value of Synergy. The actual value of how
the acquirer benefits will depend upon the premium paid.
There are two types of M&A.
Strategic:
Value Generated = (Vat – Va – Vt) + (Va-Va’)
Non Strategic:
Value Generated = (Vat – Va – Vt)
Opportunity Cost: (Va – Va’)
Competition
o Industry
Note: Va = Value of acquirer, Vt = Value of target, Vat = Value of combined entity, Va’ = Value of acquirer if someone
else acquires the target company
Synergy
Operational
Financial
FCF
Tax Savings
Long Term Growth
Bankruptcy Cost
Abnormal Growth
Decreased Agency Cost
Ra
Time of Abnormal
G
Less Asymmetry info
Type of Synergies
Operational:
FCF = EBIT (1-Tax) + Depreciation – Change in WC – Capex
EBIT = Revenue – Cost
Revenue = P * Delta Q + Delta P * Q + Delta P * Delta Q
Delta Q: Ability to sell more o Better Product
a) Combining Strengths: Examples: Distribution network + Sales force, Access
to cheap funds, better geographical reach – say more offices, Increased
Management Bandwidth, Combining Sourcing capability with Distribution
Reach
Cross Selling: Doing this is very risky though
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Bundling
Up-selling
Delta P: Ability to price higher
Low Competition
New products or Better quality
Increase pricing power in case of Strategic acquisition
Cost
COGS decrease
(Dis) Economies of Scale/Scope: There can be losses as well if there
are coordination problems or management bandwidth issue.
o IT budget streamline
o Pooling of technology
o Reduction of overhead
SG&A reduction
o Remove duplication of Sales force
o Promotion Streamline
R&D cost reduction
o Linking innovative capability
o Sharing technology
Reduction in threat of Hold up cost
o Future Price Increase
o Not in time supply
o Not appropriate quality product
Depreciation Tax Shield
Asset write up: One time gain as assets are market up to market value on acquisition
o
Change in Working Capital
One time gain in case acquirer has better receivable management practice
Capex investment
If Asset Turnover (Sales/Assets) increases then less Capex investment required in future
Growth:
Long term Growth doesn’t change generally
Look for opportunities that enable permanent competitive advantages
Abnormal Growth:
Ga = ROC * Reinvestment Rate
ROC can increase due to higher EBIT or higher Asset turnover
RR can increase due to availability of more positive NPV project
Abnormal Growth Time Period
Can increase due to erecting barriers to entry
Ra
Beta or systematic risk can reduce in case you combine:
Cyclical (Corporate Banking) + Counter Cyclical (Bankruptcy Advisory)
Cyclical (Luxury Business) + Non Cyclical (Tobacco)
Vertical Integration sometimes reduces risk
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Financial Synergies
Tax Savings:
o Tax loss carry forward from a winding business
o Ability to take more debt – hence more tax shield
Bankruptcy cost:
o As per MM, if Bankruptcy costs exist (that is there is destruction of value) then this adds value
Lost Customers
Lost Employees
Lost Supplier relationships
o Reasons for default:
Cyclical business
Cash Flow volatility
Competition
Technological obsolescence
o If Bankruptcy costs exists then savings happen due to merger
Reduced Agency Cost
o Debt brings discipline
Reduced Information Asymmetry
o Internal capital markets (use of most economical source of funds)
o Exploit any mis-pricing in the markets
Analysis of RISKS
Fit
Cultural Fit
Are the cultures of the merging entities coherent? for e.g. both are entrepreneurial orgs
•
Are the cultures complementary? For e.g. an entrepreneurial design org and a highly
organized sales org
Do we expect significant cultural clashes on merger? For instance formal vs. informal
Strategic Fit
Are the long-term strategies of the merging firms in tune?
Will the merged firm evolve a new long-term strategy?
Costs associated with percolating new strategies through the merged org.
Organizational Fit
Degree of similarity in org structures. Matrix, functional, divisional etc.
Management overlap and talent
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NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH FRAMEWORK
This is a very basic framework of approaching such questions in a consulting interview. However, if you are preparing
for Tech companies you should definitely refer to various other sources for an exhaustive framework.
Step 1: Understand the company, its objectives (Optional, if already provided by the interviewer)
Step 2: Understand more about the product
Step 2.1 Value Proposition, Targeted Customers, Any substitutes, Cannibalization, Any disadvantages
Step 3: Ask about the Market/Product segment where the new product will be launch
Step 3.1 Do a detailed industry analysis (Growth, size, competition, entry barrier, distribution)
Step 4: Do Market Sizing (Apply guesstimates funda) [Rank if multiple segments are present]
Does it make financial sense to launch the product?
Step 5: Delve deeper -> Cost of producing/launching the product (Variable Cost, Fixed Cost etc.)
Step 6: Pricing of the Product (Refer to Pricing Framework in next page)
Calculate break-even volume, ROI, break-even period
Now give a brief summary to interviewer whether numbers make sense or not and then move to strategic
reasons considering strategic fit, potential risks, competitive response etc.
Step 7: Strategic Fit
Existing Product line
Resources/Capabilities
Distribution
Risks
o Competitive Response
o Implementation related
o Future economic outlook
o Technology changes in future
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PRICING FRAMEWORK
PRICING
COST BASED
COGS & Expected Margins
Breakeven / Payback Period
Price Elasticity
Distribution & Logistics Cost
Product Mix / Line Details
Activity Based Costing
This is usually the Lower Limit of
the Pricing Strategy
COMPETITIVE
Proxy Industries or Products
for any new products
Information about Industry
structure (consolidated vs
Concentrated; price wars
Etc.)
This is usually in between Cost
and Value based
VALUE BASED
Select Target Segment
List alternatives and
substitutes for the segment
Calculate Willingness to Pay
range for the segment
Beware of Supply & Demand
This is usually the Upper Limit for
the Pricing problem
Tip: Many Pricing cases also turn out to be masked ‘market demand estimation’ cases.
Defining the problem
Identify if it’s a bidding, auction or a straightforward pricing problem
Get a clear picture of the product and the target customer segment
o Single product or product line?
o Commodity or differentiated product? Identity what value the client is adding to the customers?
o
Is the product Luxury or Necessity? Is the product patented? Is it imitable easily?
o
o
First time entrant? Does the firm want to grow the market share or Top-line?
Does the firm want to push the competitor out? Does the firm want to play price war?
Get a clear picture of the firm and their objective with this product
Structuring the Case
The framework to solve pricing problems is relatively easy one
o
o
Once the framework is laid, start getting in-depth in each bucket (Cost, Competitive and Value based
Establish the border constraints (e.g. policies & regulations etc.)
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o
Once you calculate the lower and upper ends of the pricing, offer a rational explanation which price
range you would choose
o
Price lower than Value based pricing and above Cost based pricing calculations. Reason: Customer
switching costs, fluctuations in WTP etc.
Tips:
1.
Many pricing problems are masked ‘market size’ estimation problems. When the conversation goes in
that direction, ensure you specify that you’d calculate the market size before pricing the product
2.
3.
There’s no single price – Always offer a price range. Mentioning the sensitivity metrics in calculations
would fetch additional brownie points.
Think about competitive reaction in the market
4.
Topics like bundling and other innovative prices (discount scheme etc.) will fetch brownie points
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SALES FORCE EFFECTIVENESS FRAMEWORK
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OTHER TYPES OF CASES
1) Game theory, auctioning (Revise Economics)
2) Abstract Ones (Open ended cases such as ‘Swatch Bharath’, Political Campaign etc.)
a. Always Scope, Structure, Summarize
b. Try to create a flow of process and then analyze each piece
c. When providing solution again follow the same structure and flow
d. This will ensure that even in abstract cases the thought process is structure.
3) Prioritization Matrix (2 by 2’s): Can be used to evaluate any project/R&D activity. There are
number of ways to do the same a few are outlined below –
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GUESSTIMATES
80
Do not neglect this section and be thoroughly prepared with the same. A guess estimate can be
asked in multiple ways, even while solving a normal profitability case. Once you have completed
the guess-estimate then try to include the following to make your analysis much richer –
a. Verification of data – Identify a few sources from where you can get the right numbers to further
refine your estimate.
b. Sensitivity Analysis – Conduct a basic sensitivity analysis and identify the most critical
assumptions you made.
Such an extended analysis shows that you have thought through all the assumptions made and are
not arbitrarily using any number to estimate. Although the numbers do not matter here but having
a basic sense of the numbers used, knowledge of conversion scales and identifying the potential
areas of over/under estimating helps a lot.
Guesstimate problems can be solved through three methods (with certain other variations):
1). Top Down Method
2). Bottom Up Method
3). Employing a proxy
Tips:
1). When you receive a guesstimate question, please make sure you scope it down so that applying
a method becomes easy
2). Use simple numbers and round off intelligently so that you don’t get stuck on account of
calculations
3). Please try to write the guiding formula you are going to use and explain it to the interviewer so
that while you are performing the guesstimate, he follows you.
4). whenever you make an assumption, please take a buy in of the interviewer asking “Does that
make sense?”
5). Whenever you make and assumption, please make sure that the actual no. can be found out
through a public information source, so even if your assumed no. is not correct, it can be correct.
Be sure to state the same.
6). Try and be MECE (Mutually Exclusive Collectively Exhaustive), just like in solving cases, at each
step
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Example 1: Estimate the no. of auto rickshaws in Delhi
Whenever you encounter such problem, please be sure to ask the interviewer whether he wants
you to solve the problem from supply side or demand side.
From Demand Side
You actually go about determining the actual demand of auto rickshaws. The steps followed could
be as under:
1). Formula: No. of auto rickshaws = (Total No. of Auto Passenger Trips to be travelled per
day in Delhi)/ (No. of Trips/Auto/day)*(No. of Passengers/Trip)* Utilization factor
2). Now in order to calculate Auto passenger miles, we would divide the trips into trips into trips
made for regular usage ( done by professionals ) and occasional trips, and use top down method
to calculate each
3). We would first figure out trips done for professional usage by figuring out how many people
use auto rickshaws for professional usage on a daily basis, using filters such as income.
Top down Method
Population of Delhi = 1.2 Crores
% Working (say 1 per household) = 1.2/4 = 30 lacs
Auto Fare per day =Total kms* km rate = 20*15 = Rs. 300
Total monthly expense = 300*30 = 9000
Assumption (A person can at max spend 10% of his income on auto rickshaw) = 90000 Rs per
month should be his income)
% people in urban Delhi in that income bracket (10%) = 3 lacs
% People who shall be travelling by auto = 1-% people who use own vehicle-%people who use
metro
= 40%
No. people who would use auto on a regular basis for professional usage = 3 lacs*0*40% = 1.2 lacs
Hence no. of passenger trips from professional usage = 1.2*2 trips/day = 2.4 lacs auto passenger
trips
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Similarly, we can find out for occasional usage ( we can also employ 80:20 rule as well, saying
majority of trips are for professional usage, lets add 20% to account for remaining trips, but such
justifications should be backed well with data)
On no. of trips an auto makes, you can use the following formula
= (Average speed of an auto) * No. of operating hours* (Idle time)/ Average distance per trip
And verify this no. by using your judgment whether it looks practical or not
You can similarly find out, the other terms in the main formula and figure out the number.
From Supply Side
1). In order to verify this you can employ supply side through following formula
= (Average Total No. of autos sold in Delhi/year)*( Average life of an auto)
2). You can find out the first term by looking up the sales numbers of all the major auto players for
past few years ( In the interview you would have to assume or ask) and average life of an auto also
is a similar information
Similar Problem: Estimate the Airplane Fleet size of Air India
Example 2: Estimate the two wheeler market in India
Please make sure you ask whether the market has to be estimated in no. of units or you can again
approach this problem from supply side and demand side. You need to clarify the same with the
interviewer.
Demand Side
1). We would divide the demand into : New Demand ( new users) and Replacement Demand (
Existing Users)
Replacement Demand = ( Total No. of Two Wheelers Currently in India)/ ( average
replacement period)
New Demand = (Population segment Growth Rate) * Total no. of two wheelers currently in
the country
2). Two wheelers can be of two kinds: Domestic (owned for personal usage) and Professional
(owned by professional agencies such as dominos, police, postman)
3). To estimate for personal usage, we would employ top down method
4). Start with population of India, 1.2 Billion
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5). Urban (30%) and Rural (70%), which implies 0.36 Billion Urban and 0.84 Billion Rural
6). No. of Urban Households 0.36/4 = 90 Million and No. of Rural Households = 0.84/6 = 140
Million
7).Now we need to figure out how many can afford a two wheeler and remove the elite population
that only owns four wheelers. Hence, we shall have to find out the income level and figure out the
number of two wheelers in households hence.
8). Lets say that no. comes out to be 30 Million
Now , based on the current no. we can find out the expected replacement demand
Replacement Demand (Domestic) = 30/4 = 7.5 Million
New Demand = 30*2% (growth rate of eligible population segment)
= 0.6 Million
Hence total domestic market = 7.5+0.6 = 8.1 million/year
9). To calculate Professional Demand, we can use proxy and bottom up combination
So, first assumption is professional usage is primarily urban
Then take a city and categorize various types of uses (This is bottom up approach):
1). Police
2). Dominos
3). Postal Services
4). Others
Estimate each of these and come with a number
Then employ proxy method as under
Total Professional usage = (No. of vehicles in the city)*Urban population in the country/
(Population of the city) * Correction factor
Supply Side: Similar approach as Example 1, please try it yourself
Similar Example: Estimate the pet food market in India
Estimate the luxury home market in Chandigarh
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Example 3: Can two dogs have identical no. of hair in the world?
Short Answer is YES!
This one is an application of pigeon hole principle (Such problems have been asked in
Oliver Wyman in past)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeonhole_principle#Hair-counting
A few other resources are below:
283799818-Guesstim Guesstimation.pdf
ate-in-the-Indian-Context.pdf
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KNOW YOUR INDUSTRY
86
Many a times, we are given cases from industries which we are completely unfamiliar with. Asking
the right questions in a case interview is extremely important as the time is limited and you want
to make the first impression quickly. The following section will give you some insights into 4
major industries. It is advisable that you too create a template similar to the one shown here for
other industries. It will help you gain an understanding of the industry and ask relevant questions
at the interview.
Pharma (India)
INDUSTRY TREND
The pharmaceutical industry in India ranks 3rd in the world terms of volume and 14th
in terms of value
The industry is highly fragmented with ~400 organised and ~15,000 unorganised
players
Indian pharma companies in the recent times have increased spending on R&D
specifically in specialty drugs and complex generics
The government has been undertaking several proactive measures to promote
investments and exports in the pharmaceutical sector
100% foreign direct investment is now allowed in the biotech sector without
compulsory licensing from the government
KEY ECONOMIC DRIVERS
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Government led initiatives
Median Age of Population
Increasing penetration of health insurance
REVENUE STREAMS
COST STRUCTURE
Raw Materials – 41%
Manufacturing cost - 12%
Research & Development- 8%
Marketing costs – 26%
Wages account – 13%
The industry also faces high liability
insurance costs and high legal fees and
settlements
Export of generic drugs to developed
nations (US, Europe etc)
Government grants for R&D
High seasonality effect on certain
products like vaccines and cold medicine
Growth in disposable income and
increased potential for health coverage
to sustain domestic revenue streams
CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
Patients/consumers who need these drugs/medicines
Two other target stakeholders: 1. Doctors who prescribe 2. Insurance companies that
pay
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MAJOR PLAYERS
Sun Pharma – The market leader with a share of ~10%
Dr.Reddy’s
Lupin
Cipla
Cadila Healthcare
CHANNELS
Over-the-counter outlets
Prescription drugs: Hospitals, pharmacies
RISKS
Low expenditure on R&D
Intense Price Competition
Change in drug utilization and mix patterns
Unfavorable government healthcare polices
Pressure owing to consolidation with foreign players entering the market
Healthcare Industry
INDUSTRY TREND
Major health firms will continue to develop a pan India network (Fortis, Max, etc.)
Nature based treatments (Ayurveda) will continue to find more growth in both services and
products
Medical Tourism will continue to grow and will expand to more types of treatment
Aadhar related identity linkages will become more prevalent
The number of people with health insurance will continue to increase
KEY ECONOMIC DRIVERS
Increased health insurance coverage
Greater Disposable spend among the consumers
Increased parity with western standards – devices and procedure quality
Increased public awareness – government and public awareness campaigns
REVENUE STREAMS
Hospital care - $929B
Physician and clinical services - $588.8B
Prescription drugs - $262.3B
Nursing - $238.6B
Dental services - $116.6B
Research, Equipment, Investment - $161.5B
COST STRUCTURE (as a % of total GDP)
US - 17.1%
Europe - 10%
OECD - 12.4%
Latin America - 7.6%
MENA – 5.3 %
Asia – 4.4 %
India – 4.7%
China – 5.5%
South Asia - 4.4% World – 9.9%
CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
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Age : Below Average / Above Average
Social Background : Economically poor , Middle Class, Affluent
Type : Cosmetic , health hazards
All generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Y (Millennial generation), and Z
Awareness : First time , Casual , Regular, Savvy
MAJOR PLAYERS
Device Manufacturers : Johnson & Johnson | General Electric | Novartis | Siemens | Baxter
Major Hospitals : AIIMS | Apollo Hospitals | Fortis Healthcare | Max Healthcare
Major Pharmaceuticals: Sun Pharms | Lupin | Dr Reddy’s | Cipla | Aurobindo Pharma
CHANNELS
Hospitals | Doctor’s clinics | Nursing homes | Specialty Clinics | Rural Clinics | Medical equipment
RISKS
Increased need for ensuring operation integrity – protocol adherence
Awareness about dubious treatments and charlatans
Need of more medical centers to cater to increasing population
Telecom Industry
INDUSTRY TREND
After over a decade long growth, the global telecom industry is starting to saturate as
subscriber penetration has peaking in traditional voice, SMS and data services.
The telecom industry ($1.6T in 2015) is growing at different rates in different parts of
the world- North America (+1%), Latin America (-1%), Europe (-4%), Middle East &
Africa (+4%), Emerging Asia Pacific (+7%), and Developed APAC (+1%).
The telecom operators are facing significant competition from OTT players such as
skype, WhatsApp etc. causing declining voice revenue
The future industry trend will see better customer management using analytics,
establishing partnerships with digital players, operators entering in to ICT solutions,
and cost reduction via network sharing and acquisitions.
KEY ECONOMIC DRIVERS
Efficient pricing
Easing government regulations
Increasing penetration of digital services
Customer management
REVENUE STREAMS
COST STRUCTURE
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Data, Voice, and TV Tariffs
Interconnect Charges
Enterprise solutions for businesses
The margin of major Indian telecom
operators last year was in the range 25% to
40%, with power and fuel cost, employee
cost, “other manufacturing expenses”
comprising most of it.
CAPEX investments are large part of
operator’s P&L, and depreciation is typically
15-20% of total revenues.
CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
On the basis of product (Fixed line vs Mobile vs Other services (enterprise solution
etc.))
Business customer vs non-business customers
MAJOR PLAYERS
India (Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodaone-Idea, Aircel, BSNL)
Global (AT&T, Verizon, Telefonica, Etisalat, Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, STC, Millicom,
Orange, Zain, MTN, China Mobile etc.)
CHANNELS
Own Stores
Retailers
Online
RISKS
Intense price competition leading to tariff war
Growth saturation in developed country
Stricter regulations for telecom players compared to OTT players
Pressure owing to consolidation
FMCG
INDUSTRY TREND
The FMCG market has three main segments - Food & Beverages (19%), Healthcare (31%), House &
Personal Care (50%). It is the fourth largest sector in the Indian economy. Retail market in India is
estimated to reach USD 1 trillion by 2020 from USD600 billion in 2015, with modern trade
expected to grow at 20 per cent per annum, which is likely to boost revenues of FMCG companies.
Source Report: https://www.ibef.org/industry/fmcg-presentation
90
KEY ECONOMIC DRIVERS
Growing awareness, easier access, and changing lifestyles have been the key growth drivers for the
sector. People are gracefully embracing Ayurveda products, which has resulted in growth of FMCG
major, Patanjali Ayurveda, with a m-cap of USD 14.94 billion. The company aims to expand globally
in the next 5 to 10 years. Major growth drivers are rising incomes driving purchase, desire to
experiment with brands, evolving consumer lifestyle, new product launches, growing rural market,
growth of modern trade, strong distribution channel, availability of online grocery stores,
increasing consumer demand, greater awareness of products brands, government reforms to
encourage FDI inflow and market sentiments.
REVENUE STREAMS
COST STRUCTURE
Hair Care is the leading segment, accounting for
23 percent of the overall market in terms of
revenue. Food Products is the 2nd leading
segment of the sector accounting for 19 per cent
followed by health supplements & oral care
which has a market share of 16 per cent & 15
per cent, respectively
The cost structure in the FMCG industry is
uniform: Raw Material Cost, Salaries and Wages,
Indirect Taxes, Power and Fuel, Depreciation
Cost, Financial Charges, Admin & SG&A charges
CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
End customers and businesses, based on geographical, demographic, social, economic and
behavioral segmentation
MAJOR PLAYERS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
ITC Limited
Hindustan Unilever Limited
Dabur Limited
Godrej Consumer Products Limited
Patanjali Ayurveda
CHANNELS
1. Direct distribution - company engages directly with the customers or through exclusive
distributors
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2. Indirect distribution - company to distributor to wholesaler to retailer to customer
Further classification:
a. Grocery classification - discounter, hypermarket, general store and supermarket
b. Convenience classification - cstore, kiosk, gas stations and street vendors
RISKS
1. Financial risk - huge investments involved in setting up distribution networks, advertising
to maintain competency in market and maintaining a huge working capital for operations
2. Operational risk - maintaining supply in the market and decreasing defect rate
3. Regulatory risk - compliance to consumer court laws and environmental laws
4. Customer dissatisfaction risk - ability to satisfy the needs of the customer
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CASE EXPERIENCES
93
McKinsey & Company
94
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Anshul Patel
ITC and OYO Rooms, operations.
ITC – Supply chain operations, process improvement projects
OYO Rooms – Central customer experience projects
Company:
Mckinsey
Number of rounds:
2
Interview Format:
Guesstimation + Case Interview + PI
Interviewer:
Partner
Any specific skills that you believe the Analytical ability and communication skills
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case + Guesstimation
It is the year 2000 and ITC ltd. has come to you to help with
diversification of their business. How do you proceed
This was followed by an attempt to guesstimate the confectionaries
market in India
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
The partner outlined a situation where the only directive given to
you by the chairman of ITC was to diversify.
Possible scoping questions over here could be
- What is the motive behind diversification
- What are the current lines of business ITC is in (as of 2000)
- What is the scope of diversification (geographic , business
lines)
- What is the timeline company is looking at (Rapid or
organic), does it matter?
Based on my scoping questions, there are a few facts that I
discovered. ITC was in tobacco business only and it wanted to enter
businesses where the “wills” brand could be built and it would rub
off on tobacco.
With this very limited sense of objective, I broke down the problem
into the following screening criteria
1. Take a bucket list of all the industries available
2. Filter on the basis of fundamental industry attractiveness
3. Check whether ITC core competencies would fit to succeed
in the attractive businesses
4. Quick check on investment required to build additional
competencies and take a go/no go decision
The interviewer was OK with the approach and asked me to focus on
95
points 2 and 3 and the discussion went on with me asking more
specific questions about specifics of what ITC does and what
industries would be relevant in line with objective.
We finally arrived at a 2X2 where the vertical axis had attractiveness
and horizontal axis had competency fit. The partner asked me to fit a
few typical industries in these 4 quadrants and we discussed a
couple of industries qualitatively
This overflowed into a guesstimate where I was asked to estimate
the confectionary market in India. I was asked to just do the math
and he observed without much conversation. Finally I arrived at a
number which was off by a factor of 15-20 and we discussed the
assumptions did not hold true.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Connect with the interviewer personally than looking at it as a case
only. For most part, the case of ITC was a way of him recounting his
experience as this was the first project the partner had done at
Mckinsey.
Verify assumptions wherever you can. In case of guesstimates, if you
arrive at a number finally which seems off to you, it is important to
know what assumptions did not fit. There is no need to panic if you
get the number wrong.
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Unconventional
1. You are a fertilizer manufacturer, you want creative ways of
improving demand for your product
2. How much money do I need to retire by the Age of 40
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
1. The questions were about the nature of firm, its motivation to
increase demand. I was informed that I need not go through a
structure and the partner just wanted to see creative ways of
marketing a commodity.
2. For case 2, I deep dived into the profile of the partner, his motives
after retirement, his current asset base, the family that he needs to
support etc.
Recommended Approach:
1. The case of fertilizer manufacturer was such that the commodity
was not at all differentiated and the company had excess capacity
which needed to be utilized. Since I was explicitly advised not to go
through a structure, I went free flow on this
I spent a lot of time understanding the target customer. The partner
told me that the typical customer is
1. Illiterate
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2.
3.
4.
5.
Has a family with children
Runs his business on credit
Buys multiple inputs other than fertilizers
Few of them look for alternate employments in off crop
season
I had concluded that product in itself has no differentiation, so you
could differentiate by engaging the farmer on other fronts. I gave
suggestions that targeted the needs of the farmer on each of the
above requirements and hence improve brand recognition by
making it a part of his life.
2.
I broke down this case into
1. Sources of income in future – Through alternate sources,
through investments in assets
2. Consumption requirements – lifestyle maintenance, children
education, one time asset investments, healthcare
After taking a buy in from the partner, the scope was simplified and
he asked me to ignore inflation etc. So I broke down post retirement
life into two phases, 40-50 years and 60-80 years.
I probed further to get actual numbers for each of the heads within a
structure and arrived at a corpus of around 18Cr. required to retire
at 40. This was a quick check of my ability to crunch numbers as well
as structuring.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
You have to understand what is being tested specifically in the
question and design your approach based on that. In my case the
first case was to test my ability to think creatively and second one
was to check my math plus ability to structure an unconventional
problem.
As always, it is important to engage the interviewer by asking
intelligent relevant questions, the final number doesn’t matter.
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GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Ashish Gupta
Operations (1 year) and Product Management (almost 2 years) at
ITC’s Personal Care Products Business
Company:
McKinsey & Co.
Number of rounds:
4
Interview Format:
Case Interview + PI
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the Structured thinking + communication skills
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
PI
NA
NA
NA
Interviewer: Rajat Gupta (Sr. Partner)
It was only a PI interview over VC. The interview lasted for around
30-35 minutes. Rajat asked me a lot of questions on my resume –
one that I specifically remember is that he asked me to explain the
most important and impactful project that I’d done at ITC.
I generally feel very comfortable with PI and hence was able to
engage in a fruitful discussion with Rajat. For McKinsey, it is very
important that you be prepared with PI as McK does give a good
weightage to PI. It is also important to be as genuine as possible,
since being fake and overtly diplomatic can leave a bad impression.
<Don’t forget, these are very senior people. They can easily figure
out how genuine one is>. Being a PI only round, I felt very
comfortable and confident after the round.
Cost optimization
An integrated Zinc company wants to optimize its EBITDA margins.
Suggest ways to do so.
Interviewer: Abhijit Kulkarni (Associate Partner)
Where is this company based out of?
How many mines does it own?
What is its current EBITDA and EBITDA margins?
What is meant by optimization of EBITDA margins?
Interviewer told me himself that I should focus on costs and not
revenues (this was actually going to be my next question anyway).
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Recommended Approach:
I started by drawing the value chain.
Value chain looked like this:
Mining area
Milling (Concentrator)
product
Smelting
Finished
However, after 2-3 minutes into the case, after doing the initial
scoping, I realized that this is not a conventional cost reduction case
that can be done through value chain easily.
Company had 5 mining areas. The extraction cost in each area was
different and each area also had a different extraction capacity.
Let 5 plants be A, B, C, D and E.
A and B had a common concentrator that was placed in the location
of B.
Likewise, C and D had a common concentrator in the location of C.
E had a separate concentrator for itself.
For all the 5 plants, there was a common smelter.
Then costs at each stage for each of the 5 processes were given.
I started finding out the total cost for each plant operation.
After I found that out, I started allocating the production from the
plant that had least cost of production.
Interviewer: How much production can you allocate to the 5 plants
combined?
Ashish: The answer lay in the bottleneck. Smelter was the bottleneck
and based on its capacity, allocation to various plants had to be
done. This was the only real catch in this question.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
After identifying this, I was able to allocate the production to various
plants so as to minimize the total cost.
There was no framework at all that I could’ve used here. What
helped me here is DMOP. I had liked DMOP as a course and
optimization in general and hence allocating cost to optimize
EBITDA came fairly quickly into my mind. I would suggest that you
revise the core courses (at least go through the slides once before). I
was pretty lucky in that sense since I hadn’t revised DMOP at all but
thanks to all the attention that I paid in class, I was able to think of
this was of optimization quickly. (Even otherwise, this way of cost
optimization is pretty intuitive, but it just helps if you know various
ways of optimizing costs).
ROUND 3
99
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Banking market entry, guesstimate
Interviewer: Peeyush Dalmiya (Partner)
Case 1: A retail bank wants to enter. How would you evaluate its
entry?
Case 2: Estimate the number of trains leaving Jaipur junction in a
day.
Before the case began, I had a PI for around 15 minutes. He asked
me to tell about myself, my experience at ITC, what did I like most at
IIT etc.
Then we quickly jumped into 2 short cases:
Case 1
Scoping questions:
Where is this bank based out of?
Belgium
What type of customers does it cater to?
Not any specific customer segment
Here I confirmed with Peeyush whether the bank has decided to
enter or we need to evaluate that as well, to which he said that we
need to evaluate.
Recommended Approach:
Case 2
No scoping required.
Case 1
Without further scoping, I started analyzing the attractiveness of
Indian banking market.
I started with Barriers to entry - here I listed down a lot of Points. I
think one point that caught his attention was when I said that the
availability of distribution channel (rural v/s urban) could be a
barrier if this bank primarily caters to low-end customers
(counterpart of rural people in India) in Belgium.
Hearing this, he moved on to the next case.
Case 2
I listed some approaches to estimate the number of trains leaving
Jaipur junction in a day:
- Demand side (based on number of people entering the Jaipur
junction
- Supply side (Based on number of rails)
- Using a similar junction’s data
I told Peeyush that I would like to use the number of rails to
estimate the answer.
I then took 2 minutes to think about it and came up with this
100
formula:
No. of trains = No. of rails * (No. of trains/rail/hr.) * Operational
hours
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 4
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
I knew that because my second round was with an AP, I would have
to go through another round. Hence, this being round no. 3 did not
intimidate me.
Again, staying calm and not showing signs of nervousness are the
key. In case you get stuck anywhere, just ask the interviewer for a
minute, gather your thoughts during that time and then come back
strong. Thankfully, I was able to channelize my entire energy and
focus on to the cases. PI helped become comfortable with Peeyush.
NA
Interviewer: Navtez Singh Bal (Partner)
NA
NA
All my rounds had gone pretty well and I was feeling quite confident.
When Navtez called me into his room, the first thing he said was,
“We should have gone out. The weather is so nice outside”.
Hearing this, I sensed the good news coming.
He then started looking at my resume.
I had mentioned sports (cricket and athletics) that I’d played in
college. Seeing this, he asked me if I had interest in dramatics as
well.
Here, I said that while I don’t have much interest in dramatics, I’ve
trained myself a bit in Hindustani Classical music. Hearing this, he
asked me to sing a song (I honestly hadn’t seen this coming).
However, I cleared my throat and then started singing (Yes, you
need to do this to land your dream job :P). After singing just 2 lines,
Navtez stopped me, saying that he was just pulling my leg and said
the lines I’d been waiting for – ‘Welcome to the firm’.
Overall, I would suggest that you stay calm and composed (I know
it’s easier said than done but try. If you have a tendency to get
nervous, start meditation and yoga. Yes!! It works. A friend of mine
used to get highly nervous even when doing cases with us. But, with
proper meditation, he was able to land a job at McK after just 2
101
rounds. And finally, McK, unlike many other firms, wants to know
you as a person. So make sure that you are extremely comfortable
with the PI part.
102
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1.1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach: Abstract case
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Chitraketh Yandoori
Operations and Planning , ITC Limited
McKinsey
3
Case Interview + PI
Sudipto Paul, Associate Partner
Analytical ability and communication skills
PI + Case
Q1) What is the impact on GDP due to demonetization? Quantify it.
Q2) Our client is a cement company. How are the company’s
operations affected by demonetization and what can be done to
improve the situation.
Q1) No scoping questions
Q2) Use Victor Cheng’s 3C+P framework to get an understanding of
the situation. I asked for the business model of the company and got
a lot of useful information from that. Helped me reduce scoping
time.
Info Provided by the Interviewer :
One of the largest Players(No 3 in Industry)
Operates in North, Central and East India
Has only 1 Plant
Value Chain:
Plant Warehouse or Dealer Customer(Contractors or general
consumer)
The case was happening via Video Conference (VC) and therefore
structuring the case was very important.
GDP: I had two approaches to look at the impact of demonetization
of GDP.
Approach 1 : Split GDP based on Agriculture + Industry +
Services then look at the different industries Small + Medium +
Large
Connect to the cement firm from this approach.
Mistake I made: I assumed this is the approach he wanted.
After a few minutes he asked me to look at the cases as 2 different
questions. Then I told him my second approach.
Approach 2 : GDP = G+I+C+NX
He seemed happy now.
Looked at each of these in detail.
C: Split the consumption into Rural and Urban
Had a general discussion on the issues people face in both urban and
rural India. Low liquidity, long queues in banks, less number of
banks, Problems with e-payments (PAYTM) in rural India were
103
some of the issues discussed.
I = He asked me what is going to happen to investments.
Money deposited in banks Banks become cash rich
Encourage
loans (Reduce interest rate as repo also will reduce) More loans
and therefore more investments.
He then asked which industries would benefit.
Split the industries based on their need on cash. Had a general
discussion on real estate and impact of Foreign investments in India.
He then asked to look at the cement industry case.
I started with value chain because he gave information about it
during scoping.
Had very little time so I said I will look at it from the Macro View and
then drill into the details. (This approach can be very useful if u can
explain what your approach well and ask the right questions. E.g.:
For Manufacturing I asked: Is the firm able to produce as per the
demand it gets without any issue. He said Yes. The I reconfirmed
saying , “So is it safe to assume raw material sourcing to
manufacturing is in control and may I move on to the distribution “.
He said yes again and I moved ahead “)
Split the Chain into : Manufacturing
Distribution Customer
1. Manf. = Everything from RM to end of factory gate = No issue here
2. Distribution= From factory gate to Retail = Reduction in cust. Pull
3. Customer = Wants to buy but can’t buy.
I said it could be a liquidity issue because of no cash. He stopped me
here and said the problem was that the firm was not willing to sell
material on credit (which was a major means of transaction) after
demonization
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Had a very brief PI. Tell me about yourself and then we discussed a
little bit about my Scuba Experience in the Andamans. He then
moved on to the cases.
What went well :
I was positive, smiling and walked him through the case. Since it was
on VC it was very important to keep the structure clear.
What Could have gone better :
I tried to link both the cases because of which I lost my flow initially.
He asked me to quantify impact on GDP but we really didn’t discuss
any numbers. That could have been a problem.
ROUND 1.2
Case Type:
Interview Format:
Case
Case Interview + PI
104
Interviewer:
Akash Lal, Senior Partner
Any specific skills that you believe the Analytical ability and communication skills
interviewer was testing you on?
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Banks is facing a problem with long queues. What should be done?
The case seems to be very simple but the catch is in the way the
question is asked. The Interview started with a discussion on my
work at ITC which was based on operations. While having the
discussion Akash started talking about his work at McKinsey and
suddenly slipped in this question as though it was a part of the PI.
Fortunately for me, my buddy did a similar thing during case prep (I
bombed that case) so I was quick enough to catch it. So watch out for
such things in the interview.
Since it was so sudden I couldn’t think of any standard framework.
I started discussing each of them in detail
In utilization we discussed about temporal variation in demand,
cross training of employees, employee monitoring systems and
incentives, process improvements, segregation of queues based on
amount of transaction etc.
In capacity creation I spoke about increasing the number of
counters, Increasing the number of ATMs where people can deposit
cash.
The solution was ATMs so he told me that’s what they did.
Then we also spoke about soft operations such as putting mirrors,
TVs, magazines, train employees to be friendlier with the customers
and token systems instead of queues.
At the end of the case, I added saying that most of the time recurring
problems have simple solutions that go unnoticed and I spoke about
a process improvement project at ITC. ( He didn’t ask but I thought it
was relevant in that context)
He said I could leave but I asked him if I could ask a question
regarding McKinsey and asked him about how McKinsey evaluates
managers/partners on impact ( Don’t know if it was the right thing
to do but I just took a shot)
105
The same case can be solved using the
People + Process +
Technology framework. With this framework it becomes very easy.
Use it for service operations during case preparation and it might be
helpful (Also check the 7P framework)
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
What worked for me: I was confident and smiling throughout and
kept thinking out loud. I always ensured that the interviewer is
engaged and I think it’s very important. Remember they are always
willing to help.
I also kept mentioning my experiences from banks and operations
and I think it worked since firms also check if you can use your
previous experience in other projects.
What went wrong: Nothing.
Selected for Round 2
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Abstract
A smart city is facing mobility issues What should be done?
Case + PI via Video Conference
Suveer Sinha,Partner
PI: The interview started with PI. I was waiting for the interviewer
for about 10 minutes so I quickly wrote a short poem. We started
the interview about a discussion on poetry and it lightened up the
mood. Then he asked me about PAEV which was on sustainable
housing .The interviewer was working on smart cities so we had a
good discussion and I could establish a connect.
Case:
I asked what he meant by mobility wrt: Mode of transport, Route,
Time, Affected stakeholders.
The issue: reduced average speed experienced by young
professionals travelling by road (all modes) from office back home
at around 7; 00 pm.
On enquiring about the locations in consideration I realized the city
was radial with houses in the central areas and offices in the
peripheral areas.
Recommended Approach:
It’s an abstract case so there is no recommended approach
I said ill analyze the status quo first and then look at what can be
additionally built in the city to improve the situation.
(Throughout this case I gave probable issues and kept giving
106
possible recommendations )
I split speed as distance by time.
Factors for Time increase :
Traffic = F(vehicles,signals,discipline,infrastructure,etc)
Discussed each of them in detail
Cars had gone up 10X (main issue)
@Increased signals
change them to roundabouts
@ Toll gate : Not the case
@ Poor roads in important areas. How that can be highlighted. Lot of
startups working on it.
@Traffic discipline and how that can be improved
Distance (Kept this short)
Spoke about how damaged roads can lead to people using smaller
lanes
Or alternate paths
Avoiding bottlenecks to escape traffic.
Then on the infrastructural improvement I discussed about how
current infrastructure can be used better by optimizing routes
(change to 1-ways) during peak traffic times and how Chennai does
that well. Also spoke about the outer ring road, flyovers and
alternate mode of transports.
Overall he was happy and he asked me to come up with ways to
reduce car traffic (major car users were young professionals)
I split this problem into 2 parts = Disincentivize private transport
and promote public transport
disincentivize private transport :
Corporates to increase parking fees could lead to car pooling
Corporates can start their own buses and to more locations
Incentivize public transport
Subsidy on passes
Increase quality of public buses (AC+ TV)
Increase frequencies of buses
Increase bus routes
Look at alternates modes of transport. (Local trains, metro etc.)
He seemed very happy and said we had a good discussion.
Got the offer!
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Established an initial connect. Started with the basics and tried to
cover as many aspects as possible. Kept sharing my experiences
from Chennai and Hyderabad and how we can use such practices.
Almost everything went well in this round!
107
Be confident, think out loud and smile. All cases can be solved and if
it’s a tough case the interviewer understands it. All you need is a
calm mind.
108
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Abhiram Reddy
Senior Analyst, Strategy, PwC
McKinsey & Company
2
Case Interview + PI
Sasi Sunkara, Partner
Analytical ability and communication skills
Sales Force Sizing
Our client is a microfinancing company who is looking to dispense
currency via third party agents. How should our client go about this?
a) Client – Who exactly is our client? What is their business model?
Our client is a microfinancing company who provides loans to Selfhelp Groups (SHGs) in the form of prepaid cards. Since the recent
demonetization move, our clients’ customers are having difficulties
withdrawing the cash in their cards to service their daily needs.
Hence, the company has come up with an idea to partner with local
vendors to dispense cash at their outlets to our client’s customers.
b) Service Provider – Who exactly is the service provider? What is
his incentive?
Our agents are neighborhood vendors (think mobile recharge
shops, stationery shops, etc.) who are already present in large
numbers in most localities where our clients live. The service
providers receive a commission of 0.5% of the transaction value.
c) Why exactly is the objective of our client?
To ensure that our customers have enough service providers in
their vicinity to withdraw currency without facing any challenges.
We need to estimate the number of such partners we need in every
locality.
After a long PI interview, which lasted for almost 25 mins., I was
finally relieved to be moving on to the case interview.
The interview was overall very warm and friendly. Sasi seemed
genuinely interested and engaged throughout our 45 mins of
conversation.
We started the case by talking about Demonetization and how
several startups have leveraged on the cash crunch to come up with
quirky services.
After asking my scoping questions, I quickly went to the case and
started explaining my thought process. I told the interviewer that I
intend to estimate the demand in terms of number of withdrawals in
109
each area and then go ahead to my supply side analysis and compute
the number of agents required to satisfy this demand.
I first looked at the demand side and wanted to start my analysis by
looking at geographical distribution of customers.
Sasi quickly pulled out a sheet of paper and explained:
Assume that we are looking at the problem from a branch-level point
of view. Each branch services 4000 new customers every day, who are
evenly spread out across the 4 areas in its vicinity.
1000
1000
.
BRANCH
1000
1000
I then went ahead and explained to Sasi that I want to compute the
demand in terms of transaction volumes and then figure out the
estimated number of service providers in each area based on the
volume of transactions they can service per day (service rate)
No. of Service Providers = Total transaction volume / Service Rate
(required in each area)
To this Sasi quickly observed that there was no constraint to the
number of transactions the partners can service every day. He asked
me to think further and figure out if there was any other constraint
on the supply side.
I took a minute to think and then deep dived into the incentive
structure of the service partner. After a volley of questions to the
interviewer, I was finally told that the service partner looked to
make INR 200 every day on commissions. AHA! It finally all made
sense. The commission of 0.5% from the scoping question finally
seemed relevant.
I then quickly restated my initial equation to:
No. of Service Providers= (Total Transaction Value * 0.5%) / (INR
200)
Sasi seemed happy and asked me to go about estimating the Total
110
Transaction Value in each area.
By this time, there was a knock on the door and we were told we
overshot the schedule by 10 mins already.
I drew an issue tree and started brainstorming the drivers behind
“Total Transaction Value” in every area. In haste, I restated my
equation as:
Total Transaction Value = Total Loan amount value * (% withdrawn)
The interviewer instantly retorted - Assume that the average loan
amount is INR 1L and 100% of the amount is withdrawn in currency.
I sheepishly corrected the equation as:
Total Transaction Value = No. of customers in area * Avg. Loan Value
The interviewer didn’t look so pleased and asked me to quickly
think about other factors that I might be missing. I drew a process
diagram:
LOAN > CUSTOMER > WITHDRAWAL
After wasting a couple of precious minutes analyzing the loan
sanctioning process and hitting a dead-end, I went ahead and
started analyzing the currency withdrawal behavior of customers.
How often do they withdraw? How much do they withdraw? Where
else do they withdraw?
The broad smile on the interviewer’s face gave it away that I had hit
the nail on the head.
Our clients’ customers usually withdraw the loan amount in two
phases
Sasi gave me a plethora of numbers and a few seconds and some
simple math later, I estimated that the client would require around 6
agents in every locality.
The interviewer suddenly interjected and asked if I was sure of my
answer. I went ahead and did a sanity check. I estimated the number
of service partners per 100 customers in every area and both of us
were satisfied with the service level metric.
The interviewer went ahead and explained how this was a real-life
scenario, where a client of his was facing attrition from service
partners, largely because they were not meeting their target
111
commissions.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
He explained that this was largely driven by the fact that customers
usually withdrew almost 50% of their loan amount in cash at the
bank branches on day of loan sanction itself, and thus the
withdrawal volumes at ATMs and other POS systems were
considerably lesser than national averages.
Building a lot of rapport with the interviewer during the PI part
helps to sail through your case with ease. Confidence and Presence
is something which the interviewer is constantly judging and this is
evident during multiple junctures in the interview.
As much as you practice frameworks, you invariably have to start
from a clean slate in a case based interview. It is necessary to not
lose your calm if an unconventional case like this is given to you.
Case prep develops a structured thinking approach for you which
come in very handy in cases like these.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Abhiram Reddy
Senior Analyst, Strategy, PwC
McKinsey & Company
2
Case Interview + PI
Peeyush Dalmia, Partner
Analytical ability and communication skills
Guesstimate
Estimate the number of Bullet motorcycles in the country
a) Clarification – In India, the term ‘Bullet’ is usually used to refer to
all Royal Enfield motorcycles colloquially. Am I specifically
looking to estimate the number of Royal Enfield Bullet
motorcycles or all Royal Enfield motorcycles like the Classic,
Thunderbird, etc.?
I’m interested only in the number of Royal Enfield Bullets.
b) Product Life – In my experience the Bullet motorcycles, despite
their constant niggles, usually have a very good build quality and
have a long life. So, may I assume a 5-year life of the motorcycle?
Sure, you may assume that.
112
Recommended Approach:
As soon as I entered the interview room, Peeyush told me that he
didn’t have a lot of time and wanted to jump straight to a case after a
brief introduction from both sides. He seemed very serious.
In my introduction, I had touched upon my association with Royal
Enfield and was very lucky to get a guesstimate on one of my most
favorite brands and something I had a strong connect to.
I started off by stating that there are a few ways to estimate the
number of Bullets in the country – specifically I could estimate it
from the Demand or Supply side.
The interviewer said he’s okay with either approach.
I went ahead and said I wanted to look at the supply side. Most
people, myself included, have a 6 month to 1 year waiting period for
their Bullet motorcycles. Hence, the supply (and not demand) was a
constraint when it came to Royal Enfield motorcycles.
Peeyush remarked that was a very good insight and asked me to
quickly prod on and estimate the number.
Next, I drew the entire supply value chain:
RM Sourcing -> Manufacturing -> Logistics -> Dealer -> Customer
An idea suddenly struck me. I knew that the PoD of a Bullet vs. all
other Royal Enfield motorcycles was the fact that every Bullet tank
was pin-striped by hand. Also, I remembered from an old Royal
Enfield video that this hand pin-striping is an extremely high skilled
job and it was passed on generation-to-generation within a single
family in Chennai (where the Royal Enfield plant is located)
I explained the entire value chain to Peeyush and then said I wanted
to look at the bottleneck in the entire supply chain. I then narrated
the above story and told him that I think the hand pin-striping of the
tank was indeed the bottleneck in the entire Bullet value chain from
RM to Customer.
The interviewer genuinely looked happy after this.
I then went ahead and quickly estimated the required numbers as:
No. of Bullet Motorcycles = No. Manufactured per Year * Product Life
= Bottleneck Capacity * 8 hrs a day * 300 working days a yr * 5 yrs
(per hour)
I made an assumption at this juncture. I assumed it takes about 10
mins. for pin-striping a single tank by hand and got the buy-in from
113
the interviewer to validate my assumption.
Thus, the bottleneck neck capacity was 6 units an hour. (Each bike
required one tank and the bottleneck was the painter who could pinstripe each tank in 10 mins, i.e., 6 tanks an hour)
Peeyush stopped me here and said he was satisfied with my
approach. After the guesstimate, he seemed a lot more relaxed and
went back to PI. We had a very quick chat about my leadership
experiences at IIT.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Got an offer immediately after the interview!
While McKinsey usually doesn’t have stressed-based interviews and
most interviewers are very chilled out, you might occasionally be
faced with an interviewer who is of the serious-type.
Keeping a cool mind and a relaxed demeanor really helps, not only
in thinking out of the box, but also in portraying a great attitude to
the interviewer. To emphasize again, Confidence is key! Appearing
confident to the interviewer, irrespective of how confused you are
internally, is critical.
114
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Ankana
Risk analyst, EY (close to 2 years)
Economics graduate, SRCC
Company:
McKinsey and Company
Number of rounds:
2
Interview Format:
1st round- 2 interviews (Mandatory) followed by 2nd round (for
some interviewees it may go up to 3-4 rounds)
Interviewer:
Partner
Any specific skills that you believe the Problem Solving and communication skills
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Business Case
Help the CEO of a large FMCG company in India estimate the benefits
that it can derive from the implementation of GST
The following questions should be asked:
1. Product mix and range of the FMCG company.
(The company produces personal care products such as
moisturizers and shampoos)
2. Where does it operate within India?
(I was told it is present Pan- India)
3. Where are the manufacturing and distribution centers of the
company?
(It had one manufacturing center in Uttar Pradesh and one in
Maharashtra. There were 30 large warehouses spread across
the country and multiple distribution or stocking centers
around these warehouses)
Recommended Approach:
You may ask other related questions as well.
I started by sketching the value chain of the company. The
interviewer helped add some additional information that was
unique to the model that the company followed.
I explained that GST is most likely to have an impact on the
interstate transportation and distribution due to its impact on taxes
on interstate taxes.
He asked me few questions to check my understanding on the topic
(It could be because I am an economics graduate that I am expected
to know these things well)
I clearly stated three main transportation networks that I would
look into- a) From the suppliers to the manufacturing sites, b) From
the manufacturing sites to the large warehouses and c) From the
115
warehouses to the smaller distribution centers.
I clarified if the company looks after the transport channel only up
to this point and if I should also explore any online sales network. I
was told to go with the above three.
As I went deeper into each transport network, I was able to rule out
raw material transport. On probing into the costs, it became clear
that the cost of operating the warehouses (currently one in every
state) was higher than the distribution centers.
Also, I asked about the number of trucks, total capacity of each truck
and cost/ km to transport to the warehouse and to the distribution
center. The trucks were of varying capacities and the per kilometer
cost of transport was different for the two transport network. The
total volume of goods transported was fixed and I confirmed if I can
take the same average volume for each state for simplicity.
I did some number crunching and it revealed that the current model
of a warehouse in each state may not be most efficient but was
helping in saving taxes. Under GST, it made more sense to have
clustered warehouses that catered to the demand in multiple states.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
On comparing the two costs, I could finally come up with an
approximate value of benefits that the new model of warehouses
under GST could produce.
I was asked to synthesize the case.
This round was through a video conference as the Partner was in
Singapore. In a VC round it is very important to be articulate about
what you are solving and it helps to do a few cases with a buddy or a
friend on a call. Once in a while you may even pick your sheet to
show your structure to the interviewer.
1. Keep confirming your assumptions with the interviewer.
2. It is alright to restrict the scope to only the gains pertaining
to the firm and ignore indirect gains, if any.
3. It is important to have some basic awareness of key political
and economic issues and it is good idea to show whatever
you know in a topic like this to scope the question well.
Abstract
Estimate the size of land that should be bought in order to build an
IT park which also supports residential living and is self-sufficient.
Land is very costly to acquire. So it is important to buy only
necessary (yet sufficient) area of land.
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
One should clarify basic objectives of the IT park. I also confirmed if
I should take into account a growth factor and whether we would
like to keep certain amenities that wasn’t very clear.
116
Recommended Approach:
I took a few minutes to chalk out the various heads under which I
would need to allocate land.
It is important to make this list as exhaustive as possible and check
with the interview if the list is good to work with or if he believes you
are missing any major heads.
I went by first noting the following heads:
1. Administration (Govt. offices, law and order and judiciary
etc.)
2. Residential (Living spaces along with parking lots)
3. Recreational (parks, entertainment centers, Marketplaces
like malls or kiosks)
4. Commercial (main IT office spaces, industrial spaces etc.)
5. Amenities (Schools, hospitals etc.)
6. Green cover (mandated to be 33% of total land area) +
Marshy spots or water bodies
7. Roads and transport (can include land for airport or railways
if these are considered important)
8. Buffer (For expected population or industrial growth)
I have included a few additional heads above that may be relevant to
a usual city (marked in green) but since through my discussion with
my interviewer, I only went with what was relevant (marked in
black).
The interviewer looked happy with the list, so I went about each
head one by one. At this stage, he asked me to only explain the
approach that I would follow the land needed for each of the heads:
On asking a few clarifying questions, I was told that the IT park
would be expected to create 7000 jobs to start with. I explained that
not every employee is likely to live nearby and some may choose to
travel from elsewhere (As it was being built near a prominent city).
The interviewer liked this idea and gave me a proportion of people
who are likely to live in the residential area nearby.
I also estimated that there would be some support staff and other
supporting jobs such as that of teachers and doctors etc. that would
get created to make this place self-sufficient. I was given a multiplier
of 5 per every IT job.
I explained an assumption of 1-2 working individuals in a family on
average and about 5 people in every household. The interview told
me that I could assume 1.5 working individuals per household of 5.
Once I estimate the population through the information, I was able
to then estimate the number of schools and hospitals needed and
also the number of houses required.
I was also given the area per house for different income levels and I
117
took a weighted average to arrive at an average house’s size.
After allowing me to explain a few of the heads, the interviewer
seemed satisfied by the approach and asked me to synthesize.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
When faced with an abstract case, it is very important to be calm and
take a few minutes to structure your thoughts. Regular frameworks
would not help in such cases but with enough practice, it is possible
to start thinking about ways in which you can present your views. As
always, there is no right or wrong answer in such cases. It is only the
clarity of thought and approach that matters.
118
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Akshay Kapoor
B.Tech + M.Tech in Chemical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur
Senior Field Engineer, Schlumberger
Company:
McKinsey
Number of rounds:
3
Interview Format:
Case Interview + PI
Interviewer:
Partner(don’t remember name)
Any specific skills that you believe the Analytical ability and communication skills
interviewer was testing you on?
Specific PI Questions
General Conversation about my work as the interviewer was already
aware of what I do.
Asked to tell an experience where I showcased either leadership or
passion or innovation?
Here I narrated an experience where I told of an experience which
incorporated all the three characteristics.
In 3rd interview was asked how my day has gone so far?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Growth Strategy
A paint company is looking to increase topline from 12% to 20%
Asked questions about the firm (mkt. share), competitors, industry,
customer segments (premium, mid, economy), and company
products (types of paints). Timeline for achieving this growth?(5
years)
No fixed framework used. From the scoping it was clear that the firm
was only in the premium and mid segments but was not present in
the economy.
Data was provided that the market consisted of 20% premium, 40%
mid and 40% economy customers.
The firm’s market share was 40% in premium and 10% in mid
segment.
Asked to quantify in numbers the possible scenarios through which
the objective can be attained.
Answered them as
Scenario 1: Enter into Economy Segment
Mkt. Share: 40% Premium, 15% mid segment, 15% economy
segment
Scenario 2: Do not Enter Economy Segment
Mkt Share: 50% Premium, 25% mid segment
Arriving at reasonable estimations for numbers and reaching 20%
quickly I believe was key.
Post this made a structure of Pros and Cons of each of the scenarios
119
and discussed them.
The most important Con for expanding into economy segment was
expansion of distribution and advertising into network to Tier 3
cities which would be extremely difficult and costly
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
This was my first interview of the day. There were some nerves in
the beginning which were alleviated by the fact that the partner had
done the same work pre ISB in Halliburton. This relation helped
build a connection which I believe was the most positive aspect of
this interview. As both of us were from Oil &Gas industry asked 3-4
post interview questions about Oil & Gas Consulting.
Sales Force Effectiveness & Guesstimate
Case 1: An insurance firm is having problems of low sales force
productivity. Asked to identify possible reasons.
Case 2: Estimate the number of flights that take off from Delhi
Airport in a day.
Case 1
What Insurance does the firm Sell? (Life)
How do we measure productivity? (No. of policies sold per agent)
Competitors and their mkt. share (Our firm was the third in mkt.
share with about 20% share)
Case 2
Do we consider both terminals or only 1 terminal? (Only 1)
Number of runways? (Only 1)
Recommended Approach:
Case 1
Sales Force Effectiveness was one of the frameworks for which I had
not done a prior case, so couldn’t remember much about the
framework.
Made an initial bucket list of reasons:
1) Skill Level
2) Incentives
3) Quality of our Product
4) Agent selling multiple company insurances
After this the interviewer started asking think more. Each time I
would take 15-20 seconds and come up with another point. Was
asked to think more at least 4 more times and each time came up
with some additional point.
Not sure if the interviewer was looking for any specific point or the
breadth of points I could cover or just the fact whether I could come
up with new points each time and not give up.
Case 2
If one has practiced guesstimates this comes out to be a standard
120
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
guesstimate question.
I laid down my approach upfront
[Number of Runways * [1 hr / (time taken by one flight on runway)]
* Avg. Utilization Rate ] / 2
As I was comfortable with the question in particular I tried to be as
granular as possible in my approach.
For utilization: Clubbed the 24hrs in a day into buckets of 4hrs each
and estimated what the utilization percent would be in those 4 hour
buckets. Like 100% in 5 AM to 9AM
80% in 9AM to 1 PM
70% in 1PM to 5PM
90% in 5PM to 9PM
80% in 9PM to 1AM
40% in 1AM to 5AM
The division by 2 in the end was important as the question only
asked about the number of flights that take off.
In the second case I used my strength in mental maths. Being
familiar with the case and wanting to make a mark I didn’t round off
any of the numbers as is typically recommended and performed the
calculations with all the decimals etc. quickly. I could see the
interviewer appreciated my speed and correctness of calculations.
PS: Not rounding off approach is not recommended if you are not
confident about it. In the end correctness always matters more than
speed.
Growth Strategy
Indian Oil has hired you to advise them on their growth strategy
Made a mistake as didn’t ask any and directly jumped to analysis.
Started out with the Products / Revenue Streams for Indian Oil
1) Petrol/Diesel
2) Gas
3) Petrochemicals
As in the scoping I hadn’t initially asked for strategy for how many
years I was just moving with an assumption that we are looking at a
short term strategy of approx. 5 years (Don’t know why I was
solving under this assumption).
Made an initial suggestion that Current operations seem good as the
price of crude oil is also relatively low and is expected to stay that
way so just maintain current operations and try and reduce costs if
possible.
Asked to analyze further from demand side
121
Split it into:
Fuel for vehicles
Aviation Fuel
Fuel for large generators etc.
Lubricants etc.
Petrochemical Industry
LPG
Once I wrote these down, I realized that a large proportion of
revenues would be coming from Fuel for vehicles. With the
proliferation of alternate fuel sources Indian Oil would have to foray
into other energy sources to have a long term sustainable growth.
Interviewer asked me what I did wrong?
I accepted that I jumped to conclusion very quickly without
analyzing
Interviewer also pointed out that I did not ask the timeline for which
I was designing the strategy.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
The interviewer was smiling the entire time and at the end I was
given an offer.
Before entering the room I was told that I have been doing well and
this is the last mile which I need to overcome. The case didn’t go that
well what worked in my favor was that I corrected myself once
prompted to look at the problem in greater detail.
Though whenever I practiced cases with my batch mates and
buddies I used to fill about 1-2 pages but in each of the interviews
with interviewer in each case I filled maximum half a page only. This
was done in an attempt to just write the main points and then keep
the case as conversational as possible. A connect with the
interviewer and him liking you goes a long way in you getting the
offer.
122
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1 – Interview 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Anmol Singh Mann
Flipkart, GreedyGame Media
McKinsey
3
Guesstimation + Case Interview + PI
PQR, Partner
Analytical ability and communication skills
PI + Case
Demonetization, Pros/Cons, Impact
Interviewer was Navtez Bal. Interview kicked off with generic PI
questions, about myself and all and how was my day scheduled.
Then went straight to the case
The initial PI questions really set the tone for the interview so do not
ignore your PI part. It gives you the initial confidence and settles the
butterflies in your stomach. For the Demonetization case, it was an
open-ended case and initially started by what kind of impact it
would have. I classified it into 3 buckets – Economic Impact,
Operational Impact, and Psychological Impact. Navtez asked me to
about each a bit in detail, hence:
Eco – Pros – increase liquidity; Cons – lost biz
Operational – explained the value chain and mismatch the supply
and demand of new notes and how it can be corrected
Psychological –Pros – dip in terrorist and hwala activities, improved
global perception; Cons – impact on general people in terms of all
the hassle
Navtez then asked me to quantify the positive impact on GDP
because of Demonetization, and the case moved towards a
guestimate problem:
-started by taking India’s total GDP ~ $4 tn
-main point here was that demonetization will result in cash
deposits with banks hence increasing liquidity and lowering interest
rates
-this would lower interest expense for companies
-Navtez told me to now find out how much money will be able to
recover if the interest rate has been lowered from bad accounts
-Navtez told me to assume some $1 tn is stuck in bad loans and
NPAs
-Increases liquidity and incentive to pay taxes will improve it
-further classified it via Small, Med, and Large biz
-took %age of loan defaults via each
-wat %age will be able to recover because of this
123
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 1 – Interview 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Navtez guided me to focus on primarily the credit floating in the
market and guess the impact using it
Make the case more of a discussion, then a Q&A. Take time to
structure the problem in your mind and then state it to the
interviewer up front. Keep confirming your assumptions with the
interviewer. Aim to practice at least 50+ cases diligently
PI + Case
You are the Sales Head of a Creative Agency who has clients in both
India and Abroad. The revenues are doing Oks, but the CEO wants to
take it further level. Suggest?
My interviewer was Somnath Chatterjee. This interview was more
intense unlike the first interview with Navtez which was more like a
conversation. Started with PI questions from my resume, and
Somnath asked all details about my work in Flipkart, my role in
startup (GreedyGame Media) and why do I want to move into
Consulting (read McKinsey) now as I was more of a startup guy. I
had introspected while making this move into ISB and consulting
very well for over a year now and my PI prep came to good use here.
Moving to the case – asked scoping questions – exact product, geo,
time, customers, competitions, etc. What was the exact goal and
what success meant to the client
Started by usual Revenue framework – revenue per customer and
number of customers. Somnath told me that the price per creative
work cannot be increased much. Also, he told that primarily our
customers are in Europe. Rest he told me to explore all possible
options. I took some time to come up with an initial framework to
increase revenues – new customers, existing customers. Under
existing customers I told him we will analyze the repeat rates, ticket
size, kind of work and geo. Under new clients I told him we can
explore in Euro market and Indian market both. He told me to think
more on how will I fetch new clients in Europe market – here my
experience in startup came to good use as we were involved in
similar situation in GreedyGame Media, when we were planning to
get sales from European clients. I told him that in B2B sales
introductions and foot in the door is every important, so to start off
we can have an one-year deal with some sales agency in Europe
which can help us sell, based on sweat equity versus some revenue
target. He liked the idea and how I linked it to my past experience.
After this Somnath also got involved into the case I mapped my
entire experience as Sales Head in GreedyGame to this case and
luckily for me it worked well
Be thorough about who you really are, what you want, why you
want it and what kind of work you have done to show that. Apart
from your intellectual and academic ability which is judged via your
GPA and cases, it’s important that you should be able to sell yourself
well and showcase what is the uniqueness you bring to the firm.
124
Apart from this PI and Case prep are very important. 50+ cases help
you be thorough with frameworks and also give you confidence
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Guesstimate
Number of buses moving in and out of Jalandhar (my hometown)
bus stand per day?
Cleared McKinsey Round 1 and Round 2 interview was taken by
Peeyush Dalmia. It started by 1-2 PI questions and then straight to
case. He told me he wants exact numbers as solution (probably
wanted to test my quant abilities as the previous 2 cases had not)
After some initial scoping questions (not much possible here), I took
some time and mapped it to a case I had done as to how many
aircrafts will move in and out of airport within a day. So I told him
that I will solve it from supply side. There are around 20 terminals
in Jalandhar bus stand and it takes around 30 mins for a bus to park
wait and then leave their scheduled terminal. I then divided the fill
rate of each terminal by time over the day – 0-6, 6-12, 12-6, 6-12,
based on how busy the bus stand will be and assigned a fill rate
accordingly. I just told him the approach and he seemed satisfied
and told me no need to solve. Piyush told me to wait for 5 mins and
later Suyog Kotecha came and welcomed me to the firm. Happy
times!
I cleared Round 1with McKinsey and was in between interviews of
another consulting firm when the result came out. They told me to
wait with them and sign the F&F with them, but then I had to stay
with them for another hour and miss my scheduled McKinsey
interview Round 2. I left them and came to McKinsey interview and
they told me that this would lower my chances if I came later now. It
was tough call at that time, but McKinsey is where I wanted to go! It
is VERY CRITICAL to have your priorities set for Day 1 or else you
will be lost after your first rounds
125
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Gazal Gupta
For 2.5+ years, Business Analyst at Amadeus Software Labs – Global
leader in travel technology
Company:
McKinsey & Co.
Number of rounds:
2
Interview Format:
Case Interview + PI
Interviewer:
Round 1: Somnath Chatterjee, Partner
Round 2: Sujit Chatterjee, Partner
Any specific skills that you believe the Analytical ability and structure
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
Abstract type+ Guesstimate
What is the percentage change in GDP in the next two quarters in
the wake of demonetization?
He mentioned that he was interested in a numerical figure. Since the
problem statement was pretty direct & crisp, I did not ask any
scoping questions.
I Started with two broad approaches:
1. Proxy data from previous demonetization scenarios in India
(1946, 1978) and demonetization instances in other countries
(UK, Malaysia, etc.) but I mentioned that the scenario might be
very different to take this as exactly the same.
2. Divided the impact into 3 phases as transactional, transitional
and transformational and I told him that I would majorly look at
these from an economic and social standpoint. He said let’s
focus at only the economic perspective in order to arrive at
numerical change in GDP.
Looking at only the short term change, then from an economic
perspective I said GDP=C+G+I+NX
He said let’s focus on Consumption being 0.5*GDP and then let’s
estimate the change in GDP due to change in consumption. I broke it
down as function of number of people and their consumption, which
would be different in urban and rural.. income groups, discretionary
and essentials.. We discussed a little more on the approach and then
he gave me time to come to a numerical change. I took my time to
arrive at the numerical value and walked him through the
calculation. I mentioned that the change seemed a little too high to
me and offered my qualitative opinion on it. Then he ended it at that
saying had we had more time we could look at other factors of GDP
(G,I, NX).
Overall, I did not get much idea during the interview as to how the
126
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
case was going because it was pretty abstract. Frameworks are
important, but a lot of time it goes for a toss, so you need to think
from the scratch. But I think the fact that I still tried to put a
structure to it and could finally give a numerical value was what
mattered. And yes, the case solving process surely became a lot of
discussion here as then we were discussing about demonetization
and its impact actually.
IT Services; Profitability
For an IT services firm, sales are growing but margin is going down.
Evaluate why?
I asked a few scoping questions around what kind of services does it
offer, customers, geographies served, decline in margin since when…
I laid down my structure, talking about Revenue= Billing rate * #of
projects and broke down cost into majorly fixed and variable.
I said, since sales were increasing, I wanted to start with the cost
side.
Discussed all cost heads, and since major cost head was employee
cost, delved further into that. Discussed on shore and off shore
projects and cost.
I realized then that it is important to consider the billing rate and
proportion of projects for on shore and off shore. This was the catch
as the company was earning higher margin in off shore projects
however, recently they were doing more of India based projects.
With this, I quickly summarized the case and mentioned one two
quick recommendations that came to my mind.
Not a difficult case, but I tried to be elaborate while talking
mentioning all possible scenarios and things that could impact. I
think clarity of thought, structure and comprehensiveness helped
here.
127
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Saurabh Gupta
Operational Excellence, ITC and Alghanim Industries (Kuwait)
Mckinsey
2
PI + Case Interview
Kunwar Vijayant Singh, Partner
Analytical ability and communication skills. Higher focus on PI – my
interview experience was enhanced because of a good PI.
Market Entry + Acquisition
Case was HBS Type. He opened the deck which he claimed he was
also reading for the first time. He started reading the case and asked
me to note down the details. It was a tractor and other agricultural
manufacturer in US who wanted to expand and was looking to
acquire a manufacturer in Canada. His question was what questions
I will ask in the first team meeting if Mckinsey was hired by this
manufacturer.
Basic scoping questions
Existing Revenues, any specific revenue target or any other
objective, core competence, competition in the target market,
competence of the target etc.
I drew the market entry framework:
- Fundamental Attractiveness (Size, Growth, Competition)
- Relative Competitive Advantage (Client + Target: Synergies)
- Risks (PEST)
I listed down relevant questions under each head and the partner
seemed satisfied – he gave me few inputs related to synergies and
risks.
He then gave me an exhibit and asked me to calculate % year on
year increase in a metric he defined, which I did quickly and he
seemed very happy.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
PI was the key because it helped me start on a very good note after
which rest of the interview flowed smoothly.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Saurabh Gupta
Operational Excellence, ITC and Alghanim Industries (Kuwait)
Mckinsey
2
PI + Case Interview
Akash Lal, Senior Partner
128
Any specific skills that you believe the Depth of Work Experience and Emotional Maturity, Quick thinking
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Marketing: Quick thinking in coming up with possible solutions
A Financial Services conglomerate (gave me the full background)
wants to do cross selling of its different services to the customers.
What are the different ways to do it?
He gave me necessary background in advance – client has life
insurance, mutual funds, gold loans etc. financial services
businesses, but all are separate companies with almost no
integration. They want to do cross selling and how can they achieve
it?
I drew customer process flow while purchasing and availing a
financial service and came up with possible integration solutions at
different junctures under the heads of people (common salesmen
who can sell life insurance for long term and mutual funds for short
term – used the concept of human income in portfolio theory),
facility (common office), process (recommendations like amazon
when a customer purchases one product) and technology (common
app, website).
The case was quite straightforward and I took some time in realizing
that he just wanted me to give solutions without much analysis. He
seemed satisfied with my solutions – he added that they also advised
the client to have single customer id for all the services provided.
He went in depth into my experience specifically in middle east as to
how I managed the cultural differences. The authenticity and
detailing of my answers worked. Also, I was able to bring out the
effort I had put into people management in my answers.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
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Personal Details
Name:
Pre ISB experience:
Avinish Mittal
3 years of Consulting/advisory + 1.5 years of entrepreneurial experience
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare for this role:
Pre-Process Description:
Mckinsey
JA
Yes
1. Revise all core courses. GyaanKosh is very useful.
2. Do a lot of case prep. Around 80 cases is a good number
N/A
Round 1:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Shirish Sankhe (Partner)
PI + Case
1. Tell me about yourself
2. Why do you want to join consulting? Since I had cofounded a startup before coming to ISB
(after having worked in a consulting firm for 3 years), this was a tricky question
3. Why Mckinsey?
At this point, I asked Shirish why he stayed with Mckinsey for such a long time. He mentioned his
reasons (mostly personal). This broke the ice between us and made the remaining interview
very conversational
Case question: Our client is a public sector bank, who has come to us to help them restructure a
loan that they gave to a private sector power company
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Scoping questions:
1. What was the loan amount: INR ~20K Cr
2. When was it disbursed: 10 years back
3. Why do they need to restructure it? To answer this question, Shirish gave me the following
financials of the company:
Revenue: INR 55K Cr
EBITDA: INR 1K Cr
Based on this info, we inferred that the company would not be able to service the loan (Apart
from the WC requirements, it won't even be able to pay the interest that should amount to
approximately INR 2K Cr (10% * 20K Cr)
Approach:
I laid out two possible options for the bank.
1. Write the loan off
2. Restructure the terms of the loan (top up the loan to help the company run and start paying
the loan back)
However, in order to move forward, we needed to figure out the reasons for the current
situation of the company. I asked a question about the company operations and benchmarked it
against other players: What is the capacity utilization by the company? Shirish said that its 55%,
very low compared to industry benchmarks. The reason was incapable management as well as
fraud by company promoters.
Shirish then redirected the discussion towards what two things bank should do restructure the
loan. I mentioned the following:
1. Firstly, bank should change the management of the company (by using the covenants that it
had put in place)
2. Disburse more money to the company while converting debt to equity to increase ownership
and wield more control on the ops of the company
Shirish seemed happy with the discussion and he closed the case
Feedback (if any):
Shrish mentioned that it’s a live case that he is working on and this is what they also
recommended to the client
Learning (if any):
Try to build a repo with the interviewer as soon as you start the interview. This makes the case
easier to crack
Round 2:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Puneet Chandok (Partner)
PI + Case
1. Tell me about yourself
2. Why do you want to join consulting?
3. I worked with Everest Group for 2 years. Puneet asked me about my role there
Case situation: CEO of a BPO services company has approached Mckinsey to help them build a
strategy in the wake of increasing use of robotic automation in the industry
Scoping questions:
1. What is the impact of automation on the business of the client? BPO service providers uses an
FTE-based pricing model. Increaed automation reduces the number of FTEs staffed on a project,
thereby reducing the fee that the service providers can charge
2. Any other strategic motives of the client? 15% growth in the topline YoY
3. Size of the company? US$ 2 bn revenue
4. What kind of services does the client provide? Low-end work such as invoice processing done
by offshore resources (constituting 40% of the revenue). This kind of work can also be done by
robots
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Approach:
I laid the following structure down. The client had three options (for MECE purposes):
1. Do nothing
2. Embrace automation and move to a different pricing model
3. Adopt a hybrid structure - use FTE-based pricing for some services and other pricing models
for automated services
I mentioned that doing nothing is not advisable as the client stands to lose 40% of its business if
competitors adopt automation or if BPO buyers take the business inhouse through an
automation exercise of their own. Puneet also agreed and said that client should go for option 3
(hybrid model). Puneet also asked me to consider a typical project with 100 FTEs and suggest
what the client should do.
Going ahead with that suggestion, I created a tree saying that for an 100 FTE project, client
131
would now earn money on 60 FTEs. In order to compensate for the revenue loss on the 40 FTEs,
the client should do that following:
1. Increase the FTE requirements by upselling more services (do complementary work
convincing client to outsource more services)
2. Increase per FTE pricing by doing more sophisticated work (moving away from trasactional
work to services that require more expertise)
3. Change pricing model (move to an outcome-based pricing model)
Puneet closed the case down at this point
Feedback (if any):
None
Learning (if any):
Don’t lose your cool. If the case seems tricky, scope it very well. Good scoping make solving
really easy. Since, I had already worked in the global services space (with Everest Group), I
didn't ask many questions
Round 3:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Vivek Arora (Associate partner)
This was a 5 min chat, got an offer immediately after my two round of interviews
132
Personal Details
Name:
Pre ISB experience:
Sarvesh Gupta
Founder - Medspero Health Pvt Ltd. (Health Tech - www.DoctOpinion.com), Business Development-Sales &
Marketing - Texas Instruments
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare
for this role:
Pre-Process
Description:
McKinsey & Co.
Junior Associate
Yes
CFIN1, CFIN2, OPMG, LSCM, CSTR, Case studies practie, General Affairs
Buddy Interviews & case rounds
Round 1:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
1
Guesstimate & Market Entry
Types of questions asked : The interviewer tried to make me feel comfortable. We struck a personal rapport in
the beginning itself
Any Unexpected questions : Where did you lose the edge in your CGPA? Why?
Situational caselets / Q&As
Case Interview
Description (if Any):
Issue : What would be the number of tourists visiting Goa every year
Approach : Top Down - Demand based guesstimate developed around an assumption on number of hotels in Goa
Structure : Narrow down to which kind of tourists -> 3-5 Star Hotels -> Seasonal occupancy -> Stay per guest
Recommendation
Case Interview
Description (if Any):
Issue : Would you recommend a public bank like SBI to get into Wealth Management for HNIs, what do ou
think their challenges will be?
Approach : Narrow down the problem to what exactly happens in Wealth Management.
Structure : Evaluate the problem using market share (SOM< SOV< SOD) approach.
Recommendation : We reached a concensus that the perception of a government bank - does not build upon the
reputation of HNIs who are used to exceptional quality services. Handling this would be the biggest challenge for
SBI
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
I was told after the interview that the interviewer felt that I was nervous - however that was not the case at all.
So in hindsight, I would recommend people to be smiling - calm and interested in the problem solving process.
Round 2:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
Case Interview
Description (if Any):
1
PI & Structured (Printed) case
Types of questions asked : Background - work experience.
Any Unexpected questions :
Situational caselets / Q&As
Issue : PE firm wants to invest in a garment manufacturer in California. The manufacturer has presence online
along with 10 stores. The firm expects 25% return over 3 years. What is the minimum investment that they
should make. Current revenues were $60Mn, growing at 10% annually with 20% profit margin
Approach : The printed document had all the relevant data for in depth calculations. Seeked out all the details for
calculation
Structure : Market Entry framework with elements of profitability
Recommendation : Based on the data that was provided - it wasnt prudent for the PE firm to invest in the
garment manufacturer
133
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
I initially got a little nervous at the sight of printed case - since we had never practiced anything like that before.
Remember - the printed case should be even easier since you stick to a particular train of thought. Just be aware
that such cases would be very intensive on calculations and those will be tested on the spot thoroughly - so
maintain your cool throughout.
Round 3:
1
Profitability Case
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
Case Interview
Description (if Any):
Types of questions asked : Background/experience based questions
Any Unexpected questions
Situational caselets / Q&As
Issue : A water purifier manufacturer has an order placed by the government of Papua New Guinea for 10000
units. The manufacturer shipped the units 3 days earlier than the scheduled date. However the client got back to
him informing of a new virus strain which needs to be filtered by the purifier. The current generation of purifiers
(which was shipped) is incapable of doing that and manufacturer has another - more expensive product which
meets the newer requirement. Can this deal be made profitable for the manufacturer?
Approach : Understand the inticancies in depth by asking good scoping questions
Structure : Profitability case - along with do something/do nothing frameworks
Recommendation : After almost 45 min of discussion we did figure out a way of the situation profitably.
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
We are generally used to 20-30 min cases with one stream of thought. This case had almost 5-6 twists and turns,
and the partner kept changing the situation on the go. What worked for me was the fact that I was quick in
ideating and keeping the conversational involved with the partner.
Round 4:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
Case Interview
Description (if Any):
Case Interview
Description (if Any):
1
Guesstimate + Structured approach to current affairs
Types of questions asked :
Any Unexpected questions
Situational caselets / Q&As
Issue : Estimate the number of cars parked in ISB currently
Approach : Taken into account that since placements are going on - multiple stakeholders would be visiting.
Narrowed down to taxis/personal vehicles
Structure : Number of companies visiting campus -> number of visitors -> number of cabs -> number of people
staying overnight and further narrowing down
Recommendation :
Issue : What is the impact of demonetisation on GDP
Approach : Basic fundamentals of economics and knowledge of current affairs. Demonetisation had happened
just a week before the interviews and was a much discussed topic
Structure : GDP = C + I + G + NX
Recommendation : Short term and long term impacts discussed on C, G
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
The interviewer is essentially checking on structured thinking and current awareness of the important issues.
Our class had prepared well in advance on impact of Demonetisation, GST and Trump becoming US president.
There is no right/wrong answer - but you should have a logically structured opinion and thats what the
interviewer is checking. Also - if you can involve him in an interesting conversation or not will be the key.
134
Boston Consulting Group
135
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Akshaya Mahesh
ECE B.Tech NIT Warangal – Software developer Cisco Systems
BCG
3
PI + Case Interview
Project Leader, Partner
Analytical ability
Volume Growth
A port is seeing less volume than its competitor in spite of charging
lower prices and wants to increase its utilization.
Q. What is the bottleneck – demand or supply?
Demand
Q. Description of the process at the port and revenue streams
Ship arrives – Offloading – Storage - Distribution
Q. Who are their customers?
Power plant – mainly coal is transported
The interviewer gave me the following numbers–
Avg. capacity of a ship
Offloading capacity per day for client and competitor
Offloading price/ton for client and competitor
Parking fee per ship per day for client and competitor
Avg. number of storage days
Storage fee per ton per day for client and competitor
Using the numbers I calculated the total cost to the customer as
higher for the client than the competitor mainly due to lower
offloading capacity of the client leading to increased parking spend
and greater time spent in storage. This explained the preference for
the competitor,
However the interviewer then said that the client lowered the prices
such that the total cost equals the competitor but the demand did
not increase.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
After a few more questions I realized that the customer continued to
prefer the competitor because of the slower turnaround time at the
client port and also because the rail route from our port was longer
than from the competitor port.
If you get bombarded with numbers keep calm and take your time.
136
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Profitability
Client is a retail chain which has rapidly expanded but is seeing a
decline in revenue growth.
I was given numbers regarding the revenue and profitability per
store for the past three years. Here the total revenue had not
declined but the revenue per store and profitability had reduced.
Q. Competitor scenario
Chains like Max. They are seeing expected growth in revenue. (Thus I
concluded that it was an issue specific to the client)
Recommended Approach:
Q. Drop in profitability seen in some specific stores or across all
stores?
All
Used the profitability framework to reach the point that customers
perceive our store to be more expensive.
After some discussion realized that even though we were similarly
priced for similar items, the collection we had differed from the
others
Client – More options at a higher price point
137
Competitor – More options at a lower price point
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
This was the main issue and I was asked to give some
recommendations.
As much as you practice frameworks, invariably you have to start
from a clean slate in a case based interview. Also if you panic/blank
out it is better to tell the interviewer instead of messing up the case.
They mostly will understand and help you calm down
IT Industry. Unconventional
What are the responsibilities of a CIO? What is the quickest way to
cut IT costs?
It was mostly a discussion. Quickest way to cut costs is apparently to
stop new projects. Then he asked me if I had a list of projects on
what basis would I terminate/continue projects.
He wanted financial metrics :
1. NPV
2. Payback period
3. Cost to completion
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
And fourth was a binary criteria based on criticality.
If you are stuck, think out loud.
138
Personal Details
Name:
Pre ISB experience:
Gaurav Pansari
Chartered Accountant, 4 years with Britannia
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare for this role:
Pre-Process Description:
The Boston Consulting Group
Senior Associate
Yes
Case in Point, ISB case book, Buddy cases, All core courses
All consulting firms assign you a 'buddy' who guides you and helps you with case prep.
Additionally, the BCG team had a networking lunch
Round 1:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
1
Case
Personality Interview Description:
The interview began with a general introduction and we jumped straight to the case after that.
All the interviews were conversational - no stress interviews.
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Case: A mobile phone manufacturer is experiencing declining profits.
Approach: Scoping included questions about the industry, competition, customers and any
changes in them
Recommendation: The case did not have a specific problem (or something I could not identify).
We evaluated problems in terms of distributors who were selling phones from multiple
manufacturers, incentive structure for the sales team, alternate channels for distribution like
online, consolidating SKU's, etc.
Feedback (if any):
N/A
Learning (if any):
Round 2:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
1
Case
Tell me something about yourself - I happened to mention I am from Kolkata
Tell me more about Kolkata
Case: Railway ministry has 20 acres of surplus land 5 km from Howrah Railway Station. It wants
to monetise the land asap.
Approach: Broke solution into existing businesses and new opportunities. Existing included new
railway station, warehousing facility, rail yard, etc - none viable or fast enough. Sale of land not
possible. Leasing was the ony option.
The land could be leased to a shopping mall. Interviewer wanted me to calculate the maximum
rent that could be expected.
The case then moved to breaking revenue channels for a mall (rentals, parking, advertisement),
estimating cost of construction, and drawing up revenue estimates for 10 years. The mall would
expect a 45% ROI. The solution would need a discounting of the cash flows at 45% (actual
computation of rent amount was not required)
Feedback (if any):
N/A
Learning (if any):
Spent too much time on options from 'current business' when the interviewer was hinting to
move on - pay attention to such hints
139
Round 3:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
1
Case
What was your role at your last company?
Why consulting?
Why BCG?
What are 2 skills that set you apart from others?
Case: A NBFC is suffering from low sales per salesman.
Scoping: General questions about product, competition, customers. The product was primary
personal loans. The sales happened through multiple agents. The clients salesmen went to these
agent stores to collect any potential applications, and then upload on a system. The average
number of such uploads were low for our client.
Approach: The problem could be broken down into # of salesmen, # of agents, average leads per
agent, lead to application ratio, application to loan ratio. The problem was with the average leads
per agent. We realised that the quality of the agents were not upto the mark - While the number
of agents was same, the agents in the outskirts of the city were selected who generated lower
leads.
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
The first 3 interviewers did not ask for specific solutions/ suggestions
Round 4:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
1
Case
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Case: A IT services firm is has lower profitability than industry.
Scoping: The business had 3 major service lines and multiple geographies - The business
verticals were divided into 6 heads (in different combinations).
Approach: Traditional framwork did not help. The problem was in terms of low utilisation of
manpower. It stemmed from the fact that the company could not cross sell it service lines to
existing clients. The reason was different verticals handling the different service lines.
Suggestion: Realign verticals based on client industries. Interviewer suggested that the
hardware service line would operate better if integrated. Suggested that we could have a
common sales team, with incentives for both teams aligned to increasing revenues from clients
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Tips and gyaan
1
Manage the interview day well - each company would take up 3-5 hrs for all rounds put together
2
3
Form case prep groups (one permanent and others can be rotational) with dedicated individuals
Above all - be confident!
140
Personal Details
Name:
GOURAV GARG
Pre ISB experience:
Political Consulting (co-founder)
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare for
this role:
Pre-Process Description:
The Boston Consulting Group
Senior Associate
Yes
Case preparation and PI
None
Round 1:
1
Case + PI
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
Case Interview Description
(if Any):
Question asked: Tell me about yourself.
The interviewer took me to the pantry for the interview and started the interview on a lighter note.
Issue: An in-warranty mobile phone repairing chain (which as of now repairs phones in warranty period
only) is considering to expand in out-of-warranty mobile repairing market. Please recommend the client
how he should go about it? basically, How big the market is? Who will be the customers? What can be the
price point?
Approach: I started the case by asking generic questions to understand the business and then went on to
draw market entry structure. It took me around 5-7 minutes to understand the complete business. I had hit
the point in scoping questions only and then interviewer asked me to discuss further on that point.
Structure: Interviewer told me that the client is located in South India and has franchise of a branded
mobile phone service centre (for the purpose of this case consider Samsung). The company (here
Samsung) provides the hardwares and pays the client based on volume (remember: customers do not pay
anything during warranty period). The client now wants to expand into out of warranty phone repair
market to increase the profits. While probing about the profits of the competitors, the interviewer told me
that there are two kind of players: local stores and chains like reliance digital and croma and local stores
are profitable while chains are not so profitable.
On this, I said if I have to repair my phone I would go to reliance digital (the store from where i have
bought the phone) if I want original parts otherwise I would go to local store. So, I don't see where this new
player will fit. They don't sell phones, so I have no contact with them. On this she said that let us not go in
the structure and discuss on this point.
She asked me about the biggest risk. I replied by saying that first biggest risk is that business might not
simply take off. Also, the local stores earn money by using duplicate parts and our client will not be able to
do that. So, second problem is the profits. At this point she explained that this is her live project and her
team also thinks the same way.
Recommendation: Next she asked what would you recommend client. I said that client has expertise in
repairing phones and one market that can be explored is refurbished mobile phone market. My logic
behind this recommendation was that chains like Reliance Digital do not sell these phones and as a
customer it is very difficult to trust on local stores as they might change the parts. Also, with e-commerce
the supply of these phones is not a problem any more. At this interviewer told me that the team is also
exploring auxiliary and refurbished market.
The interview ended here. I knew all went well.
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Do not ignore the PI part. If you connect well during the PI, interviewer will help you throughout the case.
Involve the interviewer as much as possible.
Round 2:
1
Case + PI
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
Case Interview Description
(if Any):
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Types of questions asked: Tell me about yourself. What is a political consulting? He asked me to explain
one of the projects from resume.
Issue: A global tool manufacturing company, which was mainly into automatic tools had launched the
hand tools brand last year in India but the sales are not picking up (client has only 1% market share). The
headquarter of the company has issued a warning that if it is not able to become one of the top 3 players
within 18 months they would shut down this vertical.
Approach: It was a normal growth case. The most important part was to keep the timeline of 18 months in
mind.
Structure: While asking questions about the company and competitors, interviewer told me that the client
is one of the biggest global player in tool manufacturing. Top 3 players in hand tool players in India have
35%, 20% and 10% market share respectively. From which I concluded that we are looking for 10%
market share.
I started by drawing SOV x SOM x SOD framework and went in details for each part. Interviewer told me
that our prices are more as we import the tools while others manufacture the tools locally. Also, consider it
to be a commodity which means market is price sensitive. While probing on other parameters, he told me
that brand matters a lot and our hand tool brand is new. I thought I had solved the case and made some
recommendations to reduce the price and make it a well known brand.
At this interviewer told me that I had not listened to the question properly and my analysis made no sense.
He seemed disappointed. I thought I had messed up but kept calm and kept smiling.
I went back to the question and noticed that I had forgotten 18 months timeline. I said that my
recommendations might be difficult to implement withing 18 months and considering that company might
have to close the division, we need aggressive action. So I would consider acquisition. I recommended to
acquire the biggest player with 35% market share as we are the largest global company and it makes more
sense for us to acquire big players (remember this was a local player so even with 35% market share it
would be much smaller than the client and hence acquisition should not be a problem).
Next question was what to do with the original brand launched by the client. I asked about company's
vision and objectives. I was told that company wants to make its own brand known in long term. I said that
we will start by putting a small label of our brand and slowly replace the original brand with our brand. He
asked me for an example. At this I told that when Surf Excel acquired RIN bar, it was writter "RIN bar (in
bold letters) is now Surf Excel (in smaller fonts)" and slowly they replaced Rin with Surf Excel. Now it's
only Surf Excel bar.
I later came to know that it was a stress interview. It was not easy to make sense out of 18 months timeline.
Interviewer told every candidate that they didn't listen to the question correctly which is the biggest
mistake one can make during a case. The idea was to keep calm and show that you are open to reconsider
your approach. Many candidates got nervous and were not able to make through the round.
You never know what is going on in interviewer's mind. Keep yourself calm no matter what happens and
show that you are mature enough to handle any crisis in real life without getting nervous.
Round 3:
1 (Partner Round)
PI mainly + Small case
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
Case Interview Description
Types of questions asked:
- I was ETYL winner and Neeraj Agarwal (MD-BCG) was in interview panel. We had a discussion on my
ETYL experience for some time.
- I was the founder of a political consulting firm. Interviewer asked me few questions around how I pitched
to the clients and what were the problems I faced.
- Next question - Why Consulting? Why BCG?
- We then had some discussion on his experience at BCG and his work.
- He then asked me about my family and how I am guiding my younger brother who is currently a pre-final
year student at IIT-B.
- He then told me that only 5 min are left and we should do a small case.
Issue: A non-banking financial institute, which currently advices its clients on investments, wants to
142
(if Any):
start a new business to give loans to SMEs. What are the factors who will consider?
Approach: I listed down few factors including - Govt policies, Bad debt ratio of the industry, our
capabilities and synergies with existing business.
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Be proud of what you have done and the choices you have made in past.
Tips and gyaan
1
2
3
4
Don't worry if you have only one or two shortlists. I had only one shortlist and it helped me to remain
focused.
Do not ignore the PI part. If you can connect with the interviewer during PI round, it gets much easier.
While applying frameworks, never let go of your general business sense. There was no way I could have
solved the first case with a framework.
Be confident and don't panic even if you think that you have messed up. Just admit the mistake and let
interviewer decide.
143
Bain & Company
144
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Harshini Shanker
Non-profit
Bain
4
Case Interviews
Amit, Gaurav, Samyukta, Megha (Partner)
Analytical ability and communication skills
Profitability
A premium grocery chain in a metropolitan city shows high revenue
growth but low profitability. What is the problem and what should
be done about it?
About the company:
How old is the company?
What does the company sell? Premium, imported food items and
groceries.
How many outlets are there? Is this problem common across
outlets? There are only a few outlets and the problem is common
across all outlets.
What differentiates this company – for example, is it known to sell
items that cannot be found elsewhere? Most food items it sells are
imported and therefore not easily found, although it is not the only
place where they can be found.
About customers:
Who are the customers? High income segment. (I tried to ask more
questions about the customers but the interviewer hinted at me to
profile them myself – which I have described in the next section).
Recommended Approach:
About competition:
What is the competition? There is not much competition from other
exclusively gourmet food retail stores, but there is a small degree of
competition from other large domestic hypermarkets that stock small
quantities of imported, gourmet food.
Is the problem specific to this company or are the competitors also
facing such problems? The problem is specific to this company.
Since profits are low, we’ll look at revenues and costs, starting with
revenues.
Revenues are a function of price and quantity. It was mentioned that
revenue growth is high. Are the revenues themselves high enough to
cover the cost? To find out, we can look at price and quantity.
145
I was told that the price is not the problem, and the pricing structure
provides enough margin for each product sold.
Then I looked at quantity/volume. First, I tried to analyze volume
from the perspective of market size and market share, i.e. total
volume sold would be a function of the total potential of the market
(market size) and the share of the market that the firm holds. But I
was told that this would not be the right approach to look at volume
in this case and I was asked to try a different approach.
Then I probed whether the product mix was the problem – that
perhaps the firm was making a lot of revenue on products that had
low levels of profitability, and perhaps high margin items were not
selling as much, leading to fast growing revenues but low
profitability. To assess the products being sold, I profiled the
customers, segmented them and looked at what each segment
bought.
Customers may be segmented based on their frequency of visit and
quantum of purchase per visit. Three categories:
frequent visitors who did their grocery shopping from the
store regularly (high income individuals, especially expats
whose staple food was exactly what the store was selling),
those who visit somewhat regularly (high income
individuals who liked imported food occasionally but did not
do their monthly grocery shopping from the store)
One time visitors – the odd customer who visits once or
twice and doesn’t come back
I asked if there’s information on the breakup of customers into these
segments. The interviewer pointed out that the customer base was
skewed in front of the third category, and there were not enough
customers from the first category, which is why profitability was
low. The third category of customers did not justify their acquisition
cost, and the store needed more from the first category.
What is to be done – understand why the first segment was not
coming often enough. This could be problems in either the products
offered, the prices, the location of the stores or promotion. I made
the following assumptions and the interviewer agreed with them
Location cannot be a problem as these stores are situated at
high end prime locations in these cities
Promotion is also not a problem as these stores enjoy high
visibility already, and there is not much competition
Prices of goods should not be concerned to the first segment
of customers as they are affluent and not price sensitive
Therefore, there must be an issue with the products offered.
There were probably not enough of exactly the products
146
these frequent shoppers looked for, or there was a
perception that the products (especially perishables like
fruits and dairy) were not fresh enough as they’re imported.
This was precisely the problem. Solution – emphasize freshness of
perishables, and do market research on exactly what these
customers prefer to shop for, and make sure those items are
available.
(We never got around to the cost side of the profit equation.)
To summarize:
Premium grocery retail store experiencing low profitability but
growing revenues. Reason: customer segment is skewed towards
one-time customers whose acquisition cost did not justify the profits
they brought in. The store needed more of the frequent visiting
customers. who were not visiting because either their choice of
goods was not accessible or were not perceived to be a high enough
quality. Fixing this would attract that segment.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Ask the interviewer every now and then if you’re proceeding in the
right direction. Many cases do not lend themselves to the direct
application of a framework and frameworks often have to be
invented on the spot for specific cases.
Market potential
A Dubai-based firm has invented a new technology to make floors at
half the time and half the cost. An Indian industrialist wants to
license this technology and bring it to India. How will you establish
whether the market is attractive enough for this technology?
About the technology:
What are the features of floors made with this technology? The floors
are exactly like floors made by any other builder.
What sets this technology apart from existing technology? It lowers
production time and production cost by half.
About the Indian industrialist group:
I asked a few questions about their current product offerings,
revenue streams etc. but I was told to ignore those things as there
would be no interaction between their existing lines of business and
this new floor technology business.
About customers:
Who would be the customers of this technology? Anyone requiring
floors (I was asked to figure out the market myself later in the case).
About competition:
147
Recommended Approach:
Does India already have any similar technology? No
Is there threat of emulation by competitors? No, patented
technology.
I was asked how I will establish whether the idea of introducing this
technology in India is feasible.
I started that the feasibility depends on external and internal factors
External: attractiveness of the market itself in terms of
market size and potential market share, expected industry
growth rate, macroeconomic stability, barriers to entry,
competition, substitutes, bargaining power of suppliers and
buyers etc.
Internal: firm’s own competitive advantage and the ability to
effectively profit given the above external factors
I was asked to ignore the internal factors and among the external
factors to focus exclusively on market potential.
I stated that I’d proceed in two steps – first I would list out the
possible markets/customers for this technology. Next I would assess
the attractiveness of each possible market/customer segment in
terms of the market potential and possible market share.
The possible markets/customers are anybody requiring floors.
Floors are used in
residential construction
commercial construction
public buildings
communal public spaces
transportation – metro train floors, ship floors and such
The interviewer agreed with my analysis so far. Then I asked if there
is any other segment/market I should consider and whether there is
any segment/market for which the technology is particularly well
suited. I was told that the technology would work for all these
segments.
Then I proceeded to estimate the potential for this technology in
each segment. He asked me what approach I would use. I said that a
guesstimate may be a good place to start. But he said he wanted a
more grounded approach – something more reliable. He asked for
three real approaches I could use to get this data. I was immediately
able to come up with the following 2, and the third with a little more
thinking:
Market research study – speak to customers from each of the
above segment and assess their willingness to adopt this
new technology
International benchmarking – assess the rate of technology
148
adoption in other geographies where it was introduced
Benchmarking through adoption of similar technologies in
India – assess the rate of adoption of similar, related
technologies in India
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
149
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Business plan development, market entry
Develop a business plan to initiate a radio station.
Where? Mumbai
What kind of radio station? E.g.: news, entertainment etc.?
Language? No plan yet.
Is the capital already available or do we have to raise finance?
Assume finance is not a problem
I realized that the business scope itself has to be designed from
scratch, so I stopped scoping and proceeded to the analysis.
I laid out the steps I would follow in creating the business plan:
Define the business
Define and estimate the size of the customer base
Define the detailed business model including all
stakeholders involved.
Determine cost structure and revenue streams
Define the marketing mix – product, price, place and
promotion.
Estimate profitability of this business, considering both
market attractiveness and internal competitive advantage.
Step 1: Define the business
What content will the radio air? Three categories of radio content:
a) informative/educational (news, NatGeo type of content,
educational content etc.)
b) entertainment (the conventional kind playing music and
discussing movies and such), and
c) something new/radical (for example, exclusive content on
spirituality/religion, cooking etc.)
I asked if the company had any specific expertise area or preference
for any type of content. She said news radio.
Step 2: Define and estimate the size of the customer base.
Since we were short of time, she asked me to outline the broad
approach to estimate market size and not get into specifics. I said I
would do a guesstimate, and segment the Mumbai market by radiousage habits. People broadly listen to radio either during commutes
(during car or train rides), or at home/office, so we can estimate the
number of people in each category, and then estimate the % of them
who would listen to news radio. She agreed with my basis of
breaking down the customer base, but asked if there is any other
possible approach. I said we could also use age as a basis, as
customers of different ages have different preferences for radio and
for news radio in particular. She asked me to assume at this point
that the size of the market is sufficiently large and attractive, and
asked me to proceed.
150
We did not get around to any of the subsequent steps of the business
plan, and she simply asked me to identify challenges that the radio
station may face. I could come up with the following:
Internal challenges
o Lack of experience or expertise in radio business in
general and news in particular
o Lack of any distinctive competitive edge so far.
o It may be difficult to sustain interest of customers for
longer than a fixed duration – people can listen to
songs/entertainment all day but listening to news all
day would be repetitive – this limits the number of
minutes/hours of radio consumption per person per
day
External challenges
o High competition – there are already other news
radio channels
o Substitute products – plenty of other products from
where one may consume news, such as podcasts,
newspapers, television etc.
o People tend to have a limited propensity to listen to
news radio – for many, it is only when they cannot
visually consume the news on TV that they will
resort to radio. For example during commutes.
o Customers have extremely low switching costs
between
news
radio
and
other
competitors/substitutes
o Advertisers have low switching costs
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 4
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
This case lends itself to a framework to start with, but going forward
there are a lot of context-specific elements that are not captured by
a standard market entry or business plan framework, and the
interviewer wants to see if you’ll identify those elements also and
include them in your analysis.
Mergers and Acquisitions
A Malaysian palm oil company wants to acquire an Indonesian palm
oil company. What synergies will arise?
About the company:
What steps of the palm oil value chain are the two companies
involved in? (Between planting trees all the way to extracting and
refining oil). Both companies operate plantations where they grow
palm trees. Then they harvest the trees and feed the harvest into
milling machines. These machines produce crude palm oil, which is
their output. They then distribute this output.
Are there any other products in their portfolio? No.
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Is there any difference between the product produced by the two
companies? There is a difference in the grade (measure of quality) –
the Indonesian firm produces a higher grade.
Is the difference in grades due to choice of input (particular tree
types) or available technology? It is a combination of both, but mostly
due to the quality of harvesting and milling process.
About the industry/market:
Who is the competition? Assume that these two companies together
serve 70-80% of the world for palm oil and other competition is
irrelevant for now.
What about substitutes? Ignore substitutes
I presume palm oil is a commodity and therefore the firms cannot
control prices? True. The firms have no control over palm oil prices.
How stable have prices been lately? Fairly stable.
About customers:
Who are the customers? Global palm oil refineries and end users of
palm oil – a diverse group of people
Where are the customers of these two firms located? All around the
globe
How much is the demand for palm oil and how stable is this
demand? Nearly unlimited – the production is far short of the demand.
The demand is stable over time.
What constitutes success? I presume that because there are no
constraints on the revenue side (stable prices, almost unlimited
demand), a robust supply side would constitute success - efficient
operations, high capacity utilization are indicators of success? True.
Are there any other indicators of success? No.
Current state of capacity utilization and efficiency of operations?
Both have scope for improvement
Recommended Approach:
Should I consider both operating synergies and financing synergies
in my analysis? No, ignore financing synergies.
To assess operating synergies, I asked questions and drew the entire
value chain of operations at an individual plantation.
Grow trees
Harvest plantation
Feed harvest into the milling
machines (each plantation has its own milling machine)
Extract
crude palm oil
Transport crude palm oil to nearest ports
Ship
crude palm oil to various customers overseas. The shipping of palm
oil from Malaysian/Indonesian ports, and subsequent distribution
are outsourced activities.
Sources of synergies:
Growing trees – the two plantations are in separate
countries. The only possible synergy arises from sharing
152
knowledge by the Indonesian firm (which is able to extract
higher grade palm oil) on the right technique to grow the
trees, if any.
Harvest plantation – as above, the two plantations are in
separate geographies, therefore the only possible synergy is
from knowledge/technique sharing for efficient harvesting
to reduce wastage, conduct the process faster with efficient
manpower use.
Milling machines – with reduced wastage and faster
harvesting process, there is greater possibility of higher
capacity utilization
Shipping crude palm oil overseas – pooling the quantities
from Malaysia and Indonesia may provide economies of
scale in international transportation and distribution.
Now suppose a third firm – a Malaysian firm – wants to enter the
merger, making this a three-way merger. What additional synergies
can the third firm yield?
I asked where is this new firm’s plantations are situated
geographically – are they separated from the first firm’s? I was told
that the plantations are all adjacent to each other.
Therefore, additional sources of synergies
Breaking the boundaries between the two plantations and
planting trees in a synchronized way – may provide
economies of scale in utilizing labor and supervisory power
as well as planting machinery
Milling machines – pooling the harvest from the two
plantations may provide a higher quantum of output to feed
into one milling machine, allowing higher capacity utilization
of one milling machine. However, this would simultaneously
lower the capacity utilization of the other machine, so it’s not
obvious whether synergies will emerge from this.
o At this point, the interviewer said that let’s assume
that all the output from two plantations can be fed
into just one plantation’s milling machine. She asked
what happens then? I said this would increase the
capacity utilization of the first machine, reducing
costs. The second machine need not be used, and it
may be divested or used for another purpose.
Further transportation and distribution synergies.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
153
Personal Details
Name:
Nikhil Khurana
Pre ISB experience:
5 years of strategy consulting experience in SDG (Strategic Decisions Group) and KPMG
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare for this role:
Pre-Process Description:
Bain & Co.
Consultant
Yes
No course came in handy for this particular interview but some courses are helpful in general for
case prep - Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Corporate Finance; read newspaper
regularly, atleast in the last 1 month before interviews
Networking Dinners for shortlisted candidates - Bain uses these dinners to get to know the
candidates better and uses it as a surrogate for Personal Interviews
Round 1:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
1
Case Study
Types of questions asked - The interviewer was from KPMG, so we discussed KPMG for a bit
before moving to the case.
Situational caselets / Q&As
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Problem Statement - Your client in Navin Jindal. He is the Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power
Ltd. He has started a new Building Materials business that manufactures cement etc. Navin
recently visited Dubai where he met an enterpreneur who has developed a building technology
that can make a building floor in half the time and at half the cost. He wants you to advise
whether he should buy the technology.
Approach
Me: I have a few questions regarding the client
Is the client located in India? Are the customers also located in India?
Interviewer: Yes
Me: Does anyone else have this technology in India?
Interviewer: No
Me: Can you provide some more information about this building technology
Interviewer: This building technology uses arcs of steel to provide more strength to the floor,
thereby reducing the amount of cement required and hence the time required for construction
Structure
Me: I plan to use a 3 step process to approach this problem
Evaluate Market Potential->Key risks and challenges->Achieving the market potential
Evaluate Market Potential - Market Size*Market Share*Price
154
Achieving Market Potential - Manufacturing Challenges and capabilities required
Me: Do we have any data about the market size? Or do we need to assess the market size?
Interviewer: How will you assess the market size?
Me: There are 2 important customer segments - Residential and Commercial
Interviewer: How will you calculate the Residential market?
Me: i think only builders will use this technology because of the scale involved in their projects. I
would like to assume that most of the uptake would be in Tier 1 cities in the beginning. We can
get data for the number of upcoming projects in the city using real estate websites, builders
websites and brochures and real estate agents.
Interviewer: Yes. Also, there are databases with such information. Who will be the target
segment for this technology in the residential segment - builders or people who build their own
houses?
Me: Given this technology is new, people building their own houses might not prefer to use it as
they will be more risk averse. Builders will be more keen on trying this new technology and will
initially try it in one of their projects
Interviewer: Lets move on the Commercial segment. Which are the major customers in the
commercial segement?
Me: Corporate Offices, Hospitals, Schools, Goverment Buildings, Industries
Interviewer: How will you calculate the market size?
Me: Corporate Offices - Builders which have used this technology for their residential projects
will be more inclined to use it their commercial projects. We can get information about the
upcoming project on their websites
Hospitals - We should target hospital chains. Information about the private hospitals will be
available on their websites, annual reports and newspaper articles. Goverment announces its
plans for investment in healthcare sector much in advance.
Industries - We can leverage Navin Jindal's contacts to get our foot in other industries
Similar methodology can be used for schools and goverment buildings
Interviewer: How will you calculate the market share?
Me: We will look at customer preferences and try to qualitatively analyze how our client's
technlogy will fare against the traditional way of building floors.
Customers look at price, time required for construction, quality of construction
Interviewer: Assume our price is the lowest; time for construction is half; quality wise we are
superior
What are the 3 ways to evaluate market share?
Me: 1) Use sample data of the builders who tried this technology and were satisfied with the
results
2) Technology adoption curve in other countries
3) Analogs from other industries
Interviewer: What are the key risks and challenges?
Me: 1) Technology is new for Indian market
2) Skill required to use this technology during construction
3) Regulatory challenges, if any
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Bain tries to finish every interview in 25-30 minutes. So engage the interviewer and take
directions from to him/her to understand which areas of the case you need to focus on. Else you
might not be able to finish the case in the given time.
Round 2:
1
Case Study
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Types of questions asked
Any Unexpected questions
Situational caselets / Q&As
155
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Problem Statement: Your client is a medical equipment company. It manufactures sutures
and some other products used in surgeries. Its growth has slowed down over the past few years.
Approach:
Me: You mentioned growth has slowed down? Is our growth rate slower than Industry average?
Interviewer: Yes (She gave some numbers which I can't recall now)
Me: Our objective is to figure out reasons for decline in growth rate and suggest solutions?
Interviewer: Yes
Me: I have a few questions regarding the client.
Is the client based out of India?
Interviewer: Yes
Me: Is it only serving the Indian market or exporting as well?
Interviewer: Both. But exclude exports for this analysis
Me: You mentioned client manufactures sutures. What are the other products and what is their
revenue split?
Interviewer: Sutures account for 70% of the revenues. Ignore rest of the products for this
analysis
Me: Who are the customers for the company? I can think of hospitals and clinics
Interviewer: Yes. The basic segmentation is Government and Private
Me: What is their revenue contribution?
Interviewer: Private - 70%, Goverment - 30%
Me: Who are the major players in the industry? And what are their market shares
Interviewer: 4 categories of players
Category 1: Player A - 25% Market Share; product price - indexed at 150% of the price of our
client's
Category 2: Client - 20% Market Share
Category 3: Players B & C - 35% combined Market Share; product price - indexed at 75% of our
client's
Category 4: Player D,E,F - 20% Market Share combined; product price - indexed at 50% of our
client's
Me: Have any these players entered the market in the past few years?
Interviewer: No
Me: What were the market shares few years ago?
Interviewer:
Category 1: Player A - 27% Market Share
Category 2: Client - 25% Market Share
Category 3: Players B & C - 35% combined Market Share
Category 4: Player D,E,F - 13% Market Share combined
Prices were the same
Me: Since the growth has slowed down, either the growth has slowed down in
Government/Private segment or both?
Interviewer: Both
Me: Revenue is function of Price and Volume. Has the client changed its prices over the years?
Interviewer: No
Me: I will now explore the volume side in details.
Has the client been able to cater to all the demand it gets. Or is there a supply contraint?
Interviewer: There is no supply constraint
Me: Since industy volumes are growing. I will look at factors affecting our Market Share
Market Share is affected by 4 factors - Price, Product, Distribution, Awareness
Let's explore the Price aspect first. You mentioned that Category 4 players have gained market
share. Since their price is the least, is it fair to assume that we have lost market share because of
our high prices.
Interviewer: Yes price affects the choice. Yet 80% of the market still buys relatively higher
priced suture. Why?
Me: I want to understand how our client sells its products to both private and goverment
hospitals
Interviewer: Goverment floats tenders for hospitals - There are 2 evaluation criteria for
156
suppliers: commercial and technical
For private hospital, the decision maker has been the doctor historically
Me: Lets explore the reasons for the goverment segment
In terms of quality, are all 4 categories of players able to fulfill the technical requirements
Interviewer: Yes
Me: So in this case, price is the only thing that determines who wins the tender
Interviewer: Sounds good!
Me: For the private hospital segment, you mentioned doctors were the decision makers earlier.
Who all are involved in the choosing the suppliers now? Doctors/Procurement teams/Owners of
the hospitals?
Interviewer: Now both doctor and procurement team are involved. Doctor first approves
certain set of products and then procurement team take over the process post that. Then they
ask those chosen suppliers to send in their bid.
Me: My hypothesis is small hospitals and clinics, especially in smaller citites and towns go for
Category 4 suppliers as they offer the lowest prices and meet the bare minimum quality
requirements. The high end hospital chains and similar hopitals (eg. Fortis, Max) are very
particular about quality of sutures and charge higher prices for healthcare services, and hence
would not have switched to Category 4 suppliers.
Interviewer: Yes! you are right. So what do you recommend?
Recommendation
Me:Drew for Ansoff matrix on the side for reference.
Client can look at introducing a new line of inexpensive sutures. Do you think that will affect
client's branding?
Interviewer: It might. We need to ensure that there is minimal cannibalization of expensive
sutures category. So we will have to keep the prices very different and ensure the quality is in
accordance to the prices.
Me: Sure! We can do that. Also we can look at acquiring one of the Category 4 players to enter
the low price sutures segment.
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Round 3:
1
Case Study
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Types of questions asked
Any Unexpected questions
Situational caselets / Q&As
Issue: Your client is crude palm oil company in Malaysia. It wants to merge with another
crude palm oil company in Indonesia. What will be the synergies?
Interviewer explained how the crude oil business worked.
Companies have estates of palm trees->They harvest the palm tree fruit and send it to the mill>The fruit is crushed and converted to oil in the mill->The oil is transported to the ships at the
port->The oil is then shipped to the clients
Approach:
Me: I have few questions regarding the both the companies. Do they serve domestic market or
international markets?
Interviewer: Both
Me: Are there any other revenue streams except for crude oil?
Interviewer: No
Me: Who are the customers for the companies in Malaysia and Indonesia?
Interviewer: <Can't remember the details>
Structure:
157
Me: There are 3 reasons for merger - Strategic, Operational and Financial
Strategic - 1) The company wants to become the biggest player in the market
2) Secure supply of palm trees - There could be a possibility that company in Malaysia does not
have enough hectares of palm tree estate to ramp up production. The company in Indonesia will
provide it with security of supply.
3) Competitve Response
Interviewer: Competitive Response in not possible because of regulatory reasons
Me: Operational includes Changes in 1) Revenues and 2) Costs
On the Revenue side - We can either expect increase in prices or increase in volumes or both
Interviewer: Price is market regulated, so we can't change the price of palm oil
Me: So we can focus on increase in volumes beacuse of sharing of best practices between the
companies.
On the cost side - We can look at the complete value chain and identify areas to reduce costs
Interviewer: Ok
Me: Financial - 1) Tax loss carry forward, 2) Increased capacity to take debt upon merger
Interviewer: Ok, Lets focus on the cost side in the Operational synergies
Me: Drew the value chain
Estates of palm trees->Harvest of palm tree fruit-> Inbound Logistics (to Mill) ->Crushing in Mill
->Outbound Logistics (to port) ->Shipping
Me: We will identify potential areas of cost reduction at each step of the value chain
Estates of palm trees - Sharing of best practices will lead to increased efficiency, and lower costs
Harvesting - Sharing of best practices will lead to increased efficiency, and lower costs
Interviewer: What are you missing in the 'Estates of palm trees' part?
Me: Agri-Inputs; we can get volume discounts on agri-inputs
Interviewer: Yes, agri-inputs are very expensive and volume discounts will bring down the unit
costs.
No need to look at inbound logistics as farms are next to the mill
Me: Crushing in Mill - I cant think of any cost reductions in this part apart from improved
efficiency as mills are in different countries
Interviewer: Ok. Ignore the outbound logictics as well.
Me: Shipping - We can get better terms and conditions in pricing and payment terms from the
shipping company because of higher volumes.
Interviewer: Ok. Now there is one more palm oil company in Malaysia which wants to merge.
Now it has become a 3 way merger.
Me: Value chain analysis - Estates of palm trees->Harvest of palm tree fruit-> Inbound Logistics
(to Mill) ->Crushing in Mill ->Outbound Logistics (to port) ->Shipping
Interviewer: Estates for both Malaysian companies are next to each other and so are the mills
Me: Estates of palm trees & Harvest - We can expect reduction in labor costs as same person can
now manage more hectares of estate
Crushing in Mills - Similar cost reductions can expected in mills as well.
Some cost reductions can be achieved due to better capacity utilization.
Interviewer: Both mills are operating at 50% utilization
Me: We can shift the operations to one mill to have 100% utilization and shut down other mill.
This will reduce unit production costs. The only thing we should be concerned about is backlash
from labor due to shutting down of second mill.
Learning (if any):
1) I should have asked for the cost breakup across the value chain, if available, to prioritize my
efforts
2) "What are you missing in the 'Estates of palm trees' part?" - Instead of blurting out AgriInputs, I should have taken some time to figure out the various things that go into this step.
Raw materials - Labor - Farming Equipment - Farming Techniques/Processes
(Agri-inputs include raw materials and farming equipment)
FYI - Interviewer didn't point this out. But I feel this is a better approach.
158
A.T. Kearney
159
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Pranjal Deshmukh
Brand Strategist at Shobiz Experiential Communications Pvt. Ltd. (7
months)
Analyst at Ernst &Young LLP, Risk Advisory Services (1 year 1
month)
Company:
A.T. Kearney
Number of rounds:
3
Interview Format:
Guesstimation + Case Interview + PI
Interviewer:
Sushil Pasricha, Senior Manager
Any specific skills that you believe the Problem solving abilities, Analytical skills and Effective
interviewer was testing you on?
Communication.
Sushil asked me to introduce myself. This was followed by a
discussion on the engagements that I had worked on at EY. He was
interested in knowing what thought process went behind achieving
cost savings for clients. I was also asked to talk about the individual
components of the cumulative cost savings on my resume. He then
asked me the approach I adopted on the client site and how I had
managed relationships with my clients/challenges faced. He then
made a case out of one of my engagements at EY where I had
reviewed the area of Corporate Travel and Employee
Reimbursement.
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Cost Reduction
Our client is Maruti Suzuki, and we have been engaged to reduce
travel spends for the client. What levers will you pull to bring about
this transformation?
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
The problem at hand was pretty straightforward, so I confirmed the
interviewee (no particular order)
objective and moved on.
(answers by interviewer to be provided
in italics):
Recommended Approach:
These kinds of cases are asked to test your ability to break down a
problem into its key drivers and explore areas of improvement within
each. It’s very important to structure the problem and be MECE at
every stage. Although this sounds cliché, it should become second
nature as interviews approach.
I started by stating
Total Travel Expense = No. of employees travelling*Avg. travel
expense for each employee
I broke down the Travel expense into broadly the following heads:
Transportation
160
o Air
o Road
o Railways
Accommodation
Foreign Exchange
He then asked me to take him through each of these heads and suggest
how we could reduce costs
I discussed the key drivers under each. E.g. for Transportation, the
employee eligibility of mode of transport needs to be defined in an
SOP and implemented in order to optimize costs. The booking
schedules (no. of days before travel date when ticket needs to be
booked) can be defined in the SOP for common types of travel to save
on the increase in travel costs as travel dates approach. The process
for booking needs to be streamlined and all bookings, rescheduling
and cancellation must be routed through the ERP to ensure adequate
refund management and control duplicate bookings.
Under Accommodation I discussed the various factors such as keeping
a tab on the number and kind of bookings through a well-defined SOP
for different bands of employees. I also discussed the need for
accommodation can be obviated in some cases where employees can
travel to base location on the same day. To control cost of bookings I
suggested negotiating deals with hotels across the spectrum and
asking for bulk discounts over and above corporate discounts in case
of conferences etc.
Under Forex I discussed the negotiation of a favorable exchange rate
(better than the market) since we are a larger organization and
therefore give the vendor scale as well as brand name to leverage on
for garnering more business.
Sushil then asked me how the Risk Advisory (RAS) practice at EY was
different than the Business Advisory (BAS) as he thought most of my
engagements were similar to Business advisory.
To this I drew out the organization chart of EY and discussed the work
various service lines and gave examples of the kind of projects they
do.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
He was happy with this approach. Drawing out charts and issue trees
opens up your thought process to the interviewer and reflects your
clarity of thought. Also it gives the impression that you are open to
further discussion, since you are not hiding or masking any
information as you may in a verbal conversation.
PI is very critical. It helps you build a rapport with the interviewer.
Don’t take it lightly or leave it for the last minute. Frame all your
161
answers in Situation-Action-Result format for good impact. For most
of us good articulation is natural but if you feel you are not confident
note down the points that you would like to cover in each answer and
rehearse with a friend.
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be provided
in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Guesstimate
How many flights take off from Mumbai airport everyday
None
Although this problem could be simply done from a Supply side, I
approached it from the Demand side. It was a lot more difficult and I
realized it as soon as I started with my approach. However I kept calm
and categorized the demand well to reach the final number. I did run
into a number that was slightly off and I stated that upfront. But
Marcos said he appreciated my creativity and the thought process
behind sizing from a Demand side.
Your creativity can earn you brownie points in the interview. But
don’t panic if you hit roadblocks. It is normal. Try to zoom out and
move on. Also in guesstimates it is important that you show the
interviewer that you have a sense of whether it is a fair number or not.
In hindsight, I could have simply done the problem from a supply side
to be on the safer side. But again!
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
What is the minimum cost of new Fibre Optic Network for Vodafone
Me: Which area are we looking at?
Interviewer: Delhi
Me: Why do we need this new Fibre Optic Network?
Interviewer: To enhance the current network strength
Me: What is the cost per unit?
Interviewer: $10/km
Me: Do we have any data on what are the different kinds of towers
and how much each needs?
Interviewer: There are three types of towers; 2G, 3G & LTE
There is a central pipeline to which these fibers have to be connected.
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Recommended Approach:
For 2G there are 7000 towers and every 7th tower can be connected to
the central pipeline, for 2G there are 5000 towers and every 5th can be
connected, for LTE there are 3000 towers and every 3rd can be
connected.
Based on this data, I calculated the minimum number of connections
needed for a successful network. But stated that this number could
increase or decrease due to some reasons. Sameer asked me to
discuss a little on those. I said that if these towers are in smaller
clusters that are far from each other it may not be feasible to
connect 7 at a time etc. and hence we may have to connect in smaller
clusters thus increasing the cost. On the other hand if these towers
can be clubbed and used to connect to central pipeline then the
number would decrease.
To this Sameer added that we can latch one 2G and one 3G tower on
one LTE. Then I recalculated the minimum number of connections
required.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
What was key in this case was the ability to realize that the number
of connections can vary depending on the way the layout is and I
drew some maps to make this clear.
Start preparing for case interviews well in advance. They may seem
easy on the face of it, but it requires good amount of practice. Since
most candidates can present the frameworks by Day 1 it is
important that you develop your own frameworks through practice
as it shows your creativity and ability to break down any problem
into its key metrics. Get feedback from your buddies and alums as
this is really helpful. Don’t sit and read casebooks alone. Make a
group or two as there is a lot to learn from your discussions.
More importantly don’t forget to enjoy this journey! Good luck
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Accenture
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Asif Zafar
4.75 years @ Halliburton + B.Tech. (Petroleum Engineering)
Accenture
3
Case + Case + PI
Don’t remember + Kiran Kumar (Principal) + Saurabh Bhatnagar
(Partner)
Any specific skills that you believe the Analytical ability, knowledge about deploying technology,
interviewer was testing you on?
communication skills, general knowledge
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee:
Revenue growth
Our client is a footwear manufacturer and has approached us to help
them increase their sales. How will you use technology (digital) to
help them?
Me: Please tell me a little bit more about the client…
Interviewer: They are a legacy Indian footwear manufacturer and
primarily target the medium and low income group. They make all
kinds of footwear.
Me: Can you tell me about the trend in their sales?
Interviewer: While their sales haven’t gone down in absolute terms
they have been losing market share to smaller players (i.e. they are
unable to capture the growth in the Indian market)
Me: And why are they focusing on technology solutions?
Interviewer: They were a household name in India. However, lately
they have been facing a lot of pressure from new companies that sell
their footwear on Amazon and Flipkart. These smaller companies
come up with more designs and often sell at cheaper rates.
Me: So the client is like BATA…an old name, focused on the middle
and low income customers, that haven’t used the online channel
much?
Interviewer: Yes. They are very similar to BATA. I like your analogy.
Me: Can I have a few moments to structure my thoughts:
Recommended Approach:
Interviewer: Yes. Take your time…
Make sure you understand the problem and ask lots of clarifying
questions. I drew a growth framework and said I would be taking
165
the interviewer through each leg and will try to come up with tech.
based solutions.
Me: We can look at 1) Organic Growth (Increase revenue through
sales of existing products, new products, entering new geographies)
and 2) Inorganic Growth (M&As etc.)
Interviewer: Please focus on organic growth. In that I want you to
focus on existing products.
Me: Ok. So we are looking at increasing revenue through existing
products. Can you help me segment the client’s revenue?
Interviewer: How would you go about segmenting revenue?
Me: I am going to assume that all the revenue comes from footwear
sales only. I would use demographic (age based) criterion for
segmenting customers.
Interviewer: That’s a good approach. I want you to focus on the youth
segment (15 – 35 yrs)
Me: Increase in revenue can be obtained through increasing price or
increasing sales. For the price leg, technology could help the
company charge the right price to spur growth. This can be done by
through price comparisons, location based pricing, flash sales, web
coupons etc. Is that a reasonable answer?
Interviewer: Yes, but I really want you to concentrate on the other leg
Me: Ok. On the sales side is there any reason to believe that the
company has a supply side constraint? i.e. do they have enough
capacity to manufacture additional footwear?
Interviewer: Yes, they have sufficient capacity
Me: So, it appears that the solution lies on the demand side i.e.
increase demand through technology.
Demand is a factor of Market Size x Awareness x Accessibility x
Product Suitability. I don’t think we can do much about increasing
market size of the youth segment. So, I’ll focus on the other three
aspects. Is that reasonable?
Interviewer: Yes, that’s reasonable, go ahead
Me:
1) To increase awareness of our products we can do targeted
166
advertising by using digital channels such as ad-words,
social media advertising, you tube advertisements etc.
2) To increase accessibility, we could look at selling online,
both via an exclusive website as well as on third party
platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, E-bay etc.. We should
also look at selling via an app. on smartphones as a lot of
purchasing by the current generation is done via
smartphones
3) On the product suitability aspect we really need to come up
with designs that sell well with the current generation. As I
understand, we are probably making older designs. We
should look at making more trendy and new age designs for
our younger customers.
Interviewer: But that’s introducing a new product. What can we do
with existing products?
Me: Can I get a few moments to think about this?
Interviewer: Sure
Me: A key aspect of increasing product suitability is simply to
change perceptions. We could look at re-packaging our products, or
re-branding them as cool or patriotic products. We could launch a
social media campaign or an online community of young people who
buy our products. Some of our really-old legacy products (footwear
that has gone off shelf) could be repackaged and sold as retroproducts to the younger generation. We can launch a campaign for
youngsters who wear our retro products to post selfies on Facebook
and share with their friends
Interviewer: Good. I wanted to see if you could think about
repackaging and rebranding. We will stop the case here. Do you have
any questions for me?
Me: What is one trait that is common amongst those who are
successful at Accenture Strategy?
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Interviewer: Focus on delivering value for our customers. All
successful people at Accenture keep the customer front and center.
Align often with the interviewer. Don’t get perturbed because of the
tech. focus of the case. SDEC (Term 4) and TSTC (Term 5) can help
increase your knowledge of tech. in business. The interviewer kept
asking me “if I understood him” which freaked me out. I started to
feel that I wasn’t understanding him at all. I guess that was just a
crutch-phrase for him.
Unconventional + Cost Reduction (using digital)
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Case Narration:
(Case # 1 - Unconventional)
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee
The Delhi Government has decided to increase the price of fuel and
wants your help in deciding how they should proceed
Me: Can you tell me about the timelines? Is this happening now or is
this based on a past scenario?
Interviewer: Why do you want to know this?
Me: The timelines impact the reaction from the public. If this is
happening now, when the global crude oil price has fallen
drastically, the public in general is going to view this very negatively.
The logic behind such a move will be questioned.
Interviewer: Good assessment. This is happening now.
Me: A price hike when global prices are falling is going to make this
a tough sell. Can you tell me about the quantum of the hike being
proposed?
Interviewer: They want to increase the price from ₹ 50 to ₹ 75 a liter
Me: That’s a 50% increase! Do they want to do that in one go or
stagger the same? What kind of timelines are we looking at for them
to affect the change?
Interviewer: Did you speak with someone outside who had their
interview with me?
Me: No sir.
Interviewer: That’s an excellent question. They have a year to affect
the change and are open to staggering the price hike over the one year
period.
Me: Fuel price hikes are very political in nature. The AAP
government is in power in Delhi and will want to analyze the price
hike through a political lens. Is AAP looking to contest any elections
in the near future, perhaps in a different state?
Interviewer: No, assume there are no elections on the horizon. I want
you to focus on the potential impact of this price hike on the people in
Delhi. I also want you to recommend what the Government should do
to deal with the reaction/protests.
Me: Ok sir. Can I get a few moments to structure my thoughts?
Recommended Approach:
Interviewer: Take your time and feel free to eat candy (there was
some candy kept on the table) or drink water if you like.
I drew a framework on the paper and split the people of Delhi by
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dividing them based on income i.e. poor, middle class & rich.
Me: Sir, I plan to split Delhi’s population into three segments based
on their income i.e. poor, middle class and rich. I am doing this
because the impact of the price hike, the nature of protest, and likely
mitigation measures will be different for each of these segments.
Does that sound like a reasonable approach?
Interviewer: I like how you are proceeding. Go ahead…
Me:
1) The poor are the most vulnerable segment and the protests
from them could get serious soon. They will feel the pinch
the most because of increase in transportation costs as well
as the rise in price of essential goods. Fuel price hikes tend to
have a cascading effect on price of essential items such as
food and other daily use items. We can limit the impact by
assuring them that the public transportation prices won’t
increase and by ensuring that the cost of essential
commodities remains the same.
2) The medium income group also constitutes a large segment
and they will be effected by hike in price of daily use goods
as well as increase in their transportation costs (cars and
bikes). The government can look at decreasing taxes for the
middle class to offset a part of the effect of the price hike.
3) The rich are a relatively smaller segment and are unlikely to
protest much. They have enough disposable income to
absorb the price hike. However, the Government should sell
the price hike to them as a means of reducing pollution in
Delhi and thus ensuring better air quality and a healthier
environment. The Government should spin the price hike
into a Pigouvian tax that helps the future generation.
Does that sound like a reasonable analysis?
Interviewer: Excellent analysis and structure. We are done with the
case now. Tell me why you want to join Accenture? With your grades, I
am sure you have a shortlist from McK and BCG so you will probably
end up joining them…
Me: I don’t have a shortlist from McK or BCG. I want to join
Accenture because I am passionate about Technology and Accenture
is that rare firm that works at the intersection of Strategy and
Technology.
Interviewer: Ok. What do you understand by the word digital?
Me: Digital to me means converting something that is in a physical
169
form into electronic data or numbers (bits) that can be both stored
and transmitted from one place to another easily.
Case Narration:
(Case # 2 - Cost Reduction)
Recommended Approach:
Interviewer: That is a good definition. I have another case for you.
How can technology and specifically going digital help a company
decrease its costs?
Me: I plan to analyze this problem by going through the value chain
of the company and then trying to find out various ways of reducing
costs by going digital for each stage of the value chain.
Interviewer: That’s a reasonable approach. Let’s see what you have…
I drew the value chain on an A4 paper
Me: Most companies have support functions such as Admin, HR,
R&D, Procurement and primary activities such as Inbound Logistics,
Manufacturing, Outbound Logistics, Sales and Marketing, Services
etc. We can look at how digital can help at each stage.
Interviewer: I want you to focus on all activities from Procurement to
Services. Forget about R&D, HR, Admin etc. for now
Me: Ok. At the procurement stage going digital will help us better
analyze our deals by running analytics and getting insights into the
kind of deals we are making. We could look at cost reduction
measures, lead times for our deals etc. I’ll combine the inbound and
outbound logistics together. Digital helps us track our fleet better,
optimize routes thus helping us save costs. We can use automation
and IoT (internet of things) to optimize our manufacturing
processes and equipment. Similarly, for the marketing, sales and
services function digital can help us do targeted advertising, or
create 3D models of our offerings to help sell better to our
customers.
Interviewer: Now you have gone into selling more which is not cost
reduction. But the other things you mentioned are fine. Let’s focus on
the manufacturing aspect. Can you think of more ways to save costs?
Do you know how GE is deploying technology to save costs in their
manufacturing plants?
Me: No sir. I am afraid I don’t. But I admit, as a technophile I should
have done my research. I can draw on some insights from my past
job on how technology can help with manufacturing.
Interviewer: All-right. Tell me…
Me: I used to design drill bit solutions in India on my laptop on a
software that was based on a Siemen’s platform called NX. Just
making the models on a software instead of creating a physical
170
prototype helps save costs for manufacturing. Next, I’d mail that
model to Houston who would then convert that design into code for
the 5-axis mill mold machine that eventually printed it onto a
graphite mold. This is like 3D printing that helps saves costs and
increases manufacturing accuracy.
Interviewer: That’s a satisfactory answer. Can you think of more
ways to save costs by going digital in the procurement stage? Think
PR/PO process? Have you heard of PR/PO?
Me: By PR/PO do you mean Purchase Requisition and Purchase
Order?
Interviewer: Yes. Can you think of cost savings by digitizing PR/PO?
Me: Can I get a few moments to think about this?
Interviewer: Take ½ a minute.
Me: By going digital in the PR/PO process we would be saving paper
and time and ensuring accuracy. We would also be reducing our
working capital by ensuring that invoices are raised on time and
they are right the first time. Additionally, we would also be able to
track of our inventory better as inventory visibility would increase
and our inventory turns would increase too.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Questions:
Interviewer: I was looking for an answer along the lines of ebidding/e-procurement helping the company decrease costs. But your
answer is fine. Pease wait outside. I will be recommending you for the
next round.
Be prepared to back up any assertions you make. The interviewer
immediately double checked my claim of liking technology by
throwing a tech. heavy case at me. This interviewer was
exceptionally kind to me as he kept encouraging me at regular
intervals. If you do your research on Accenture/ attend the PPT you
will be better prepared to answer questions around “digital” which
is something they bought up during their PPT as-well.
PI conducted by Partner
This was more of a general conversation. The Partner was the head
of the ‘Energy Vertical’ at Accenture and an ISB alum.
Interviewer: Tell me about the work you did at Halliburton?
Me: I used to design drill bit solutions for our customers in India,
South Asia, Vietnam and Australia. However, since we were a small
department I also handled sales, competency development,
171
tendering etc. I also helped with coring and hole enlargement
services.
Interviewer: So, your job was to sell drill bits?
Me: No sir, I was involved in tech. sales but my primary role was
designing drill bits.
Interviewer: What has been your favorite subject at ISB so far?
Me: Competitive Strategy
Interviewer: Tell me one case you really liked and why?
Me: The South-West airline case. The way things fit together amazed
me. I didn’t know that these linkages could be classified as 1st
degree, 2nd degree and 3rd degree. I was surprised to find out the real
reason for not serving food was to make sure the flights depart on
time and hence save costs. This was an eye opener.
Interviewer: The south-west airline case is a classic. Many a times the
people who make these operational decisions don’t even know how
each small move is aligned with the larger strategy. It’s only ex-post,
when academicians analyze the case that they classify the linkages as
1st degree/2nd degree etc. Tell me another case. The South West case is
too common.
Me: I’ll pick a recent case that was taught to us in the CDMA
(Corporate Development, Mergers and Analysis) class. The case is
about Arauco a pulp and wood manufacturing company based out of
Latin America. We learnt about how transaction cost economics
plays a big role in setting up facilities. Arauco decided to acquire or
not acquire certain wood mills based on the proximity of these mills
to both its plants and those of its competitors. If there were no
competitors nearby it would let the wood mills operate
independently as it knew that these mills would incur significant
costs if they decided to transport their products long distances and
hence would stick with Arauco.
Interviewer: Other than strategy what else did you like?
Me: Micro-Economics.
Interviewer: Why did you like it?
Me: I gained a lot of insights and learned fancy terminology from
that subject. I didn’t know about Agency conflict. I hadn’t
understood the Nash Equilibrium even though I had seen the movie.
I leant about Prisoner’s Dilemma which explained why people
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behave the way they do.
Interviewer: Ok. What about DMOP? Did you like it?
Me: Yes. It was a fun class. We learnt how to quantify decisions.
Interviewer: Which subject did you get a B in?
Me: I got an A- in Micro Economics
Interviewer: Do you have any questions for me?
Me: 2 questions. Firstly, what was your favorite subject at ISB?
Interviewer: Strategy. It seems that this is favorite among many
students. 3 of the 5 people I have interviewed so far have named
strategy as their favorite subject too.
Me: Secondly, please tell me more about Accenture Strategy’s
acquisition of Schlumberger Business Consulting (SBC)?
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Interviewer: Upstream O&G knowledge is difficult to come-by. We
were strong in all other aspects of the Energy domain except for
Upstream. We wanted to strengthen our Energy vertical further and
SBC fit in very well. My knowledge is limited as the integration hasn’t
been fully completed yet. For all practical purposes SBC operate’s as
an independent entity for now.
I didn’t feel like I was being interviewed at all. It was a very friendly
conversation. I didn’t expect to be asked my favorite subject,
followed by my favorite case and why I liked it. One could prepare in
advance for such a question and have a better answer ready.
173
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Kavita Narayanan
Worked across roles in the automotive industry
Accenture
3
Case interview + Case interview + PI
Sr. managers & Partner
Analytical ability and communication skills
Case interview
The client is a manufacturer of large electronic panels and is facing
reduced profitability
The case was given to me because I mentioned that my expertise
was in operations cost. Though I created a standard profitability
matrix, I was told to concentrate straight away on costs
I segregated cost in terms of the P&L statement. I put down the
COGS elements first, then the operating profit elements and then the
net profit elements. I was told that my cost breakdown was correct
and comprehensive.
I then delved deeper into the COGS element but was told to look at
the operating profit elements. I then asked if the SG&A expense seen
any change and was told that it has been increasing. I then asked
about the staffing and was told that the company is overstaffed and
was asked to explore solutions
I mentioned that the main parameter for this cost is productivity
and the two levers for productivity are work content reduction or
staff reduction. Reduction of staff was something any company
would want to look at as a last resort so that leads us to changing the
work content.
We could either increase work done by existing staff or explore
relocating staff into other businesses if possible. The interviewer
agreed with my options but mentioned digitization of work as one
way to improve productivity
To summarize:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Gave a quick 30 sec summary of the case
It helped to write down the complete framework and not just the
first level so that the interviewer understands your thought process.
Even though the interviewer mentioned it’s a cost case, it’s better to
confirm while going down every lever of the framework. Since the
interviewer asked me my area of expertise, I chose an area I was
comfortable in solving cases
174
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Case Interview. Revenue loss case
The client is a manufacturer of luxury faucets. Demonetization has
hit and his customers are moving to competitors who accept digital
payments. I was asked to solve this problem and also asked to
prepare a 5 year product strategy for the company
I clarified at the outset if it was a drop in profitability or revenues. I
was told it is revenues. This was a very straight and small case. I
then asked about the products and businesses of the client and was
told that luxury faucets was the company’s only business. I asked
about the distribution system and was told that the company sells
through exclusive stores. I then enquired about market shares and
was told that the client was no. 2 in the market.
I gave the following solution for the first part of the problem
To stem losses immediately, the client may want to move toward
electronic payments and increasing credit terms
For the product strategy, I was asked to lay down factors which
should be considered. I laid down the following framework:
1. Use a PESTLE analysis to understand external environment
2. Analyze revenues vs contribution of existing products
3. Analyze strengths & weaknesses of the company
Use all 3 to formulate a product strategy
Recommended Approach:
The case was not an actual case in the true sense since it was a direct
question regarding payment method.
The interviewer was more interested in my framework rather than
the actual solution
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
As much as you practice frameworks, invariably you have to start
from a clean slate in a case based interview. It is necessary to not
lose your calm if an unconventional case like this is given to you.
Case prep develops a structured thinking approach for you which
come in very handy in cases like these.
175
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Hridhay Rajkumar
Analytics Consulting
Accenture
3
Case Interview + PI
Senior manager, Partner
Depth of analysis in the cases
Case interview + PI
Reduce the indirect costs of a pharmaceutical company
Asked basic questions about the company in terms of where the
company is located, competition, whether it was selling both overthe-counter and prescribed drugs.
This was unlike any case I had done before. I had to be extremely
careful with my analysis since this was a live case that the senior
manager was currently handling. I started off with telling the
interviewer that I would like to understand the entire value chain
and then reduce indirect costs at each step.
The trick here was to identify the indirect costs. I had to substantiate
why I was considering a certain aspect as an indirect cost. The
interviewer dug deep into each point and made sure that my points
had sound logic behind them.
The value chain mainly consisted of R&D, Manufacturing and
distribution. I identified indirect costs at each stage and suggested
methods to reduce them. He made sure that each suggestion was
logical and grilled me extensively on certain points.
After he was satisfied with points under a particular stage, I moved
to the next. Finally I arrived at costs like marketing. By then he was
convinced and he asked me to stop.
I was then asked questions about why Accenture and why
consulting. The interviewer seemed to be satisfied with my answers.
Keep the interviewer engaged and ask the interviewer if he/she
would like you to dig deeper into anything. Be ready to back every
suggestion you make. Most importantly – HAVE FUN !!! . You’ll
have multiple interviews lined up on that day. If you don’t enjoy the
interviews, it will take a toll on you.
Case interview
Your client is an Indian Automotive major. They want to make most
of the GST bill that has been recently passed and consolidate their
warehouses. They want to know how they should go about doing
this.
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Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
The 1st thing that I asked was what kind of vehicles did the client
manufacture. The interviewer was happy that I asked this since in
general people had assumed it to be a car manufacturer. He
answered that they manufactured commercial vehicles – heavy duty
trucks. I also asked about whether this manufacture was present in
other countries. To this he said that it was present only in India. I
also asked whether the company owned its current warehouses to
which he said that they were all rented out.
I started out by understanding the current end to end distribution
model. The interviewer told me that there were currently 5
warehouses in 5 regions of the country. There were 4 manufacturing
plants (1 each in the North, South, East & West). Trucks were taken
in trailers from the manufacturing plants to the warehouses. Then
from the warehouses to dealers in trailers.
The next question I asked was if we owned the transportation fleet
or if it was outsourced. To this he replied that it was a 3PL provider.
With this information I started thinking of potential cost savings
from centralizing inventory. I said that I would like to look into cost
savings at each stage of the value chain, but he asked me to take a
few minutes and give him the top few points that I could think of.
One of the biggest advantages of centralizing is demand
aggregation. The interviewer was happy that I put this point across.
The next point I mentioned was of reduction in inventory costs in
terms of safety stock of inventory. We had a brief discussion
regarding safety stock and then moved forward.
I also mentioned the obvious reduction in rental costs from the
reduction of number of warehouses. Although it was quite obvious, I
felt it was important to state it out there.
Then I said that there could also be potential reduction in
transportation costs. He was very interested in this point and asked
me to explain. Before I could start, I asked him as to how many
trucks a trailer could carry. He said that I had forgotten to ask about
how many different kinds of trucks the company makes. I apologized
and accepted that it was an important question. He said that for the
sake of this case I could ignore the number of types of trucks and
told me that a trailer could carry 3 trucks.
By now he was curious to know about how I could reduce
transportation costs. I started explaining about how the number of
trips of the trailers could be reduced and the number of trailers
coming back empty would reduce with a more centralized
warehouse. He accepted this, but asked me to analyze this in more
detail. I immediately asked him if the capacity of the trailers could
be increased to hold more trucks. He said that this wasn’t possible. I
then told him that if that was the case, then it the company would
have to be cognizant of the fact that transportation costs would
actually increase. He was very pleased with this and then ended this
part here.
Then we just had a discussion of potential distribution models that
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Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Interviewer
Case Approach:
Interview:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
we could implement with the centralization. After he was satisfied
with my suggestions, he ended the case.
Based on the context, a scheme that is meant to reduce costs can
actually cause the costs to increase. Be ready to justify the points
you make and most importantly keep your cool. The interviewer will
try to put you in a tough spot just to test whether you can think on
your feet. If you keep calm, you should be fine. Again – HAVE FUN !!!
. Trust yourself and enjoy the process.
General discussion
Partner
This was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The partner
wanted to go on a smoke break and asked me if it would be okay to
have the interview at the smoking zone. I agreed and we proceeded
to the smoking zone. He asked me to tell him about myself. Just
when I started to explain about myself, he cut me off and said that he
had read all the reviews written by the previous interviewers and
was only interested in something different. I told him that I was a
huge Manchester United fan to which he gave me a hi-five and said
that he was also a big fan. We had a discussion around that. Then he
asked me about my past work experience. I gave him a brief into
where I worked and what I did. It seemed like he had made up his
mind about me from the feedback from the previous 2 interviewers.
He asked me if I wanted to work with him. I said I would love to. He
again gave me a hi-five and said that the job was mine. I thought he
was joking and gave a very sheepish smile. He asked me as to why I
looked so bewildered. I said I didn’t believe him. He said that he’d
ask the HR manager to get me signed up as soon as we went back.
Each one of us is going to tackle this day differently. For me, what
worked was that I was completely okay with not landing a job on
day 1. Hence I was devoid of any pressure as such and made good
friends with the interviewers.
178
The Parthenon Group
179
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Kunal Jain
Process Engineer- Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd.
The Parthenon Group
3
Case Interview + PI
Principal, Partner
Fit for the team, communication and analytical skills
Personal Interview
Interviewer: Varun Jain, Case Team Leader
The objective of the interview was to analyze how well I would fit and
gel with their team
I had met Varun on the day of the dinner held a few weeks before Day
1. We had a nice interaction that night and our conversation during
interview continued from where we left that day. Straightaway he told
me that there will not be any case and we can simply have a
conversation.
Both of us being Marwadi, vegetarian and foodies had a lot of
commonalities and we discussed about all of them. The interaction
lasted for about half an hour post which he told me to wait in the same
room for my next interview.
I felt I had performed well in my buddy cases and showed good
analytical skills which probably prompted the firm to keep a PI instead
of a case round to begin with.
Even though the dinner seemed non-evaluative, you never know what
might come in handy, so always keep your best foot forward in all your
interactions.
Business Case
Interviewer: Rehan Kukur, Principal
The interviewer explained the scenario where a PE firm had come to
our client and wants to know whether they should invest in a prekindergarten school chain operating in India or not
The first interview was a PI so I was quite sure this was going to be a
case interview. After a few minutes of introduction, he explained me
the scenario.
During scoping, I clarified the basic objective of our PE firm and why do
they want to take this investment. Then I moved onto the school chain
and tried to analyze whether the kind of business they are into is
sustainable or not and whether they have any long term competitive
edge to earn long term profits.
180
The interviewer mentioned that the school is for 2-4 year old kids
before their kindergarten school starts majorly targeting working
families who want someone to take care of their kids.
I was told that most of their schools are in good localities where middle
class and upper middle class families live. The case did not have much
information and I was asked to give my own judgement.
At this point, I said that due to more and more nuclear families coming
in, and with more and more women also going to work, such families
will prefer sending their kids to school as there will be no one to take
care of the child at home. I also pointed out that in a lot of societies;
families see buses of such schools coming in and their neighbor kids
going to school. Such peer pressure will also help in developing a trend
for such schools.
Recommended Approach:
At the end, I concluded that the trend of such schools will continue for
now and hence it is a stable business and therefore our PE firm can
invest in this chain.
1. Important to scope the question well
2. I had clarified that the school was for 2-4 year old kids before
kindergarten starts. This helped in identifying the right target
segment for the chain
3. Be ready for a case where there is not much numbers involved
and requires you to build upon your own judgement.
4. Be creative in such scenarios as the interviewer is always
looking for some out of the box thoughts.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Business Case Presentation
Interviewer: Ashwin Assomull, Partner
A 16 Page Slide deck about a chemical fertilizer firm having a product
mix of 4 products was provided. 45 minutes were given to prepare
recommendations for the firm and then I had to give a presentation on
a white board to the partner
First 45 minutes of the interview, I was given a room all to myself with
a white board and a 16 pager slide deck.
1. It was about a chemical fertilizer firm, first few pages were
about the kind of businesses they are into, various products and
their performance
2. Then, they had provided with revenue, cost and similar
numbers for each of the product and a comparative analysis
with other products in the market
3. Certain trends w.r.t. years and in different customer segments
were also provided
181
4. Then they had mentioned about the various issues faced by the
firm and the options that the firm is exploring to take at this
scenario
Second part of the interview was when I had to come to a judgement
and prepare a presentation on a white board to give to the partner
1. Before I asked the partner to enter the room, I had filled the
white board with all the issues, numbers and the approach that
I will be recommending
2. After a 2 minute small conversation, we started off with the
presentation
3. I first explained the current scenario of our client, and the
various issues faced
4. Then I talked about the various possible options that can be
considered and then I moved onto my recommendation
5. At this point, the interviewer started cross-questioning and
asked me to do some rough calculations to validate my
recommendations
6. At the end, he gave me certain inputs as to what else could have
been included
Recommended Approach:
1. Keep track of time and skim through the data as there will be a
lot of information to process in limited time
2. Be confident with your recommendations as there will be a lot
of cross questioning on the strategy
3. While presenting, the interviewer is trying to simulate a real life
scenario where you are in front of the client, so keep the
session interactive and take hints
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
182
Deloitte USI (S&O)
183
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Bhagyesh Vora
Worked as a Consultant with EY in the Advisory space for 3.5 years
prior to joining ISB
Company:
Deloitte – Strategy & Operations
Number of rounds:
3
Interview Format:
PI + Case Interview + PI
Interviewer:
Director, 2 Senior Managers, Partner
Any specific skills that you believe the Analytical ability, Flair, Clarity of resume, Presentation skills and
interviewer was testing you on?
Communication skills
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
PI
I was expecting a Guesstimate in this round as this was the
communication by Deloitte. However, my interviewer was more
inclined towards a PI
1. Tell me something about yourself? Who are you outside your CV ?
2. Why did you join EY?
3. Why do you want to join Deloitte?
4. What motivates you?
5. What have you enjoyed at ISB ?
Recommended Approach:
The interview was about 7-10 minutes and the interviewer was a
stern looking director. He kicked off the interview by introducing
himself (mentioned that he was in the Indian Army prior to
completing his MBA from Cornell University).
Be enthusiastic in your responses and show your frank interest in
Deloitte. They are not looking for people who are ONLY good with
analytical skills but also want someone who can have a meaningful
conversation.
Also, even though I wasn’t asked a Guesstimate, I was asked to justify
a few numbers in my CV and explain the impact of those numbers
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Be thorough with your Resume, they picked on points which I was not
expecting questions on. Look and talk confidently and make sure you
show your interest in the firm by asking well thought of questions at
the end of the interview.
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
Market Entry
Our Client is a leading Pharmaceutical Device Manufacturer who
wishes to enter the Asian Markets. The client makes one particular
kind of dialysis kits which is currently produced by only one other
player in Asia. How will you plan the Market Entry for our client ?
I started the case with asking about the objective of the market entry.
184
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
The reply to this was that the client was diversification as well as
profitability.
Recommended Approach:
Basis initial questions, I was handed a series of graphs describing the
3 types of dialysis kits that we manufacturer and I was given about 5
mins to analyze this data.
The first objective of the case was to analyze the factors that you
would take into account while planning to enter a new market. Hence,
I started with questions around the Porters Framework to understand
the different entities that could have an impact on our entry into the
market. This included questions around the competitive landscape,
availability of substitutes, regulatory barriers and the growth rate of
this type of goods.
The graphs and tables required rigorous amount of quantitative
analysis. There were graphs around price elasticity and a comparative
analysis of costs of each product versus our competitor.
My first analysis was to identify the product which would have
maximum margins so as to make a profitable entry into the market.
Another observation was that 1 of the 3 products had zero elasticity
versus competitors pricing and this helped. After this, I performed a
series of calculations to calculate the profit margin for each product.
After this, I calculated the market size and based on our profitability
calculated, I asked the interview whether the market was sufficient to
meet the profitability objective. To this the interview was impressed
that I remembered the fundamental objective of the case and asked
me as to how will I go about the Market Entry ? (Different Modes of
Entry)
After stating the 3 different modes, I discussed the advantages and
disadvantages of each mode. The interviewer was not very impressed
with the generic strategies and instead asked me how could I improve
the sales of our products to meet the numbers mentioned in my
market sizing.
The interviewer asked me to look back and identify my target segment
and asked me who was my primary customer. The primary customer
in this case was hospitals who would buy our products basis
recommendations from doctors. Another way to persuade Hospitals to
purchase our products would be by getting insurance firms to cover
the
costs
associated
with
our
products.
At this point, the interviewer asked me to sum up the cases by
recommending to them how to increase our likeability amongst
Doctors and Insurance firms.
185
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Interviewer:
Case Approach:
Interview Questions
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
The Case was very straight forward and basic in terms of end-result.
Do practice a lot of graph based and calculation based cases for
Deloitte interviews since the calculations can be tricky and can affect
your chances if you are not good with numbers.
Also, this round also has a PI and in my case the PI went on for about
as much time as the case went on till. Try and score maximum points
in the PI because if they like your personality and aura, it might
improve your chances even if you freeze during the case.
PI
Partner
The interview questions were same as Round 1
1. Tell me something about yourself? Who are you outside your CV ?
2. Why did you join EY?
3. Why do you want to join Deloitte?
4. What motivates you?
5. What have you enjoyed at ISB ?
The partner round is just to evaluate your fit with the firm. If you have
made it to this round, they are impressed with you, however the
Partner round is just to make sure that you can be presentable in front
of
the
client.
Thoroughly practice your behavioral questions (Why Consulting, Why
Deloitte, Leadership Abilities, Conflict Management etc..) thoroughly
so as to make an impression.
Make sure all your answers are genuine and not generic.
NA
186
Personal Details
Name:
Pre ISB experience:
Anmol Mundhra
Worked with EY in People Advisory Services. Shifted to a not-for-profit, in charge of project
management etc.
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare for this role:
Pre-Process Description:
Deloitte
Consultant
Yes
Have FADM and CFIN concepts clear, might come handy. In my case though, the course content
was not relevant
NA
Round 1:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
1
PI + Guesstimate
Personality Interview Description:
Initial questions focussed on my profile. The basics - why consulting, why Deloitte, the career
path I had chosen and why.
My background dealt with financial inclusion in the NPO. So she asked me about demonitization. I
mentioned that it could have been done better. So I was asked 3 things which could have been
done better.
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Guesstimate: Number of people in chandigarh willing to pay for premium dietician service
(relevant to my CV)
Scope - Check if customers are paying for high-end services or the entire market for nutrition
services. Mentioned my assumption that the population was the entire trinity area
Structure : Assumed a population, benchmarking it against Delhi. First split it by gender, and then
assumed income levels and solved accordingly.
Did quick calculations and arrived at a number
Feedback (if any):
Did not get any feedback as such. This was one of the easier guesstimates asked as compared to
other candidates.
Learning (if any):
Structure could be more comprehensive. Brevity during the PI ALWAYS helps.
Round 2:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
1
Case
None. Directly was given the case. The interviewer started a timer for good effect.
A widget manufacturer looking to enter new market. Needed to evaluate best entry strategy.
Did the initial scoping as per Casebook. Asked about the company, customer, competition and
industry. No special info given about any of them.
Initially laid out the framework for new market entry. The interviewer was more interested in the
187
mode of entry. So talked about the 3 modes - greenfield, acquisition, JV. Was asked about merits
and demerits of each. Was then asked to quantitatively analyze the 3 options.
The interviewer wanted me to ask for all the data I would need to do the analysis. Had to be
extremely detailed about the data I would need for the analysis e.g. I asked about the numbers for
volumes. He gave me for 1 year. Had to specifically ask if there was data for subsequent years as
well.
After getting the numbers, did the analysis (simple calculation) and presented recommendation.
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
After getting all revenue data, the interviewer kept insisting on any cost data I might be missing.
Did the value chain but could not pinpoint what data. Had missed advertising costs in the figures.
Could have structured my recommendation better. The interviewer had conducted the case by
directly asking me the factors affecting market entry after giving the problem statement, and not
giving time to scope. I first told him that I needed to know more about the situation before getting
into this. I think that helped in preventing arbit answers for his questions.
Round 3:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
2
PI
A lot of focus on my previous work ex, had to describe the story comprehensively. Also spent
some time on why I wanted to get into consulting.
As the interview was winding up, the interviewer said he did not feel I would stick around in the
company for long. Had to convince otherwise.
NA
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
NA
Tips and gyaan
1
2
The general temptation is to only focus on case prep, but PI is very important. Can prove to be a
differentiating factor.
3
Sense of humor is very important. Nervousness during the interview can be damaging
Specifically for Deloitte, do practice guesstimates beforehand and do not leave it for the end. A
large chunk of shortlists are eliminated after the first round
4
Deloitte cases focus on how well you can think with numbers and are generally basic. You do not
need to practice many abstract cases, make sure you have your basic framework right.
188
Personal Details
Name:
Kanika Sharma
Pre ISB experience:
Analytics - 1.5 year, Social entrepreneurship - 1 year
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare for this role:
Pre-Process Description:
Deloitte
Consultant, SnO
Yes
Core Term micro economics, marketing, FADM
The company had a video resume along with regular resume. There was no other preprocess. Video resume asked PI questions which we recorded an answer to. Questions
were given by software on the spot.
Round 1:
1
Guesstimate Mini case
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Generic questions about background, insurance (the sector I come from etc.)
Philips has developed a new bulb which has a life of 5 years compared to (say) 1 year of
a normal bulb. Is this a profitable product Opportunity. Soltion: Asked about price
structure. Price - $2-$3. From a regular consumer, we earned $5 in 5 years. Now we earn
$2. Not profitable. Interviewer asked me to think of alternate markets for the product.
Be frank. Think out loud.
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Round 2:
1
Case Interview
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Feedback (if any):
Generic discussion about background, education sector, interests, travel, family
background etc.
Data based case about market entry. A US firm entering the Indian market with a
dialysis product - 2 competitors.
Practice cases with data and graphs for Deloitte
Learning (if any):
Round 3:
2
Behavioral
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Why consulting? Why Deloitte? Why should we choose you etc.
189
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Be genuine. Read about the company and its values.
Any hindsight realization or something to share for others
190
Ernst & Young – Performance
Improvement
191
Personal Details
Name:
Prashanth Vijayaraghavan
Pre ISB experience:
Consulting
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare for this role:
Pre-Process Description:
EY Performance Improvement Consulting
Consultant
Yes
Stats, DMOP, CSTR, OPMG,LSCM
Resume Shortlist
Round 1:
1
Case Based
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Types of questions asked
Any Unexpected questions
Situational caselets / Q&As
Feedback (if any):
Issue: A $40B technology OEM wants to expand businesses in India. Current value of
businesses in India is $30M and is concentrated in the networks space (routers, switches
and other equipment)
Approch Under the problem. Identify factors that govern revenue and use them in the
framework. Use market size to measure company's footprint in the segments.
Structure Used the profibtability framework from the revenue side to understand the
cause. the cause was that prices for network components were 25% higher than the
market, while that for computers is 50% higher. Identified casuses using the value chain
framework.
Recommendation Shift manufacturing to a low cost country
Was appreciated for my structuring. Was asked to remain loose and interact more with the
interviewer during case solving.
Learning (if any):
Stay loose. Interact well.
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Round 2:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
1
Partner Round
Types of questions asked Take me thorugh your resume. Blockbuster project.
Differentiation point based on time spent at ISB.
Any Unexpected questions
Situational caselets / Q&As
Case Interview Description (if Any):
NA
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Any hindsight realization or something to share for others
Round 3:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
1
HR
Types of questions asked Why consulting, Why EY. General porfile
192
Any Unexpected questions
Situational caselets / Q&As
Case Interview Description (if Any):
NA
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Any hindsight realization or something to share for others
193
Personal Details
Name:
Rishi Rahul
Pre ISB experience:
GAIL (India) Limited
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare for this role:
Pre-Process Description:
EY
Consultant - Performance Improvement
Yes
Have a sound knowlwedge of concepts from core term courses
No Pre- Process
Round 1:
1
Case Based
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Basic PI just to make you comfortable. It was more of a conversation
It was an IT industry case. Company's growth strategy was to be formulated for a period
of 3 years.
The interviewer seemed pleased with the approach. I was a bit nervous initially. But as
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
the interview progressed it became more of a conversation between a client and a
consultant.
Keep the interview as more of a conversation. Take informed pasuses and not random ones.
Round 2:
Partner Round
Case based + Guesstimate
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Basic PI: What keeps you busy at ISB besides studies. We also discussed about ISL as I
was one of the Co-owners.
Guesstimate : Estimate the number of tennis balls in circulation in Delhi.
Case: Profitability Case. A Japanese restaurant's profits were declining. It was a premium
retaurant based in Delhi. Identify the problem and give recommendations.
Feedback (if any):
The partner was happy with my approach and detailed analysis I did. I was asked to
proceed for the final round that was HR round.
Learning (if any):
Keep the interview as more of a conversation. Take informed pasuse and not random ones.
Round 3:
1
HR Round
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
194
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
About Myself, Achievement I am proud of, about Leadership Responsibilties,
No Case
The interviewer was happy. I was offered the job offer right after the interview.
Be honest and genuine.
Tips and gyaan
1
2
3
4
5
Go through case books (ISB + Case in Point)
Do no force a framework into a case.
Be creative. Come up with your own frameworks
Practice as many cases as possible. (50+ minimum)
Have a good command on concepts learned in core terms.
195
KPMG India Pvt Ltd.
196
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Mugdha Dhavalikar
Associate Engineer at Qualcomm (<2 years work experience)
KPMG
2
GD + PI
1 Manager, 1 Partner
Group Discussion (20 minutes)
Should FDI in India’s defense sector be encouraged?
A good understanding of the topic is essential; the interviewers seemed
more interested in candidates who stayed on topic, even if these
candidates didn’t speak much.
Personal Interview (1 hour)
Some examples of questions asked:
1) What is it that defines you?
2) What does a job mean to you?
3) What did you achieve in your previous job?
4) If you were doing so well, why did you leave?
5) Why consulting?
.
PI questions are often the deal breakers in interviews. While it is very
important to practice cases, please don’t forget to put in an adequate
amount of work into polishing your PI skills.
197
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be provided
in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be provided
in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Shyam Chandra
Risk Analytics - HSBC
KPMG, Digital Strategy – Management Consulting
4
PI + Case Interview + HR Round + Partner Round
Associate Director, Partner, HR Manager
Analytical ability and communication skills
Personal Interview
Questions about my previous work experience and how the banking
industry in India is currently performing and challenges it is facing.
Discussion was focused on new innovations in Banking industry and how
credit can be extended to underserved population. How will I use data
analytics to solve this problem? Why KPMG and consulting after Risk
management?
(Input, if any)
Be very thorough about the projects you have completed in previous
organization. Read about the role they are offering – Even though I had an
idea about the role, I was not completely aware about the role at the time
of interview. This is an elimination round.
Case interview
A hypothetical firm named “Insurance corporation of India” is the biggest
player in insurance industry with assets as high as 1 billion and 10000 full
time employees. Recently they have observed that the insurance revenues
are not growing and profit per employee is reducing. Because of its strong
asset base, they are evaluating various options for entry into other
industries and found credit cards industry to be interesting. They have
approached KPMG for an advice
1. Is the industry growing and what is economic situation in the
country is like?
2. What is target growth rate for the firm?
3. How many credit card players are currently in market?
4. Is the firm open for any collaboration with existing players?
5. Investment horizon the firm? Short term, long term?
6. Expanding to new countries?
This is a typical market entry case for an insurance client. I started by
analyzing the credit card industry first and found out that it is a fragmented
industry with lot of small players. State owned banks have penetrated into
the market and they give strong competition to new entrants. I then looked
198
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be provided
in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be provided
in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
into the entry options for the firm into the market. I listed down the
capabilities of the firm and analyzed each entry option against the
capabilities. After the analyses I proposed getting into a joint venture with
a small player in the market and use its network of agents to penetrate the
market. – this is an elimination round and 50% of candidates were
eliminated.
As much as you practice frameworks, invariably you have to start from a
clean slate in a case based interview. It was a stress interview with lot of
cross questioning and extensive Case prep develops a structured thinking
approach for which helped in cracking the case.
HR Round
Understanding the fit into the organization
Questions about why do you want to join KPMG, challenges faced in
previous firm, how to resolve conflicts etc.
This is not an elimination round.
Partner Round – Telephonic
Short questions about how do you optimize supply chain of a
manufacturing firm using IOT and how do you develop a marketing
strategy for a retail chain in India. How can the performance of banks in
India be improved by reducing losses from bad loans?
I felt that questions were random based on previous experience. Be
prepared for questions on latest trends and developments in digital
innovations. This is an elimination round.
199
PwC India Pvt Ltd.
200
Personal Details
Name:
Pre ISB experience:
Aditya Date
2 years 8 months; 3DPLM Software Solutions(IT Products); Test Engineer; Mechanical Engineer
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare for
this role:
Pre-Process Description:
PwC Pvt Ltd
Consultant (Technology Consulting)
yes
A mixture of PM case prep and business case prep. Resources: Case in point, How to crack PM Interview,
Decode and Conquer
No pre-process
Round 1:
1
Case + PI
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
Case Interview Description
(if Any):
Tell me about yourself, Why PwC, Long term/short term goals, walk me through your resume
Issue: Pizza restaurant chain, website not being used; client wants to build the "best" app
Approach: Clarify "best". Problems faced, cost benefit analysis, recommendation
Structure: CIRCLES (Decode and Conquer) method pretty useful
Recommendation: Loyalty program, incentivizing to shift delivery patterns, better UI for app
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Any hindsight realization or something to share for others
Round 2:
1 (Telephonic)
PI
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
Case Interview Description
(if Any):
Tell me about yourself, Why PwC, why should we hire you, why tech consulting, contribution in your
past work ex, relevance of past work ex to tech consulting
NA
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
Any hindsight realization or something to share for others
Tips and gyaan
1
2
3
Be thorough with your resume and JD
Read up about the company as much as possible
Be clear as to why you want a certain a role and your fit for the role
201
Personal Details
Name:
Tarun Mansukhani
Pre ISB experience:
Risk Consulting
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
PwC
Management Consulting
Yes
How best to prepare for this role:
Pre-Process Description:
GD:
Topic - the labour scenario of the future
Tips - Don’t be worried about introducing the discussion or summarizing it. Behave well in the
group and make logical points rather than saying just for the heck of it. They are mostly checking
communications skills and your ability to grasp from the group as in the end they ask you to
summarize the discussion on a piece of paper, which they take.
Round 1:
1
Case Based and CV Based
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
1. Asked me to introduce myself
2. Asked questions around my CV - this took a while as I came from a consulting background
Personality Interview Description:
3. Case asked was not one of the traditional cases - was more to understand my thinking style
(adjusted to my prior risk consulting experience)
4. Asked questions around the group discussion held the previous day
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Case - your client is setting up a manufacturing plant, what all can go wrong
Feedback (if any):
Don’t stress much about the case question - it is just to check how much time you take to be at
speed with the new topic introduced
Learning (if any):
Cases are easier than the ones that are used for practice by the consulting aspirants. Yes, once
you have done the tougher ones, you are relatively more comfortable - doing tougher cases helps
you critically analyze each problem in a structured manner.
Round 2:
1
Partner Round - VC
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Personality interview:
1. introduction
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2. biggest challenge - went deep into the project that I said was the most challenging for me asked what is the recommendation / approach that I would have changed if I were to go back to
the assignment now (basically after ISB what is that you would have done differently) - key
learning from the project
3. Key learnings at ISB
4. How do you manage time (because I was into consulting and said that I am an outgoing person
and love to spend time outside the house with family and friends)
5. Thoughts on demonitization - what is the one thing that I think went wrong and that I would
have changed
6. Achievement - what is it that you have done outside your work profile
Case Interview Description (if Any):
Feedback (if any):
NA
Very easy going interview - nothing technical (unless you make it technical by mentioning
technical expertise) - they want to understand if you know what you used to do prior to ISB
1. Be yourself - if you are not, they are smart enough to catch it. Some interviews ended in 5
minutes, as compared to a 50-minute interview for me - they can catch it in as few as 5 minutes
2. This was the interview during which I was the most relaxed - "coincidently" this was the
interview that I cracked too ;)
3. All interviews are conducted to know you better and if you could handle the work that they do
Learning (if any):
4. Try to understand the business in which the company operates in and think of what problems
they could face and mould your answers to tackle the problem - an example from my case, when
asked how I balanced my work life, I answered based on prior experience (the point to
understand here is that they see employees cribbing about work life balance, which is why it is
important for them to know how you would handle it)
5. Being lively always helps - a consultant who is lively can deal with clients better because more
than half of the times the clients are tough and they need people who can get along well with the
clients (another problem that is answered, but through your behaviour)
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Tips and gyaan
1
Be yourself - be calm
2
3
Try to put yourself in the employer's shoes and understand their problems and tackle them with
your answers or behaviour
Know what you have done in the past - prep well by talking to ex-colleagues
4
They want to see if you are an achiever and if you would be able to replicate it in their
organisation as well
5
Case studies not only help you to answer case questions, but also inculcates a structured way of
thinking for other types of questions (personality or CV based)
204
PwC DIAC
205
Personal Details
Name:
Pre ISB experience:
Mohit Arora
Worked for 2 years With Axtria- Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing Analytics
Interview Details
Company Name:
Role:
Offer Accepted:
How best to prepare for this role:
Pre-Process Description:
PwC DIAC (Diamond Consulting)
Experienced Associate
Yes
Be thorough with your resume. Apart from that- cases, guesstimates, puzzles and brainteasers
were asked. Checked my comfort level with Stats as well
No Pre Process except Resume Shortlisting.
Round 1:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
1
Resume Based- Detailed discussion on past projects
No Unexpected PI Questions
Focused on my past projects- In detail. Then he asked a few more questions, broadly focusing on
3 things>> How could we use the models used in pharmaceutical sales ad marketing analytics in retail
industry?
>> What are the additional factors one needs to account for while reusing the models in some
other domain?
>> How can we forecast when a retail store will face an understocking problem? What data will
be needed and how will you plan to build the model?
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
There were many points in which he interviewer had a different point of view from mine. He
said, I was thinking of it from this point of view, but let's move on. I replied, before we move on,
can we discuss your approach in detail, will help me learn more.
We discussed both our approaches and concluded that his and my ideas combinedly will
produce best results.
Show the interviewers your interest in learning and geting the best outcome instead of just
answering and getting done with it.
Round 2:
# of Panelists:
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview Description:
Case Interview Description (if Any):
2
Technical+ PI
General PI, focused on what I knew about the role
A lot of small caselets, puzzles, guesstimates, brainteasers.
>>Guesstimate the number of cockroaches in both the campuses
Was asked to begin with Mohali Campus, since placements were being held over there, and
extrapolate to Hyderabad.
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Started with the places where one can find cockroaches and classified into high frequency and
low frequency places
High Freq-> Kitchen and Washrooms
Low Freq-> rooms and Gardens
Was told to focus on category 1
Then went on to calculate number of kitchens, washrooms, then based on some assumptions,
number of cockroach sightings and then number of cockroaches in each.
Scaled up the number for the low freq category. Scaled down the number for overlap of
cockroaches in sightings at different places.
Was asked what are the factors that need to be taken into account for extrapolating it to Hyd
Campus
Answered-> Size of campus, Geographical factors and climatic factors leading to different
Cockroach Density etc
>>Assume there 1000 people. In order to calculate what is the probablity of 2 people having
same number of hair, what will you need, mean or variance? (Assume normal distribution and
relax the assumption of continuous distribution)
>> You have 8 identical looking balls (plastic), one of them has different weight (could be higher
or lower). You have a weighing scale which can compare weights (2 sided weighing scale).
Whats the minimum number of times you need to weigh to tell which ball has different weight.
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any):
We were laughing, enjoying and having fun all thrughout the interview. The interviewer wanted
to make it fun, (He kept on joking on his hairfall problem when he gave me the hair puzzle) and I
kept on complimenting the joke, by telling him that solving puzzles might not help with that
problem though. Make the process a conversation.
Tips and gyaan
1
2
3
4
5
Enjoy the process. Don't take stress. When you are enjoying the process and the interview, your
interviewers enjoy it too.
Make the interview a conversation.
Focus on learning and discussing with the interviewer instead of just answering.
Get clarity on the role from the buddy assigned
Help others, in any way possible.
207
Roland Berger
208
Personal Details
Name:
Pre ISB experience:
Sibin Koshy Varghese
3 years 8 months / Asst Manager - R&D , Power Train Systems | Bajaj
Auto Ltd ,
Interview Details
Company Name:
Roland Berger
Role:
Consultant
Offer Accepted: Yes
How best to prepare for
this role:
CSTR / OPMG+ LCSM / ISB Case Book / Case Discussion
Pre-Process Description: No Pre Process
Round 1:
# of Panelists:
1
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
Case Based + Some behavioral
They asked behavioral questions - Tell me about yourself / Tell me
about a major achievement you have / An instance where your
suggestion was not welcomed and how did you proceed
Issue -- An Engine Manufacturer was facing a 25% drop in On Time
Delivery
Approach - Tried to understand what on time delivery and the various
Case Interview Description
(if Any):
factors that might affect it
Structure - Drew a value chain and then for each link - considered
possible factors and was asked to suggest possible counter measures for
each. Afterwards was asked to focus on engine design link
Recommendation - Collaborated to develop a quicker design process on
the basis of Process Analysis
Feedback (if any):
They liked the overall structure I constructed
209
Learning (if any): No
Round 2:
# of Panelists:
1
Type of Interview:
Personality Interview
Description:
Behavioral + Some framework
Asked about how the Day 1 was going / How I spend my free time /
How I would work in a situation where objectives was not well defined /
How do I deal with ambiguity / A general problem solving approach
Client: A Indian State Govt || Issue: How to get more Chinese tourists
Approach : Understood what all are key drivers | Used VRIO to
Case Interview Description understand exclusivity ( Comparative Advantage) | For targeted ones (if Any): developed campaigns
Structure : No well-defined structure / Was element based
Recommendation : Open about considering all drivers
Feedback (if any):
Learning (if any): Being Calm was vital
Tips and gyaan
When answering take some time but deliver answers in a strucured
1 manner
2 Keep them involved while solving the case
3 They are testing how you think so tell them what is your logic
In Questions - Ask them about queries that reflect your interest in
joining them e.g. asking questions that are not already mentioned on
4 company website, etc
Show them interesting experiences you had by steering conversation
5 effectively
210
Dalberg
211
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Kaushal Narayan
IIT Madras, 1 year with BCG in Management Consulting and 3.5
years with Bosch in Business Strategy
Company:
Dalberg Development Advisors
Number of rounds:
4
Interview Format:
Standard case interviews but in the development area. Mostly from
the projects on their website
Interviewer:
Associates and partners
Any specific skills that you believe the Analytical ability, communication skills, interest in the development
interviewer was testing you on?
space, etc
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Valuation of a product
What is the value of “Smart Maps” showing real time traffic changes on
maps?
Try to understand what exactly are “smart maps”. See whether the
interviewer is looking for the value of smart maps to any particular
stakeholder like the government or for everyone.
Don’t remember the details – but I started with broad branches of
social, economic, government, etc. After a lot of drilling down, the
interviewer wanted me to focus on the value for an average city office
goer. This boiled down to calculating time saved because of low traffic
and ascribing a monetary value to it. Demanded some Guesstimate
work.
Try to cover as many angles and effects as possible. Show calculations
clearly. Speak your mind and think aloud.
Disguised guesstimate (telephonic interview)
The Government before rolling out a massive “solar lantern
distribution” program wants to calculate the potential benefits and
compare with the budget available
I like to scope the questions in terms of vocabulary, space and time
Vocabulary: What is the exact program? How many lanterns? What is
the criteria of choosing villages?
Space – how many states is the program valid for? Pan-India or
regional?
Time: How long is the program planned for?
After some scoping, the case boiled down to estimating the monetary
value of using solar lamp instead of the standard kerosene lamps for
the average household. Some time was spent on understanding the
solar lamp and the specifications (time of charge / discharge, etc. –
once it was clear that numbers would be involved)
212
Like any case, it is important to point out as many nuances as possible.
What about places which are completely electrified? What about places
with electricity shortage only during the day? The interviewer asked
me to take only those places with kerosene usage at night when power
cut happened.
What about places which don’t receive much sunlight?
How does rural India source Kerosene?
How long does the Kerosene lamp last?
Amount per liter of kerosene replaced had to be finally calculated.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
The idea is to differentiate oneself by bringing in as many nuances and
angles as possible. Be comfortable with numbers and explain them
carefully especially in case of a telephonic interview. Asking questions
when things are not clear is critical. Think aloud.
Most importantly going back to the original question at the end of
guesstimate is critical. You have to go beyond the numbers and give a
business judgement. Here for example – what do you think of the
overall value of the program? How can you judge? Can you compare it
with other programs? Can you ask the interviewer some questions to
compare?
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Open ended case with Partner (telephonic)
A conglomerate wants to do something in the education space. How
will you help?
A few scoping questions on space and time. These were mainly aimed
at understanding the exact goal of the conglomerate. Was it profit
oriented? What was the exact metric? What are the timelines involved?
The result goal: Increase the % literacy from x% to y% in 10 years.
Reduce drop-outs before 10th standard in 10 years from x% to y%
Recommended Approach:
Structure is very important in such open ended cases. Among other
structures I remember proposing a matrix of pre-primary, secondary
and higher secondary education on one axis and the cycle of a student
in terms of enrollment, education and testing on the other axis. The
problem could be in any of the 9 boxes.
The partner pointed out 2 boxes as problems – one involving
enrollments (or drop-outs) and one involving testing. The remainder of
213
the case revolved around solving the problems assuming multiple roles
– testing expert, teacher training, tying-up with an NGO to reduce dropouts, etc.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 4
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
The scoping, structure and the final synthesis were the most important
part of the case. This case was more practical and less theoretical.
Questions from the partner revolved around how I would behave with
a client? What exact questions I would ask them in the first visit and so
on.
Creative case. Telephonic interview with the Partner
You have to evacuate Mumbai in case of an emergency. What would be
the best way? What is your plan?
This case threw me off. I took quite some time to structure my thoughts.
However as the case progressed it went into unstructured territory and
I had to just think in parallel while solving the case.
As usual, scoping involved some questions on timelines, distances in
Mumbai, available options, etc. What is the metric to evaluate options?
The interviewer mentioned time as the main metric.
So the case boiled down to what is the quickest way to evacuate
Mumbai in emergency cases (within 5 hours)? Or from the candidate’s
perspective – What are all the ways – and which is the quickest?
Recommended Approach:
In hindsight, the ideal way would have been to detail out a way to
evaluate available options and then go through the options one by one.
One should generally not start with detailing the first without giving the
clarity of how you would proceed.
I sort of stumbled on to the end in this case. I started with talking about
redefining the problem as maximizing the volume rate. Or number of
people per unit time. How do you fit people as close as possible?
However can you evacuate a vast set of people as fast as possible?
In other words, should we move one by one with a very high rate or
should you move a large amount of people at slower rates. The product
of number and rate needs to be maximized.
There are a vast set of options density wise – via a ship, air-lifting, using
buses, cars, two wheelers, bicycles, walking, etc. For each option the
product of rate and density needs to be checked. The Partner wanted
me to talk qualitatively – so I steered off numbers at this stage. Trying to
cover as many angles as possible – I talked about how people in the
interior of the city vs people who are near the coast can be evacuated
214
separately.
After some discussion, I was asked to calculate between using cars vs
walking. There were some calculations around using the population to
calculate density of movement while walking. Turned out that because
the density of movement in case of walking is very large, it more than
compensates for lower rate compared to using cars. Also cars require
roads and walking can be done across different landscapes or using
smaller roads.
The Partner in fact talked a bit about why walking is better.
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
Don’t be afraid to think through and talk throughout the case. It is a
discussion, not a monologue.
215
Mu Sigma
216
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:
Pre-ISB profile in brief:
Company:
Number of rounds:
Interview Format:
Interviewer:
Any specific skills that you believe the
interviewer was testing you on?
ROUND 1
Case Type:
Case Narration:
Case Approach:
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
ROUND 2
Scoping Questions to be asked by
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Abhinav Mani
ZS Associates
Mu Sigma
3
Guesstimation + Case Interview + PI (HR)
Recruiting Team, HR head
Analytical ability, prior work experience and communication skills
Guesstimation
Suppose OLA is implementing surge pricing for the first time, what
should be the parameters of implementing the same?
Confirm that the interviewer is only interested in the various criteria
and not in the algorithm
Explain the conditions in which surge pricing can be applied –
Meeting demand supply discrepancy
Location of pickup and drop
Time of day
Special occasion
Special requests
Traffic on the road
If you can add new creative way in which surge pricing can be used
that is currently absent then that is a bonus
Keep confirming your assumptions with the interviewer.
How long should be my horizon of plan?
IS there any resource constraint in my assumption?
The horizon should be immediate, preparing for 2020 Olympics
There is no resource constraint
Since the timeline is short, it is important to grab the low hanging
fruits first.
Propose to allocate funds for more international experience for sports
where India reaches close but not in the medals tally, more specifically
towards there training
Setup talent scouting camps in regions where a particular sport is
more popular. The idea is a much more targeted scouting to ensure
better candidate selection and no quota based selection
Spent resources to educate coaches on the on what constitutes as
doping and what medicines are allowed and create an incentive plan
them to motivate them to perform better and tests to know there
uptake of the latest drugs.
With all the latest in technology and analytics, better monitor the
217
Your experience/ DOs and
DONTs/Any comments:
health and on field performance of the athletes and with predictive
analytics manage their training regime as well (an opportunity for Mu
Sigma here!!)
A slightly long term approach would be to setup an education system
that allows athletes in college/university level to have a GPA system
similar to the US (think NCAA). This will bridge the gap between
junior and senior level sports disconnect in India. Have university
level tournaments in the IPL format and get all major universities to
participate irrespective of government or private backing
Be prepared to think outside the box and always have a structure
ROUND 3
Case Type:
Case Narration:
HR Round
This round is more towards seeing your company fit. They will ask
questions on why Mu Sigma, how do you see yourself contributing,
how do you think the firm should enter the pharma industry (as I was
from ZS Associates), how will you distinguish between your previous
firm and us, what makes us different from other firms (they are
insistent that the candidate understands the difference to gauge
interest), give us a situation where you met with disagreement, give
us a situation where you went above and beyond for your client and
other situational questions
Case Approach: Read the JD carefully and prepare your answers accordingly
Scoping Questions to be asked by
NA
interviewee (no particular order)
(answers by interviewer to be
provided in italics):
Recommended Approach:
Thoroughly prepare your personal and situational round questions
Your experience/ DOs and
Be prepared to counter questioned or undermined. The key is to stay
DONTs/Any comments:
calm and composed.
218
Cognizant interview tips
219
The section below details out the company structure and typical hiring process at Cognizant as told
to Co17 by the alums
Company structure:
The work at Cognizant is structured into Verticals (Banking, Insurance, Retail) and Horizontals
(Testing, Data warehousing and so on ) . Cognizant Business Consulting is one such practice which
helps support the Verticals with respect to their domain expertise. Based on your past experience
you would be tagged to one of these sub verticals for example if you were in healthcare before you
will most likely be interviewed for the CBC-Healthcare vertical.
Type of work:
The typical work done by a CBC consultant could be any combination of the below:
IT Business Analysis/Product Management (Talk to clients, understand requirements and
write them out for development teams)
User Acceptance Testing (Ensure that IT products are delivered correctly)
Business Development (Work on proposals with account management teams to get new
business for Cognizant)
Project management
Consulting (There is a vertical in Cognizant called CBC-Strategy and Transformation which
takes care of this. This is also done to some extent by the CBC-Vertical teams)
Job specific:
Formal learning opportunities & leadership development programs in CBC - Cognizant has its
own MOOC platform, tie ups with other tech MOOCs, lots of webinars on very specific topics,
some managers even sponsor short certification courses. Most learning opportunities are
focused on IT Tech
Areas in which CBC trying to grow - IT Technology is more or less a universal aspect of
business today. Most major companies in any industry need IT in some form or the other,
more so in the face of rapid advancements in analytics, machine learning, IoT and cloud
tech, to the extent that many traditional firms see IT as a strategic resource (see GE and
Ford). Accordingly, Cognizant aims to capture this growing and evolving market, spread out
across industries from pharma to automobile to banking.
Travel opportunities - Not much travel, though you should be open to relocation (for 3
months or more) outside India AFTER 1 - 1.5 years.
Growth potential - Quite decent. Mostly based on merit - performance in projects,
managerial capabilities, and willingness to relocate...
Break of the CTC for Senior consultant: Break-up - irrelevant (will be more than ours Co16).
They have a very simple break up of CTC into fixed + variable + retention bonus, which they
will explain at the end of the interview process. Last year, no negotiation - it was fixed for a
particular band, but I guess no harm in trying.
Interview process:
220
How many rounds till the final offer?
Usually, it is 3 rounds of tech + 1 round HR interview, but may increase/decrease based on how
impressed your initial interview panels are with your interview/fit for the role. Most often, the
interview panel has not seen your resume before you enter the interview and therefore, you should
be well prepared to explain your resume in a brief, interesting manner. Also, be thorough with your
resume, ready with details of a particular point written.
Last year, there were 3 rounds - 1) elimination round, 2) a detailed technical interview, and 3) HR
round.
Is the video interview an elimination round?
This is a new addition this year. If we look at the trend, consulting companies tend to shortlist some
people based on such video interviews and call them for one-on-one interactions. But be prepared
for the personal interview nevertheless. It’s all about your past work ex, so preparing for Cognizant
interview means you are prepared for many others as well.
Will the cases be guesstimate?
Not exclusively, they will be based on some concept related to industry. The first round had
guesstimate questions for quite a few people last year. Please note that Cognizant recruits based on
your industry background, so they really want to see that you have spent enough time in a
particular industry and know at least some of the unique aspects and current news of an industry.
IT/software knowledge is not required, may be of minimal benefit; they are looking for consultants,
not programmers. Some basic tech awareness is also required - what is IoT, what happens in
analytics - rudimentary stuff
For e.g., “I was from a railway sales background, so I got a Transportation related interview panel,
who asked me about high speed rail, the PM's bullet train vision and some challenges unique to the
rail sector (global and national). One chap asked if I knew what IoT was.” – alum, Co16
And will they be only industry specific (based on our pre-ISB workex) or can be tech also?
It depends on the interviewer. Some people are asked questions that are primarily based on pre-ISB
experience. It is better that the candidates brush up their tech knowledge since Cognizant recruits
b-school graduates to offer "digital" consulting to the clients. Thus, knowledge about technology can
prove beneficial, and it will be better if candidates can hold some conversation (at least some basic
level of talk) around concepts such as IoT, Machine learning, etc.
What is the interview process and types of questions for healthcare specific vertical. Are doctors
considered for such roles?
Cognizant will recruit anyone with relevant knowledge of the industry. I personally don't know of
doctors who were recruited for the Life Sciences vertical, but one of my friends with a pharma
background (she was into clinical trials) got recruited.
221
Dr. Kunal Chitnis was hired by Cognizant last year. He would be in a better position to handle such
queries. You should be able to get his contact from the alum portal.
Having said that, other than being ill prepared for the interview, the only other reason for rejection
in our year was over-qualification ( Yes, you read that right :) ). My study group mate was a double
MS + PhD in Immunology and was leading the strategy at Dr. Reddy's.
Co15 alum’s experience:
Resume and Profile understanding
Mini Cases/Scenario based questions
HR
The mini cases are usually around what domain you were working in previously. So I would advise
you to brush up your knowledge on that. In addition to that you could probably skim through case
in point with regard to the case types and also go through tech related cases (Deloitte ones are good
) in previous year casebooks.
222
PLAN B : WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
223
What is a Plan B?
If you are reading this then it’s clear that you are interested in Consulting and probably
have it as your Plan A. However you should also realize that Consulting is a closely
contested career option (Both at ISB and outside). Hence, although we do hope that you get
your dream consulting job you should also simultaneously have a Plan B option ready
which you can pursue in case Plan A doesn’t work out.
So what could be Plan B:
A role in an Industry that you have been working prior to ISB
A strategic or General Management role which still can appease the problem solver
within you
Any other domain that is of interest to you
A job that could potentially provide you a safe landing spot post ISB and help you
explore other avenues of interest
Why is it important?
A lot of students who aspire for Consulting usually suffer from what is commonly known as
‘Tunnel Vision’. Hence, they only focus on landing a Consulting Job but are not clear what to
do if that doesn’t happen. Given the fast paced placements at ISB, it is very easy to quickly
lose steam and be left behind in the race in absence of a clear direction. So, it is of utmost
importance to be prepared for other options and also put in adequate preparation in that
front thus ensuring that you can switch gears instantly if the need be
How to interpret the testimonials?
We have tried to collate the testimonials from couple of students to help you understand
the rationale behind their Plan B selection. Note: this is an individual choice and would
vary from person to person. Hence, make sure to not get influenced too much by the same
and create a plan that best suits your interest and strengths. Also, the testimonials are a
personal take on the situations faced and so should not be misinterpreted. At the end of the
day the goal here is to kickstart your thinking before it’s too late. Hope this exercise helps
you make the most out of the opportunities available at ISB.
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Testimonial 1 : Premanand Hegde
Brief overview of PreISB Work-Ex
Plan A post joining ISB
Reasons for switching
to Plan B
Final company chosen
and how it fits with
future Goal
Prior to ISB, I had 4.5 years of experience in Consulting and Analytics
working with ZS Associates that specializes in offering sales and marketing
solution to clients in the Pharmaceutical Space. I had experience working
with multiple analytical and database tools and had developed good excel
and powerpoint skills. I had the opportunity to travel to the US offices
multiple times for client engagements and also helped setup 1 of the 6
expertise centers at ZS.
I completed my undergrad from the College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) in
2011 with a degree in Information Technology.
Coming from a Consulting/Analytics background, bagging one of the top
Consulting roles was my Plan A. Traditionally folks from ZS had fared well
in the past and I felt no reason why it shouldn’t be the case this year as
well. I had been active in organizing events back at ZS and so decided to
continue with that interest by applying for the post of Events coordinator
for the Consulting Club at ISB. Being a part of the Consulting Club core gave
me ample opportunities to talk to multiple Alums as well as company
heads and get a better understanding of the Consulting landscape as well
as overall culture of various Consulting giants.
As is true for most consulting aspirants, I too joined the GPA race and tried
to be in the elusive Merit List but soon realized that it’s easier said than
done. Although I did end up with a pretty decent GPA by the end of Term 3
(Not enough to make it to the Merit List though), I still felt anxious since I
knew that it could be a critical factor. I couldn’t manage a shortlist from
McK, BCG, Bain or Accenture (However, I later realized GPA wasn’t the
issue). I did manage a shortlist from ATK for their PAS practice which was
my lone Consulting shortlist (which I wasn’t able to convert either). In
Retrospect, I think that there were multiple factors that could have affected
my chances: Slightly high work experience, an analytics driven profile, my
experience only with one industry and lastly my own lack of conviction
towards consulting as a long term career choice.
Thus I decide to start concentrating on my other choices which was too
search for a strategy or a general management role within the Pharma
industry.
Although I was vying for a strategy role in the Pharma space, unfortunately
there weren’t many such roles that came across. At that time I was focused
on only applying to Pharma or Analytics firms. I had only 2 shortlists for
Day 2. Interestingly a few companies opened up Walk-ins and one such
roles was by Zenoti (Which is the company that I am joining). The role
sounded interesting and that combined with a great work culture
prompted me to apply for the role. I eventually managed to convert the
same and personally feel that it will be a good fit for my future career
aspiration since it would allow me to learn a great deal with respect to
SAAS (Software as a Service) which is an interest area that I developed
while at ISB.
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Tips/
Recommendations
Try to be clear on why you want to get into Consulting and whether or
not you are prepared for what the role entails
Do not shy away from looking at other non-consulting roles which might
be aligned to your interest area.
Be on the lookout for small boutique consulting firms that come to ISB
and could offer an opportunity to make an entry into the Consulting
space.
Don’t lose hope if things don’t fall in line at ISB. There is always an
opportunity to try laterally post ISB.
Lastly, keep calm and try to get the most out of your ISB experience
rather than worrying too much about the job that you would bag here.
Testimonial 2: Varun Sugandhi
Brief overview of PreISB Work-Ex
Plan A post joining ISB
Reasons for switching
to Plan B
Before ISB, I had a 7.5 years’ diverse experience across industries and
functions. It included a 4.5years’ stint with Deloitte in Research & Strategy
where I was leading two teams and contributed as a member of ‘US-India
Management Advisory Council’; around 2 years with an US based boutique
consulting firm (WD Partners) in their Operations Consulting wing where I
got opportunity work out of the Miami office and travel across the US to
advise retail and restaurant chains; and briefly as an Engineer focusing on
Operations Productivity with Mahindra’s Automotive business. In terms of
education, I did my B.E. in Industrial Engineering from the University of
Pune and M.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University of
Florida.
I had really enjoyed my stint in the Management Consulting, but I could not
continue it due to a change in my company’s fortune driven by the
economic downturn of 2008-09. Later, while I learned a great deal about
strategy, collaboration and client relationships, I felt slightly constrained in
terms of not being in touch with industry. So, getting into a Top Consulting
firm was my plan A and I thought my previous stint, Deloitte brand, MS
degree, and my network in the consulting space should help in this pursuit.
But in the first term itself I realized that due to my high work experience,
it’s kind of late (companies won’t shortlist me, required extensive travel
won’t work out with my priority to spend time with family, and I don’t
want to start at the consultant level again). So, despite being in the
Consulting Club core team as an Alumni Relations Coordinator, I didn’t
even apply to most of the top consulting firms.
My fall back option was working in Strategy/ general management role for
a manufacturing firm. This also happened to be the career goal mentioned
in my ISB SOP. I felt that my understanding of manufacturing operations,
research and strategy would help me. Glad to say that I was proven right as
research skills and consulting background were considered as desirable
traits.
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Final company chosen
and how it fits with
future Goal
The pursuit of general management role seemed illusive as the roles are
few and highly sought after. That meant I had nothing worthwhile on day 1
and had to fight on Day 2, 3 and 4. I had shortlist from Dr. Reddy’s
(Program Management role: didn’t get selected after 2 rounds of
interviews), D’Dor (Growth Change Manager: couldn’t give justice due to
multiple shortlist). Finally, got selected for Havells as a Product Planning
Manager which will give me an opportunity to work on product portfolio
planning and marketing strategy.
Tips/
Recommendations
Consulting career is not for everyone and see if your work life balance
requirements and end career goals aligns with it (if it’s just a stepping
stone for you and you are directly getting entry to your ideal role, think
why you shouldn’t take it?)
Have a plan B ready and be willing to change gears as new information
comes as the terms progress
Live Case study preparations (market entry/growth/product
launch/profitability strategy), will help you for most of the roles, so do it
Waiting for right fit after day1 onwards requires patience and self-belief
but can be fruitful given that you know when and where (function,
industry, location, compensation, and career level) to compromise
Testimonial 3 : Nahush Purohit
Brief overview of PreISB Work-Ex
By qualification, I am a Chartered Accountant.
Plan A post joining ISB
Well, to be frank, a top tier consulting career for Chartered Accountants is
not easy. Nevertheless, getting good grades can give you an edge in a few
firms, if not all. I knew this and hence, had worked tirelessly behind my
grades. By placement time, I was in the top 5% and had a shortlist from
BCG (not easy, because BCG had shortlisted only 3 CAs), exactly in line with
my expectations. I could not however, get a shortlist from
McKinsey/Bain/Accenture. I did not try for Big4 consulting firms.
I joined Ernst & Young’s Pune office in the Assurance practice line
immediately post qualification. I worked on several statutory audit and tax
audit engagements across India, USA, Europe and Singapore. I was also
closely involved with the Learning & Development team at EY and was a
training champion.
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Reasons for switching
to Plan B
Final company chosen
and how it fits with
future Goal
Although I had come to ISB with a clear aim of getting into the MBB firms,
that did not fructify. My plan B was very clear: I wanted to get into a quality
startup where I would really enjoy my work. I wanted to dissociate from
finance at least in the short term. With that intention, I had applied to
Rivigo (surface logistics). Also, the grades did pay off because Rivigo’s
shortlisting was strictly based on grades.
Reasons for going to Rivigo:
An amazing startup where Warburg has invested. Also, this is one
of the few startups in the country to be extended bank debt
facilities.
Enterprising team. My interview was conducted by ex-McK guys
and the arduous case prep sessions did eventually pay off
Rotational program: An opportunity to learn operations, business
development and planning & control so that I can truly have a wellrounded experience.
As stated above, I chose Rivigo. Today, I am much more confused about my
future goal than before I came to ISB and frankly, I prefer it this way. Rivigo
enables me to be able to transcend across various opportunities at the
same time: it helps me pivot among PE/VC funds, other startups and also,
starting my own venture. I do not know how these opportunities would
play out over my career but am sure that over the next few years, I will be
involved in all these spaces. So, Rivigo helps me get that experience and fits
in the overall scheme of things.
Tips/
Recommendations
As you have heard from everyone by now, know why you really want to
get into consulting.
As you have heard from non-consultants, “consulting is not the end of the
world”
Have a Plan B Ready – don’t fret if Plan A doesn’t work. You will
eventually reach your goal if you keep working hard at it.
If you can’t make it to MBB from the campus, taking a Big4 consulting job
is not a bad idea as people do make lateral shifts eventually.
Don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve
Testimonial 4 : Sahil Kaul
Brief overview of PreISB Work-Ex
Prior to ISB, I had just over 2.5 years of experience in Analytics Consulting
working with Deloitte. Deloitte works across the board offering solutions
and services to multiple industries and almost the entire Fortune 500 list
of companies. I worked on both the Audit side as well as the Advisory side
of projects for the clients. The clientele was predominantly U.S. with the
odd project coming our way from a different geography. I worked on
various analytics and visualization tools as a part of my work. I also had a
good hands-on experience of Excel and PowerPoint. I completed my
engineering from JNTU College of Engineering, Hyderabad in the
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Electronics and Communication stream.
Plan A post joining ISB
Reasons for switching
to Plan B
Final company chosen
and how it fits with
future Goal
Coming from a similar working environment and background, Consulting
was the first choice that naturally came to mind. The nature of the work
was exciting. Being a workaholic, I didn’t find the hours to bother me
although I was a touch apprehensive about going back to the same lifestyle
of extremely long hours again. I’d been very interested in organizing events
and leading people and hence, I took a lot of positions formal and informal.
I led an event at ISB – ISB Envision. I was a co-founder of 2 clubs and a part
of multiple other clubs. I was also a part of the consulting club and
benefitted from all the sessions that were conducted. I was academically
oriented all my life and knew I could manage a grade if I applied myself. At
the same time, I wanted this year to be more than just academics.
I was never a part of the GPA bandwagon. I put in decent effort while trying
to manage other activities. My GPA after 2 terms was very good but this
went down in Term 3 due to a couple of courses. It was decent but not
good enough for top consulting (Or so I assumed). I did not manage a
shortlist from the top consulting. And apart from those, I only applied to
Deloitte Strategy and Operation (Was not able to convert). I later realized
that GPA was not the only criterion (Although it’s always better to have a
3.7 than a 2.7). It is extremely important to showcase yourself in the best
light. I felt that I underplayed things on my Resume a bit and my work
experience was too focused on just Analytics. This came up in the
interviews on Day 1. I reworked on my Resume post this and was able to
get most of the shortlists that I wanted for subsequent jobs. It was a lesson
in the subtle art of projecting yourself to a prospective employer.
Although, Consulting was the natural first choice, I wanted a Leadership
role as my 2nd choice. That one month of time between Day 1 and Day 2
helped me clear a lot of thoughts in my head and I finally realized that a
leadership role would suit me more for the lifestyle I wanted to live and
Consulting/a strategy role probably would be something that I could look
at somewhere down the road. I applied for Philips and it was a very good
rotational leadership role with a focus on internal Consulting and
Analytics. I think as an employer, Philips does a great job and is a good
place to work. The role helps me leverage on my prior work experience as
well as my prior industry experience of Healthcare. It’s a common ground
between Strategy and Analytics which probably worked out the best for
me.
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Tips/
Recommendations
Utmost clarity of what you want out of the placement process. If you feed
randomness into the process, the results are going to be random as well.
Work on your resume diligently and start as early as possible. It pays to
have had multiple reviews before you submit your first resume to a
company.
Know your stuff – be it work experience, extra-curricular activities,
hobbies, anything. Go at least a few levels deep. Superficial doesn’t cut it
in the real world.
Don’t apply to every job known to mankind. It’s very easy to give into
peer pressure and apply to everything. Be judicious with your counters
and play to your strengths when it comes to placements.
Finally, Be confident! It is not stressed enough of how much it pays to
have that confidence going for you. Realize that if you made it this far,
you’re special in some way or the other. So, go out there and make
history!
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APPENDIX
Personal Interview Question Bank
Personal
Background
Tell me about yourself.
What would you like me to know about you that is not on your resume?
What are the three most important events of your life?
What were you doing during this gap of time I see here on your resume?
Where did you grow up? What are your three major accomplishments?
What was an experience in your life that you would want to go back and change?
Self Description
b) How would your friends describe you?
c) Give me three words to describe yourself.
Goals
What new goals have you established for yourself recently?
What are your five to ten year career goals?
What are your career and educational goals?
What are the attributes of an ideal job for you? If you could do “it” all over again, what
would you do differently?
What are you looking for?
How long a commitment do you plan to give me?
What is your ideal job?
What other types of positions are you considering?
What kind of boss would you prefer?
Why are you pursuing this field?
What would you like your lasting impression to be?
Do you have a final statement?
What are your career options right now?
How could you have improved your career path?
What salary are you expecting? In addition to salary, what benefits would most interest you?
Values
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What does “success” mean to you?
What does “failure” mean to you?
Which is more important to you: money or the type of job?
Who do you admire? Why?
What do you get passionate about?
Who is your hero, and why? The greatest answer is if you can use a family member or friend; try
to stay away from celebrities.
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Previous Bosses
•
Did you get an offer from the firm you worked for this summer?
•
Do you have other offers? Why would/wouldn’t you take our offer over one of the others?
•
•
•
•
.
What can you tell me about your past bosses?
How do you think a former supervisor would describe your work?
What did you enjoy most about your last employment? Least?
How did you find your summer jobs?
Describe the job or the activity, which has had the greatest impact on your career goals.
Management / Leadership Style
1. What is your management philosophy?
2. Define leadership
3. Tell me about a time when you successfully resolved a conflict.
4.
Give me an example of a leadership role you have held when not everything went as planned.
5. What qualities should a successful manager possess? Do you have these attributes (of a good
manager)?
6. What two attributes are most important in your job?
7. Give an example of a situation in which you provided a solution to an employer.
8. Give an example of a time in which you worked under deadline pressure.
9. Name a point in your life where you turned a negative into a positive.
10. Tell me about a decision you have made that you later regretted.
11. How do you feel about working overtime?
12. Give me an example of how you manage multiple projects.
13. What would you say to a boss that has a sub-par idea?
Strengths / Weaknesses and Skills
Are you creative? Give me an example. What have you done that you consider creative?
What are your strongest abilities?
What is your biggest weakness? Never say that being a perfectionist is your biggest weakness.
Some applicants think that this makes you look better, but it seems that you not secure.
Why should we hire you?
Give me an example of something that you have done that shows initiative.
What makes you stand out among your fellow students?
What makes you different from the other candidates for this position?
What can you do for us that someone else cannot do? What was the most important thing
you learned from your previous experience/internship?
How do your skills relate to our needs? What can you offer us?
What have you disliked in your past jobs?
How long before you can make a contribution? In the past year, what have you been
dissatisfied about in your performance?
What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal with it?
Have you ever had any failures? What did you learn from them?
How do you feel about working in a structured environment?
Are you able to work on several assignments at once?
In what kind of work environment do you do your best work?
What kinds of tasks and responsibilities motivate you the most?
What has been your greatest challenge?
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Interpersonal Skills
7.
8.
9.
10.
How competitive are you?
How do you work under pressure?
Give me an example of a time when you successfully worked within a team.
What types of people seem to rub you the wrong way?
Define cooperation.
What kinds of people do you enjoy working with?
What kinds of people frustrate you?
Have you ever managed a conflict? How?
Have you ever spoken before a group of people? How large?
With what kind of people do you like to work?
Education
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
Why this Institute?
What made you decide to major in____?
What have you learned at this B school that will help you on this job?
Do you hold any leadership positions?
What electives have you taken? Which did you enjoy the most?
What college classes did you like the least? Why?
Why didn’t you attend (another school)?
How do you balance the different priorities MBA student life presents?
Did your grades accurately reflect your ability? Why/Why not?
Describe the course that has had the greatest impact on your thinking.
Extra Curricular
1. What extra-curricular school activities are you involved in? While it is a good idea to show that
you are well rounded, it is a good idea to stress those activities, which show team involvement and
leadership.
2. What have you learned from your activities?
3. Were your extracurricular activities worth the time you put into them?
4. How did you become involved in your extracurricular activities?
5. What do you enjoy doing outside of work-in your free time?
6. What is your favorite book/movie/song/painting-or author/actor/singer/artist?
7.
Which magazines/newspapers do you read regularly? Which books have you read recently?
8. Have you ever done volunteer activities?
Job / Company / Industry
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Why are you interested in ______? / Why do you want to work for us?
What makes you want to be a _____?
What makes you think you would be successful in _____?
What do you think this job requires?
Given that you have no background in this field why are you interested in it?
What do you predict is going to happen in this industry in the next 5 years?
How would you go about evaluating a business?
What do you know about our company?
Do you know who are competitors are?
What interests you most about this position? What parts of the job do you think you would find
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•
•
•
•
•
•
the least satisfying?
You have five minutes to describe the most relevant and specific items in your background,
which show you are uniquely qualified for this position.
What would you add to our firm?
What particular expertise do you have that would lend itself well to this position?
Demonstrate/illustrate skills that you can transfer from past experience.
What concerns you about our company?
What do you believe are the key issues and problems in our industry today?
Location
•
•
•
•
Why do you want to relocate to______?
Are you willing to relocate every two years or so?
How do you feel about travel?
Are you familiar with how taxing travel can be?
Functions
General
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tell me a joke.
What if I told you that you’d work very hard, but recognition of your contributions would be
nil?
What stocks do you recommend? Why? Should I buy stock in Netscape?
Where are interest rates going in the next 3 months?
How many new highs did the Dow reach last year?
If you could make a major policy change this B school, what would it be?
If you had six months ahead with no obligations and no financial constraints, what would you
do?
If you could invite anyone you would like to a dinner party (famous or historical figures, dead or
alive), which ten people would you invite?
If you could trade places with someone for a week, who would it be?
Sell me the desk.
Rate me as an interviewer.
Consulting
1. Why consulting? Why this firm?
2. What does a consultant do? What are the three most important qualities of a successful
consultant? How is our practice different from other consulting firms?
3. How do you rank in relation to your peers?
4. Imagine we are reviewing your performance at our firm after working with us for six months.
What do you think our evaluation would be?
5. Highlight your top achievements/accomplishments?
6. What has been your biggest setback?
7. With whom are you interviewing? How have you fared?
8. What is the most important thing that you have learned in the past year?
9. Give me an example of a situation in which you had a problem, how you identified the
problem, the methods you used to solve the problem and discuss the resolution. If given an
offer, how will you decide whether or not to accept it?
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Marketing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Why ISB? Why not IIM?
What is marketing? Define the difference between marketing and advertising.
What does it take to be successful in marketing?
What are the attributes of a successful marketing campaign? How do you motivate others,
particularly those over whom you have no direct authority?
How have you developed your interpersonal skills?
Give me a specific example of a time you solved a problem creatively?
What is the most important thing that you’ve learned about managing people from your
previous work experience?
Rank order characteristics important for brand management.
Scenario: Create a plan to market Brand X in Bangalore.
What did you dislike about your former employer?
Give me a 30 second commercial about yourself.
Pick a good and bad ad campaign and discuss them.
Give an example of a well/managed product.
Pick a product and position it.
Give me an example of a leadership role you have had. Give me another one, give me another
one, give me another one............
Corporate Finance (Investment Banking)
•
•
•
Why investment banking? Why this bank?
Why corporate finance as opposed to sales and trading? What are your outside activities?
Why would you be willing to give them up for such a demanding job?
What role do you play in group situations?
•
•
•
•
•
How smart are you? How do we know how smart you are?
Sell us on your quantitative skills.
If we made you an offer today, would you take it?
What did the Dow, S&P or NASDAQ close at yesterday?
What stocks do you follow and why?
•
What would you do if offered drugs as part of the deal? (or other ethically focused questions.)
Sales And Trading
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
What other firms have you talked to?
What makes you think you can sell?
Would you like to do sales or trading? Why?
Tell me what you think a trader (or salesperson) does.
Why selling debt vs. selling equity?
Why not corporate finance?
What do you think having an MBA does for you in this field?
What particular markets or instruments are you interested in?
Describe an instance where you persuaded someone to do something they initially didn’t
want to do.
What about your personality will make you a good trader?
How will you motivate yourself to make the calls you hate to make?
What are your grades? (yes, they know about the grade referendum.)
Tell me a joke.
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Strategic Planning & Corporate Finance
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What do you hope to gain by working for our firm?
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
How do you see your career progressing in our firm?
What do you know about our industry?
Our ____ division is thinking of introducing a (such and such) new product. How would you go
about determining if this is a good idea?
6. How does M&A activity in banking affect our industry?
7. We are having trouble managing our (division.) What do you think the key performance
metrics might be and how might you go about improving them?
8. How would you go about valuing our (division) for a potential sale, spin-off, liquidation?
Questions to Ask
Company
1.
2.
3.
4.
What are your company’s strengths and how do you capitalize on them?
What are your companies weaknesses and how are you dealing with them?
How have you strategically responded to the competition?
Where will the major sources of your business be in the next 5 years?
6.
7.
8.
9.
Do you have plans for expansion?
What are your growth projections for the next year?
Have you cut your staff in the last three years?
What is the largest single problem facing your staff/department right now?
5.
What challenges are facing this company? Do you think your company is reacting to them?
Industry
1. What changes do you anticipate in the industry?
2. What risks will your company face due to industry changes?
3. What legislation is pending that will affect your firm?
Career Opportunities / Path / Training
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
What are the best opportunities at your firm for new hires?
How is worker performance measured and reviewed?
Do you have a mentor program? How about formal training programs?
Why do people leave?
Why have you stayed with the company?
Describe my initial assignments?
If you hire me, what are the three most pressing issues you need resolved?
What kinds of assignments might I expect during the first six months on the job?
Are salary adjustments geared to the cost of living or job performance?
In what ways is a career with your company better than one with your competitors?
Please describe the duties of the job for me.
Does your company encourage further education?
How often are performance reviews given?
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14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
What is the usual promotional time frame?
Has there been much turnover in this job area?
Is there a lot of team/project work?
Where does this position fit into the organizational structure?
Do you fill positions from the outside or promote from within first?
What skills are especially important for someone in this position?
What qualities are you looking for in the candidate who fills this position?
Will I have the opportunity to work on special projects?
What is the next course of action? When should I expect to hear from you, or should I contact
you?
Culture
1. What is your company’s management style?
2. How do you feel about creativity and individuality?
3. What do you like best about your job/company?
What characteristics do the achievers in this c
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Gallup Personal Interview questions
This section is an example of a behavioral/personal interview that was asked by Gallup. It
will give you a flavor of how PI are structured
ISB Campus Recruitment for Learning and Development Consultant role
What are your short term and long term professional goals?
2. Are you comfortable dealing with cynical clients?
3. Are you a leader or a follower (explain with an example)?
4. What kind of compensation would you prefer giving employees and why?
5. A manager should give more time to a poor performer or a good performer and why?
6. Are you good on phone (with telephonic conversations)?
7. Do you find it difficult or easy to make difficult telephonic conversations?
8. What have you done significant if any so far in your life and why do you think so?
9. Are you satisfied if your performance is above average?
10. How do you measure your success?
11. What would you prefer – multiple projects (of small value) or single project (of large value)?
12. How should employees be rewarded (compensation plan)?
13. Would you like pursuing a client again?
14. For business development, what would you prefer – single handedly going after a $1 billion worth client
or working in friendly team for $1 million worth client?
15. How would you explain a difficult concept in an easy manner?
16. Give an example where you have increased profit(s) for your client?
17. How do you keep yourself updated?
18. How motivated are you towards learning and why?
19. How many hours do you work in a week?
20. Do you think about work when you are not working?
21. Can you take tough calls or decisions (explain with an example)?
22. Is it “always” necessary to agree with a client?
23. What quality (according to you) is necessary to deal with a customer?
24. What behaviour (towards you) do you expect from your manager?
25. Have you ever supported a cause (of other individual) to fulfill your cause?
26. How would you define the pace of your life – fast or slow?
27. Are you a top achiever? Does your team see you as a top achiever?
28. Are you a “services” person? Why or why not?
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SOP for Standard Activities – Hyderabad campus
(Note: These are just directional, feel free to improvise as necessary)
Scheduling Meetings
1) Look out for an email mentioning ‘Integrated Calendar’ by SEAL (It was
sent by Anitha Pothini for our class). Add this calendar since it will be
updated with all events, workshops, sessions, etc. that would be
organized. Also Clubs might decide to create their own events calendar
for coordination as well.
2) Whenever scheduling any meeting make sure to check the “Integrated
Calendar” to avoid any conflicts. Also have a word with other clubs to
figure out if they are planning any session at a similar time.
3) If your meeting has a specific room or AV requirement, make sure to
check for the availability of the same before scheduling the meeting
4) Once confirmed, send out the meeting invite to all the participants with
meeting agenda and also make sure to send timely reminders (1 day
prior and 1 hour before the event)
Booking Rooms
1) Figure out the total expected participants for the meeting:
- If < 50 participants, probably a mini LT would work (AC2 MLT, AC4
MLT or AC6 MLT)
- 50 to 100 participants can fit in an LT (AC2, AC4, AC6 or AC8)
- > 100 participants would require Max LT (AC3 or AC7)
- For VC, AC6 LT needs to be booked.
2) For booking mini LT or LT, drop a mail to frontoffice_ac@isb.edu to
request for the reservation. Follow up on a timely basis and if required
call the Front-desk to check the status.
3) For booking Max LT, drop a mail to naren_panda@isb.edu to request
for reservation (Max LT is used for executive programmes and so has a
separate approval process)
4) To be on the safe side, try to reserve the rooms at least a week in
advance (Room availability can be really tricky especially in the first
couple of terms)
AV Setup
1) If there is a requirement for AV (Projector or VC) for the meeting, drop
a note to contact_avmaint@isb.edu once the meeting has been
scheduled and room has been reserved.
2) Get in touch with the AV Manager in case of last minute assistance:
Manoj (AV Manger) – 98661 60163
Sudhakar (AV Admin) – 77023 48324
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Hi-Tea/ Dinner Setup
1) In case any event requires catering services, get in touch with the Fnb
Manager at fnb_manager@isb.edu. He would share the price quotation for
the catering service. Alternatively, you can directly go visit the manager
at Goel’s and have a discussion regarding the menu and pricing (There
is some scope for negotiation in case volumes are high)
Note: The payment for Hi-Tea usually need to be made either before
the event or latest immediately post the event and so plan for the
finances accordingly. If the event is company sponsored then usually
the payment is made directly by a representative from the company
(Mostly an Alum), for other instances someone from the Club needs to
make the payment and later claim the expenses out of the Club budget
(Make sure to get approval from Finance Team beforehand)
Resume Review/Mock
Interview Scheduling
1) As you approach closer to Placements, you will need to start scheduling
Resume Review and Mock Interview sessions. Plan for the dates for
these interventions well in advance to make sure that rooms and
Alums are available for the same
2) Usually you will get help from Alums from the Top Consulting firms
(McK, BCG etc) for these interventions. Alternatively you can also reach
out to interested Alums from previous batch to help with the same.
3) These sessions are 1:1 and so significant effort is required for the
scheduling and coordination of these interventions. Ensure to have a
team of volunteers ready for the same and to avoid overburden.
Note: These interventions are over and above those that SEAL would be
organizing for the entire class.
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