tests case interviews how to do well v1

5/28/2018 Tests Case Interviews How to Do Well v1

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Tests & Case Interviews How to do well?

Deloitte Business Consulting A/S

Michael Holst, HR Leader

March 2010

Copenhagen, May 2009


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Agenda

Why and how to assess candidates

Three candidates: Lets see how they do...

The CV

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The logical / analytical test

The Personality profile analysis

Summary


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Why assess candidates?

The best way to ascertain whether or not a person will be a success in a specific job is to hire them

This however is expensive, inefficient and unethical (to much hiring and firing)

In economies where salary costs are low and legal protection of employees is minimal, there will be less of a tendency

towards using complex assessments

A candidate, straight from school will cost a company 50.000 kroner in direct and indirect costs, before he/she even walks

through the door. Add another 9-12 months before the person is actually adding value to the business (at an average of

about 35.000 pr month + pension + training) and youve got a huge cost

Assessment is important because it saves money by reducing the margin of error

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Assessing candidates by different means is essential in recruiting

The more data points you have the better your selection criteria

As a recruiter the only thing you want is an indication of a candidates potential for job success

Basically:Is he/she going to be good at the job / right for the job in the companies culture?


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What are we not going to do today?

We are not going to go in depth with every single type of assessment available

We are not going to delve into the empirical evidence that supports the use of tests

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What are we going to do today?

We are going to see how a recruiter approaches a CV and grades

We are going to give you a chance to try a logical test and we will explain what we use it for

We are going to give you an example of a personality profile. We will match it to a position and we will show you

what thought processes we will go through on the other side of the table. Our thought processes are relevant to

you If you know the question, you can better prepare your answer

Basically:For the next couple of hours you will get to see how the company thinks from their side of the

table

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How do we assess candidates?

Logical/Analytical test

CV / Experiences Cases

Education

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Personality Profile analysis

Grades / Marks Structured interview

References


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Agenda


Three candidates

The CV

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Summary


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Today, we have three candidates applying for a position

Lets follow them today

Today we are going to follow three candidates

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through the screening process


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I picked three CVs that I actually would invite

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for an interview for the position they stated


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Agenda



The CV

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Summary


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The CV. Example 1

Position applied for: Management consulting

Does the CV meet the minimum requirements?

Masters degree

GPA in top 10-15%

Education related student job

International studies

No spelling mistakes

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enera mpress ons

Nice layout but very Marketing and advertising style (Several

colours, fonts etc). Is the CV signalling a flamboyant and creative

person? Consulting CVs tend to be more conservative.

With a CV like this you are gambling a little because you are

sending a signal about your personality. Some may love it. Some

may hate it.

Why the separate box with freelancing? Logic and structure.

Things to find out at the interview

Can he/she add and subtract (numerical skills)?

Focus? Strategy og communications? What kind of consulting

would he/she be interested in?

Is this person driven by theory or practice?

More of a creative & starter type person?


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The CV. Example 2

Position applied for: Management consulting or

graduate programme


Masters degree

GPA in top 10-15%


International studies. Voluntary work

No spelling mistakes

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General Impressions

Classic CV

Lots and lots of text. (Typical HRM CV). Can be tiring to read but

not atypical for an HRM background


If management consulting Numerical skills

If graduate Why not HRM?

Written communication and ability to structure thoughts


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The CV. Example 3

Position applied for: Management consulting


Masters degree

GPA in top 10-15%


International studies

Voluntary work

No s ellin mistakes

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General Impressions

Short and to the point. Typical finance CV (with an american twist)

A little cramped. Can be tiring on the eyes


Probably competitive and skilled. Can he/she work with others?

Ambitions and willingness to start from the bottom


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30 seconds is all you have

80% of all cvs are rejected within about 30 seconds simply because they do not meet the

minimum requirements Make sure you have

the required degree and the required language skills

the other minimum requirements

spell and grammar checked the entire CV

that the layout is logical and well structured

If you make it past the initial screening another 30 seconds will be spent checking GPA (Dont forget to send them, no matter the hassle)

Study related work

30

seconds

30

80% are

rejected at

this stage

80% of the

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Voluntary work

International experience (sometimes)

Extracurricular activities

If you are borderline but the hiring manager for some reasons likes you, he will read the

application and it may tip the scale in your favour Makes sure that your application matches your CV.

They should compliment each other and overlap

The applications goal is to emphasise details

about you that are not completely clear in the CV

Do not use a standardised application!

seconds

10

minutes

rejected

1-2 special

cases will

make it

into thepile


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Education

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References


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Agenda



The CV

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Summary


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Case number 1

How much does a boeing 747 weigh?

Heres the things you should consider:

Is it a passenger plane or a transport jumbo?

Is it loaded or unloaded?

Is is including or excluding fuel?

The test is used to see how you work under pressure

Can you structure your thoughts quickly?

Most of the time they dont worry much about the answer

(though it does help getting it right)

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How do you go about solving it?

How long is the plane?

How high?

How much does 1 meter of steel weigh?

How many seats?

What does a typical chair weigh?

at t ey want you to o s or you to emonstrate ow youwould solve the problem in a logical and structured way

Can you

deconstruct the problem into smaller components,

make the right assumptions

ask the right questions at the right time

Other questions:

What is the market for washing machines in Denmark?

How many M&Ms can you fit in this jar?


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Case 2 Your turn

You will be given a case.

Together with the person next to you, prepare a short presentation that gives your solution the case

You have approximately 10 minutes

Be prepared to be picked to present your solution to the audience using the chalk board (It would be a good ideato write down your approach on a piece of paper so you can transfer it quickly to the chalk board)

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Case 2 Your turn

The Client X is experiencing difficulties in attracting and hiring experienced clinicians with specificskill sets. Several critical positions remain unfilled after several months of reviewing internalcandidates and being posted on the Client Xs website.

Many are concerned that the looming talent shortage in Canada has already begun to affect theHealthcare sector and particularly Mental Health. Additionally, others feel that recruitment poolmay be further narrowed because the recruitment strategy focuses on candidates currentlylocated Location X and does not target new graduates.

Uncertain of how to better address the situation, you have been brought together to generate newideas to tackle the problem for the Client X and help refocus its recruiting plan for the next 2

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years.

Identify the challenges that the client is faced with and provide solutions to them


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Case 2 What the recruiter was looking for

1 Assumptions What assumptions were made? Is the reasoning solid?

2 Structure Was the solution presented in a logical way?

3 Logic Was there a clear logical approach?

4 Were the questions answered?

5 Apart from the basic result, what else impressed you?

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

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Define theProblem

FilterInformation

SegmentProblem

Select anApproach

GenerateIdeas

Select aSolution

Correctly identify

and understand

the problem

Risk of solving

the problembefore it is well

understood

Filter out only

useful information

Risk of not

enough time,resources or tools

to solve complex

problems

Determine

approach to use

to solve root

problem

Risk of applying

inappropriateproblem solving

approach

Develop list of

possible

solutions for a

given problem

Risk of ineffective

management ofgroup diversity

Break issue into

smaller,

manageable

pieces

Risk of not

probing deepenough to identify

root causes of

the problem

Develop list of

possible solutions

Risk of poorly

defined criteriaand/ or no use of

criteria to select

solution


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Cases in general

Cases can be very simple logical tests as in example one

They can be broader and may touch on subjects outside of your comfort zone. These are generally used to test

your analytical skills

They can be focused on your educational background (Finance case for a finance student) to test your mastery

of matters within your comfort zone

Some require you to prepare the presentation from home. If so make sure you take your time in solving the case.

Solve the case yourself, but do not be afraid to ask other people for input Thats what you would do in the real

world

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If you are going for a management consulting og graduate program Expect the cases to be outside of your

comfort zone

How to do well:

Find cases online

Practice with friends / fellow students

Read Barbara Minto The Pyramid Principle

Learn powerpoint

When asked at the interview dont answer straight away. Take time to gather your thoughts and dont be afraid to ask

questions


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Education

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References


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Agenda



The CV

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Summary


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Logical / Analytical test

No

Management consulting firms and graduate programs will as a

minimum be looking for people with high precision and a

general score on the top 40th percentile (depends on the test)

Some firms will require a minimum of top 20th percentile

Is there a right score?

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It is not an IQ test

The test assesses

your preferences (numerical vs. verbal)

your precision

your results relative to other people with a similar degree

,important to see how he/she performs when outside his or her

comfort zone. Higher scores usually give an indication of how

quickly a person adapts to being outside his/her comfort zone

Generally we are looking for a score that correlates well with

the indications given by GPA and the case

The logical test carries the least weight in the interview (about

5% of the total evaluation).


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Logical / Analytical test Candidate 1

All systems go

As expected from the CV, there is a higher preference

for working with verbal analysis than there is for

numerical analysis

If numerical skills are extremely important a case will

be given that emphasises numerical skills

At the interview we will try to ascertain general interest

for numerical anal sis however for a consultin

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position focusing on HR / org & change its not really

an issue.

For at strategy consultant it is something we would

want to delve into further


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In general a good score and nothing that sends a

signal of dont hire

Basically all systems go

This candidate has a background from a soft / non-

math masters program. As a management consultant

you cannot avoid working with excel and numbers at

some point. I wonder He/She can do it, but does

he/she want to?

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My hypothesis goes towards looking for specific

interests and motivations and less about skills


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Very high scores on all aspects

The score correlates well with GPA for this candidat

so we essentially have to good datapoints

This person will most likely find most types of in depth

analysis work very easy

As a recruiter I am curious as to whether or not he/she

easily gets bored?

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The CV is excellent as is the test. When I have the

personality test at the interview I will be very

interested to see how he/she presents him/herself

I have some hypothesese I want to delve into at the

interview

Confidence vs arrogance

Ability to work with others in a team

Social skills ability to understand other people


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Logical / Analytical test How to do well

Dont expect your score to move a lot, but you can move the score a little

Practice, practice, practice

Fun, fun, fun:

Der rechen koenig quiz: http://www.news.at/nw2/dyn/60/mioquiz_mathe/index.html

http://www.mensa.org/workout2.php

Scrabble

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Read a book (Harry Potter even)


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Education

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References


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Agenda



The CV

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Summary


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Personality profile analysis There are many ways to get the same job done

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Highly agressivePower based

Superb on clay court

Emphasis on extreme speed, fitness and

power

Prone to injury

Perfection, precision and finesseFew mistakes

Has trouble with power games

Up til 2007, known for a weak psyche Not

good at coming from behind


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Personality profile analysis - Me

Ambitious Need an environment where praise and

performance thrivesStrives to do deliver excellent results

Actively seeks leadership role Will take up a lot of spaceSet direction and will motivate

Pragmatic May let deadlines slip in favour of getting

people on board

Appreciates the value of proces. Good at

managing change

Creative. Full of ideas Not particularly inclined to follow rulesGood at finding alternative solutions

Sees this event as a brandin o ortunit

Behaviour & Motivation WeaknessStrength

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trateg c approac Got bored while writing this presentationfor Deloitte

Very confident Very difficult to move once Ive made up my

mind

Good at making people feel secure and

supported

Inclined to give direct feedback People that dont know me will feel that I am

heartless when giving feedback

Feedback is appreciated and honesty is

valued

Warms slowly to other people Can seem distant and closed when first you

meet me

Close colleagues are 100% allies and can

trust me 100%

Considerate of others May sometimes set aside the larger

business goalCharming. Warm in difficult situations

Strong sense of conviction Needs a management that does not equate

challenge to disloyalty

Unafraid of challenging management in their

beliefs


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Personality profile analysis

A personality profile is a questionnaire designed to map a candidates preferred style of behaviour in a work

situation

It is not an in depth psychological profile of a persons inner thoughts and/or demons..

It focuses on preferred behaviour and preferred styles

Depending on the position the company will have some general ideas as to what behaviour best suits the

position

The profile consists of anything from 8 to 128 factors (ie detail orientation, extroversion, selling behaviour,

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networking behaviour, strategic orientation, planning, etc.)

Usually the company will be looking for one or two must have in the profile

Apart from that anything goes. The profile will be used to uncover your general style of work and how that will match the

position, the team fit and the culture of company

Be aware that any strength usually has an equal and opposite weakness If you love planning, you probably

hate spontaneity.

You cant do well when answering the profile

You can however prepare for the interview


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In general this candidate has been very positive rating

him/herself. This candidate has given a picture of

himself/herself which is more positive than most people. As arecruiter I need to be aware of this. Possible reasons could be

The candidate is trying to manipulate the test and give an indication

of what he/she thinks the company wants to hear

The candidate does not know him/herself that well and overrates

own competencies

This candidate is very, very confident

Some other details I note

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The test score is compared to a norm group a statistical norm

of people with a similar background to the candidate. In general

your test will be compared to

Other people with a masters degree

People with the same cultural background as yourself (danes with

danes, germans with germans, etc.) The reason for this is simple

Culture has significant impact on the way a questionnaire is

answered: A Japanese person would most likely answer the

question Hierarchy is important very differently from a Dane.

For graduates the result needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

We are analysing behaviour in a work situation. School is NOT

a work situation, in this context

First of all the test gives the interviewer an idea of how the

candidate has answered the questions

There are more indications that the candidate may be trying to give

an indication of what he/she thinks is expected rather than actual

skills

There are indications that the candidate hasnt been particularly

critical of own strengths and weaknesses

Not unusual for a graduate there is a difference between

perception of motivation and talent. He/she is not completely

aligned with these two factors

Basically this page gives me some ideas and theories that I

have have to test in the interview

This candidate will be put under a tougher screening to get into

the core of what he/she is good and not good at


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Resilient (confidence, nerves, upset people)

Working in HR and firing people you need to have thicker skin

Nerves arent in itself an issue

Flexible (optimism, change, feedback)

Consultants and Grad need to be open to change. They are often

first movers and willing to listen but it is important that they are not

What will I be looking for?

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totally restless and cant focus on completing work

Supportive (empathy, interest, consideration)

Consultants and Grad are not touchy feely but when working with

different people some degree of empathy is important

This is important depending on the business

Finance people are usually low on this score. HR and

communications people are often high


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As expected Candidate 3 indicates a very high level of self

confidence. Again, I will be looking for indicators of arrogance

or problems with interacting with others

Their approach to other people is very different

Candidate 1&3 indicate Less considerate than others where

candidate 2 indicates Extremely considerate towards others

What about the candidates?C1

C

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Very typical CBS profile (confident, team, optimistic)

Lets assume that test is a true representation of the

candidates

Candidate 3 is probably the sm artest candidate, but also the

candidate with the weakest empathetic skills.

Candidate 2 has an excellent HR profile and a good consulting

profile.

Candidate 3 would fit excellently in a finance department from a

social standpoint but from an ambition and intellect standpoint thereare som issues we need to uncover at the interview. To busy

working for the promotion and not working with others?

Lack of empathy and consideration for others is not a good

consulting trait especially if youre working with operational

consulting. For strategy consulting its not as important but weve

got pros and cons.

2

C

3


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Evaluative (analysis, writing, numbers)

In general a graduate or management consultant should have som

interest in analysing

Numerical data and data are more important for a strategy

consultant than an HR consultant but generally its important

Investigative (learning new, learning speed, improving)


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Can be anywhere on the line. Curiosity is important but too muchcan indicate restlessnes and boredom. Early in your career its not

that important where you are

Imaginative (ideas, concepts, strategy)

Straight from school strategy is not as important. When you become

a leader its important so this may say something about potential,

but for now its not important and may even be a down side in the

short term


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Candidate 3

Remember the GPA & test? Excellent

Remember my hypothesis: As a recruiter I am curious as to whether

or not he/she easily gets bored?

The test indicates a split. Something indicates that he/she enjoys

analysing data as much as others but something indicates that its

probably a bit boring for this person. Clearly more indications that

What about the candidates?

C

1

C

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he/she bores easily. The first years as a management consultantare very analysis intensive. This candidate may

1. be high maintenance

2. not be patient enough and wants to get to the next level

We can probably assume that he/she can do it but is that attitude

going to be a hindrance?

Same indication with wanting to learn new things.

Candidate 1

Clearly the person in the group that enjoys delving deep into aproblem more than the others

Also the one with the most creative and strategic approach

Probably full of ideas whereas the others are slightly more

conventional in their approach

What am I looking for in the short term and the long term?

2

C

3


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Sociable (lively, centre of attention)

Either way works. If youre going to work in sales, theres a clear

preference but otherwise not so important

If youre going to work alone in a department having a big need to

be the center of attention can be an issue

Impactful (persuasive, presentations, conflict)


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This can be a deal breaker. Sales and purchasing people tend to behigh on the scale

Consultants are generally milder They consultant They dont tell

you what to do

Assertive (decisions, leader, motivating)

Not important in the short term. Over time will become important.

Straight from school the interviewer will take the answer with a

pinch of salt. You dont know yourself yet.


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Candidate 1+2 indicates a very sociable, friendly and open

personality. Remember the CV of C2?

Committee member of CEMS

Organiser of a study trip

Mentor and Buddy

Helper & speaker


C

1

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Clearly C2 is sociable. Will probably be very active in activities

in the company that are not just work related. Probably a

culture builder

C2 not a big fan of making big decisions. At the entry level

thats not important. Somebody else is the boss but there are a

couple of things Im curious about

Is this person generally a consensus seeker (Lets talk and talk and

talk until we reach agreement)?

What does this candidate do when difficult decisions need to be

made? Procrastinate, avoid decision, seeks help from above or

seeks consensus? No approach is wrong Depends on the role

C3 is clearly orientated towards a leadership role whereas the

others at this point in their careers are more inclined to leave

big decisions to others

2

C

3


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Conscientious (deadlines, details and rules)

Deadlines are important, but some flexibility will be required

Depends on the job and the company Auditing: Deadlines and

rules are a must. Consulting: Deadlines are a must. Strict

adherence to rules not as much

Structured (organising, planning, pace)


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You can learn to be organised.

Planning is im portant in generalt however it is not always the most

important approach. Some people can work well without plans it

makes them more adaptable

Driven (making happen, opportunities, results)

Anywhere is fine. However ambition will often be seen as a good

thing depending on the interaction with other factors


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Candidate 3 has relatively little focus on making sure detail is

right. Lets analyse

Excellent grades. High score on test. Moderate interest in analysing

data. Very high self confidence.

What could be a workable hypothesis that we need to test at the

interview?

Does the hi h confidence and less interest in dataanal sis result in


C

1

C

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some work not being done well enough? What gets missed? Whatdetails are lost? Whats important? Whats not?

Less inclined to follow rules

Not a bad thing. Depends on the company. Some consulting

companies have very strict rules, systems and methods. Others are

more flexible. It depends on the situation

Candidate 1 Less emphasis on meeting deadlines + Less

inclined to follow rules + very good at making things happen

C1 was also high on Generates ideas, Creating concepts

Can that creativity be channelled into a structured setting with clear

goals, milestones, deadlines and predefined methods? Will that be

too restrictice for C1?

2

C

3


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No candidate is perfect

Strong CV and good grades Good test resultats but as expected

less strong on numerical analysis

Personality profile indicates a person

that functions well outside of a group

Very orientated towards developing

concepts

Inclined to developing strategies

Good at making things happen

Less emphasis on deadlines

All round good performer Strong interpersonal skills and good

level of empathy

Will work will in difficult situations with

others

Possibly a strong facilitator

Will definitely add to the business from

a social perspective culture builder

Superb CV, GPA and test scores Might bore easily with the

requirements in a graduate consultant

position

Confidence might sometimes affect

quality of work

Extremely structured and organised

Can the company challenge this

person in the short term?

Candidate 1 Candidate 2 Candidate 3

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ess organ se an mos

Good fit for HR & process consulting,

with emphasis on facilitation and client

interaction

Needs some freedom to conceptualise

and have own space may find some

firms restrictive

Good fit for most consulting firms

Highest chance of succes is most

most likely in proces consulting (HR,

Lean, SCM, BPM, Implementation)

Clearly a classic hard core Mgt

consultant. Less proces consulting

and more strategy

Could also work well in a markets

department

Will require some level of close

management.

Very good long term consulting profile

Sales/ market development/

relationship building

Implement, PA, Right, Novo Nordisk

would be a good fit

Excellent HR profile and also good

proces consultant profile

Deloitte, PA, Novo, Carlsberg

In the long term, clearly needs to

develop relationship and sales skills

as this is essential in consulting

Deloitte, McKinsey, Booz, Boston


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Personality profile analysis How to do well

Rule number one of the recruiter: If in doubt, leave out

Be honest We will know

Dont assume you know what were looking for. Show your true self

If we doubt what we see we will leave you out

We dont take the test at face value. In the interview we will be looking for specific examples of ACTUAL

behaviour where you have demonstrated your true behaviour

If the test indicates something that you dont agree with, be polite and give ACTUAL examples of situations that

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indicate what you believe to be a more accurate representation of your behaviour

You will be asked questions to ascertain your behaviour in a work situation

Prepare answers based on true life experiences that you have had

Before the interview you should prepare actual examples of situations that you have been in. Read the job ad. It will have an

indication of what is important to them

Prepare more than one example


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Personality profile analysis How to do well (2)

To assess your coordination and planning skills we might ask

Describe a situation where you had to coordinate part of a project with info from several other people. What did you do? Howdid you do it?

To assess your handling of difficult situations

Describe a situation where you were confronted with a colleague that was not pulling his or her weight. What did you do?

How?

To assess your approach to creativity

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escr e a s tuat on w ere your oss as e you to come up w t a new ea or a pro uct or concept . at you oHow did you present it?


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Take the test on jobindex.dk Based on your answers, prepare answers for the questions that you would ask

Try this practice test - http://practicetests.cubiks.com/

Try these practice tests - http://www.shldirect.com/practice_tests.html

Its tempting to try to answer what you think a company is looking for DONT!

Give a true representation of your personality and PREPARE your answers/examples thoroughly

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Ask your boss, some study mates and some work colleagues to answer the following questions about you (Ask

people that know you in a work situation)

What traits are my strongest?

What traits are my weakest?

What do you think motivates me? What values and interests mean most?

What do you think are my goals personally and career?

What would make it difficult for me to reach my goals?

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What goals should I strive towards reaching?

10 words that describe me


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Agenda



The CV

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Summary


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Education

- 50 -



References


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. .


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but the ones that consistently impress me at the

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interview


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are the ones that dont wing it but actually

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prepare for the interview


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The reason you came How to do well?

Be honest

Practice

Prepare

Thats it. 90% of people dont. If you do, you will be significantly ahead of the curve.

tests case interviews how to do well v1

Documents

use of tests

candidates potential

job success

specific job

logical test

thought processes

huge cost assessment

salary costs