| Topic Name: |
Got an Offer - BTO |
| Message Name: |
Interviewing w/ BTO soon... |
| Date Posted: |
03/19/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
Hello,
Just wanted to say a big thank you to all the contributors on this board. Also wanted to share my experience. I am an experienced hire
Overall I had 5 cases through the 3 rounds of interviews that I had with a total of 8-9 interviews. Of those 5 cases 2 with BTO related and the other 3 were general.
Of the 5 cases I got 4 of them where I pretty much hit the nail on the head and was able to go through them. All were structured cases. Very often I would get stuck and the interviewer would try and prod me in the right direction by asking me "what else". This was pretty consistent throughout all the interviews. Also the cases had 2-4 quant pieces with calculations. Not too difficuly to calculate but the key is to do it slowly and explain your rationale to the interviewer. I found that this helped me a lot since a couple of times I made a mistake and immediately the interviewer corrected me. Also by doing this you can look out for hints and interviewer may subtly acknowledge that you are going on the right path.
I must say that I did have one where I know I screwed up. If you are in this situation you will also know because on the same questions when the interviewer asks you "what else" 4 or 5 times you know that you are missing the mark. In this case the interviewer went ahead and gave me that piece of information. The key in this is after that you should be able to assimilate the piece of info that has been given to you and take it form then on. |
| Message: |
Hi, all --
I'm slotted to interview w/ McK within the next couple of weeks. I am supposed to start with a phone interview. Can anyone who's actually gone through the process with BTO tell me how the phone interviews typically run - i.e., how do they start out, is there any informal chit-chat, or does it kickoff immediately w/ a PEI followed by a business case or vice versa. How many cases are done over the phone? And how long does the phone interview typically run?
Another question - esp. for those who've successfully completed case interviews w/ McK - after the interviewer asks you a question, do you work it out (e.g., the calcs) silently for a few minutes and then summarize your answer verbally? Is it OK if there are moments of silence or are you expected to "think out loud," so to speak? I don't want to make any quant errors and prefer to validate my answers/calculations at least once (if not twice) before speaking - will that come across as "not good w/ numbers" or as prudently cautious? I've never done a case interview before, and I'm curious what the desired / acceptable rhythym / cadence of one would be...
I'm an experienced hire who was contacted by a recruiter. A friend told me to stop stressing out; they're looking for a reason to hire me and that the cases are simply a vetting process, and that the PEI will be a more important indicator. To anyone who's gone thru the process themselves (either as a candidate or interviewer) - is that the case? Is "fit" and such more important than case performance, equal, or definitely less important?
And... last question - for those of you who've conducted the interviews themselves - particularly w/ experienced hires - do I need to be on my absolute highest order of professionalism, or is it acceptable to make it more of a conversation where I have just as many questions and such about McK as the firm does for me?
Any information and/or advice is very much appreciated. And best of luck to McKCan w/ the NJ BTO. I very well may be joining you in NJ or nearby if I can ace these interviews!
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