Mastering the Case Job Interview: A Guide for Life Sciences Professionals
If you’re seeking a job on the business side of life sciences, especially in consulting, chances are you already know something about how to handle a very specialized kind of job interview -- the case interview. Despite familiarity, though, the thought of working through a case question within a tight timeframe (usually 15-20 minutes) in the already highly pressured situation of a job interview can be daunting -- if not downright terrifying.
To invoke a definition of the case interview offered by MIT’s Career Advising and professional development department, it’s an interview in which “the applicant is given a question, situation, problem or challenge to resolve. The case problem is often a situation the interviewer has worked on in real life. Case interviews aren’t focused on the candidate’s proposed solution; rather, interviewers use the exercise to assess his or her thought process and analytical skills.” They are aimed at gauging at least some of these skills used in a consulting practice:
- quantitative skills
- analytical skills
- problem-solving ability
- communication skills
- creativity
- flexibility
- ability to think quickly under pressure
- listening skills
- business acumen
- keen insight
- interpersonal skills
- ability to synthesize findings
- professional demeanor
- powers of persuasion
Experts agree on many of the fine points for approaching case interviews:
- Practice extensively before undergoing a case interview.
Deploy books and Web sites for practice cases. Some companies that use case interviews provide information on their own websites. Boston Consulting Group, which hires biopharma consultants, provides an interactive case you can work through for practice, as well as additional cases you can rehearse with friends, including one in which a drug manufacturer client needs help setting a suitable price for its new drug. Kellogg School of Management’s Case Book and Interview Guide offers a case in which a client has a molecule that has been approved by the FDA to cure Alzheimer’s with 90 percent efficacy; the client wants to know if the product will be profitable and how to sell it. L.E.K., which also hires life sciences consultants, offers a guided video case interview.
Talk to alumni from your school or others who’ve been through a case interview. Some universities offer case-interview workshops. Several life sciences pros have cited the 2014 YGCC Life Sciences Casebook Preview as offering particularly good practice questions in the life sciences discipline.
- Listen carefully to the question.
Paraphrase it back to the interviewer to ensure your understanding. Listening is considered a crucial skill for consultants. You may also want to take notes; in most cases the interviewer will allow you to do so. Bring not only a pad of paper but a pad of graph paper in case you want to create a graph as part of your conclusion.
- Silence -- but not too much of it -- is golden.
The interviewer expects you to take a minute or so to collect your thoughts, so don’t be afraid of silence. It’s a nice idea, however, to ask the interviewer if it’s OK to take a moment to ponder the case. And don’t take too much time. Experts agree that five minutes would be excessive.
- Remember that rarely is there one “right” answer for analyzing a case.
Your process for reaching your conclusions is arguably more important to the interviewer than the conclusion itself. In fact, the interviewer wants to observe as much of that process as possible, so it’s important -- once you’ve taken the time to gather your thoughts -- to “think out loud” as you’re working through the case. Take care not to ignore or forget important facts. Don’t get stuck defending impossible ideas or force-fitting the wrong structure onto a problem.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
The case interview is meant to be an interactive discussion, with back and forth between you and the interviewer. Questions are expected, especially because the information provided about the case will likely be incomplete. In fact, failing to ask questions may be a fatal error. Put yourself in the mindset of an actual consultant trying to learn about the assignment. Don’t get rattled if the interviewer wants to know why you want the information you’re asking for; it’s all part of understanding your thought process.
- Prioritize the issues and objectives.
Don’t get bogged down trying to deal with every aspect of the case. Listen for clues as to which issues are most important. If direction is not forthcoming, don’t be afraid to take control of the conversation to get to the meat of the case. Be able to explain and defend your reasoning.
Especially for Life Sciences Pros
Life sciences candidates who lack business training may want to bone up on frameworks normally taught in business school, such as Porter’s Five Forces, the SWOT analysis, Value Chain Analysis, and the Four P’s of marketing. If you have business experience, you can also draw on applicable situations you’ve encountered. It’s also helpful to have a good grasp on what life sciences consulting firm is like. Know as much as you can about the life sciences discipline and its components.
Life sciences students and professionals with little or no exposure to the case method can take comfort in knowing that a vast collection of resources is available, both on and off the Internet, to tell you everything you need to know to succeed in a case interview.