1. S T R I C T L Y P R I V A T E A N D C O N F I D E N T I A L"
Yale Graduate Student Consulting Club
(YGCC)
Interview Bootcamp
Alice Qinhua Zhou
All rights reserved.
www.yale.edu/consulting

2. Thank the following YGCC sponsors
GPSS! 2

3. You need to pass a long journey before getting the offer
Ability
Attitude
Communication
Resume and Cover letter Collaboration
Personal Brand
Personal Network
Ability
Problem Solving Test (PST) Communication
Ability
Interviews Attitude
Communication
One-on-one Presentation Group
Collaboration
3

4. Resume and cover letter presents proofs of your value
Value Proof Display
Ability GPA, Honors, Awards Professional format
Attitude • Use template
Resume presentation • Bulleted text
Communication Enrich experience
Leadership Reposition past
Collaboration Teamwork
• Result oriented
• Be specific
Personal Brand
Big school, firm • Throw them the
Personal Network bones
4

5. McKinsey PST tests quantitative competence
• 60min multiple choice written test
Use promotional code:
YGCCGURUS
30% discount on practice
PST tests
Go to club website http://www.yale.edu/consulting/McKinsey_PST.html 5

6. The journey will be tough, but you will not be alone.
Emotion Satisfaction
Optimism Doubt Realism Confidence
Performance
Learn Practice
This Boot
Camp brings
you here Interviews
Time
YGCC will assist you throughout the journey 6

7. The funny video includes most of the basic elements of case
interview, mimicking real-life associate level consulting work
Collect background info Identify key question
MECE complete issue
tree in the context
Prioritize
Hypothesize
Analyze
Right: dig deeper Wrong: navigate to
paralleled items
…
Buy in / Deliver results Manage reaction
10

8. Break down problem MECE
Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive
Increase
What we can do with the
price of a sandwich if we Remain the same
still want to sell it?
Decrease
Increase
What we can do with the Remain the same
price of all the goods in
stop & shop?
Decrease
Change the mix
15

9. Engagement structure
Collect background info Identify key question
MECE complete issue
tree in the context
Prioritize
Hypothesize
Analyze
Right: dig deeper Wrong: navigate to
paralleled items
…
Buy in / Deliver results Manage reaction
22

10. Step 2.1: Prioritize based on impact and difficulty
Result Impact
Financial Non-financial
High
Difficulty
Effort
Low
• Don’t need to draw out the matrix,
keep it in the back of your mind!
23

11. Step 2.2: Develop specific and testable hypothesis
• Good hypothesis: testable
• If hypothesis is right, dig deeper;
• If wrong, navigate to the parallel items in the structure;
• If all parallel items are wrong, your structure is not MECE
• Deeper in the tree, more info given, easier to hypothesize
25

12. Engagement structure
Collect background info Identify key question
MECE complete issue
tree in the context
Prioritize
Hypothesize
Analyze
Right: dig deeper Wrong: navigate to
paralleled items
…
Buy in / Deliver results Manage reaction
26

13. Step 3: Analysis
Plan
Collect data
Interpret
data
Present
result
So what
27

14. Engagement structure
Collect background info Identify key question
MECE complete issue
tree in the context
Prioritize
Hypothesize
Analyze
Right: dig deeper Wrong: navigate to
paralleled items
…
Buy in / Deliver results Manage reaction
42

15. Summarize
• “The engagement manager come in ask for your update.”
• “You run into CEO in the elevator. “
• “CFO requests to see your team in 15min.”
Purpose Format (RRRN)
Buy in client during the analysis Recommendation
• Doubt on recommendation • “To achieve XXX,
• Resistance on the change I recommend XXX”
Deliver insights after major analysis Reason
Manage reaction proactively • Major bullet points
Risk
• Rationally address
• Synthesis after every major • Assumption
analysis • Top three concerns: “I
• Keep the big picture in mind understand that …”
• Emotionally support Next Step
• Tailor your answer to the • Analysis in the row
audience • Implementation plan
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16. Thank the following YGCC sponsors
Yale Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS)!