Hiring Decision is Made Within the First 5 Minutes. Do it Right!

How to open any case interview? During the first minutes of an interview, usually, the case has not yet gone to the tricky part. Cases are harder towards the end, so you may want to take this opportunity to make a great first impression! The majority of weight in the hiring decision is actually made around the beginning, so a real focus point in a case interview lies in the opening. Just by mastering this, you are already better than many candidates out there.
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PRACTICE MCKINSEY SOLVE WITH AN INTERACTIVE MOCK TEST
(WITH A NEW 2023 REDROCK STUDY TEST)

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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:41 Structure of the opening
2:57 Show appreciation
3:23 Announce Case Introduction
4:10 Recap Case Context
5:21 Clarify
7:10 Announce overall Case Approach
8:33 Align
9:13 Ask for timeout
10:49 Sample opening script
13:00 Outro

[madisonmafi]

Thank you! I wrote out a script for myself that's a little more tailored to my style...

Thank you so much for the case; it seems like an interesting problem and I'm excited to get into it!
(Extra step here for me since I write slowly and miss info sometimes) Before I begin tackling the problem, I'd like to make I've got all the facts down correctly.
(Go through my notes quickly here, including client, key facts, and details to make sure I'm not missing anything) Am I missing any key information?
Great! Now that I have all the facts, I'd like to make sure I'm clear on the objective of this case. We're helping XYZ (insert objective here). Is that accurate?
Alright, and are there any other objectives I should be aware of besides (previous objective)?
Alternatively, if an objective isn't provided - We're helping XYZ identify/improve assuming profits are one objective, are there any other objectives I should be aware of?
Perfect. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask a few clarifying questions;
1.
2.
3.
Great, now that I have those answered, would you mind if I take a minute or two to lay out my framework for this case?
(Draw out my framework)
Thank you for your patience - (go into my framework). Would you say this is a reasonable approach to you?

[nitishsingh]

Thank you for developing this content, it is very helpful. Here's the script I developed.

Thank you for this interesting case, I am excited to work through this scenario with you. It is important to fully understand the nature of the challenge to effectively solve it; so, before exploring the details regarding these solutions; I would like to recap this case and ask a few clarification questions to ensure we are in alignment regarding critical matters.

My understanding of the case is that our client is (A)(B)(C)...
The facts regarding the challenge the client is experiencing is (D)(E)(F)...
and the critical challenge/problem that the we are going to solve is (X)(Y)(Z)....;
does this description accurately describe the case?

Thank you for confirmation on this; I would now like to ask a few clarification questions regarding this case:
1. How has the client defined key issues and what data (historical & current) is available to us?
2. What metrics regarding this case constitute success and how are these metrics going to be measured and assessed?
3. What time-frame does the client expect regarding these deliverables?

Thank you for those valuable insights. In order to create an effective and sustainable solution we need to identify and treat the root cause of the challenge. I will try to break down some of the critical outcomes; and identify the root cause through an issue tree until we can gather sufficient knowledge about the case to effectively implement a tailored solution. Before I present this investigation, does this approach sound reasonable for you?

It is great that we agree on this approach/thank you for aligning our strategy regarding key aspects about this case; may I please take a moment to gather my thoughts.

[LightEyesDarkHair]

I have 3h final case interview with partners at a management consultancy tomorrow. I am going to use a similar opening for my cases. Wish me luck!

[vanes]

Dear Kim,
Thanks a lot for the nice video for opening the case!
The following is my script to open the case.

Thank you very much for your time to explain the background of this interesting case.
First of all, I would like to confirm the background and the key problem of our client: xxx (paraphrase the description from interviewer). Am I correct?
Next step, I would like to clarify the goals of our client: XXX (paraphrase, define the case type) the objective of our client are: 1, 2, 3, … are there other objectives?
Thanks for the clarification. Then, I would like to know more info: (ask for missing info, the time frame to reach the goal, definition of terms or measurement parameters)
(the interviewer gives more info)
Great! thanks for all the information. The next step I would like to figure out the possible root cause and try to fine the solution to solve the problems. Does it sounds like a good approach?
(the interviewer say yes/ or more hint)
Thank you very much. May I take a few minutes to tidy up my thoughts? (yes) thanks a lot!
(>>> write down the structures, communicate, get more info with the interviewer while solving the case<<<)

[sethijatin]

Thanks Man! Have a big 4 interview tomorrow and this definitely helped in structuring my thoughts well.

[yourmainmexi]

Thank you very much! I appreciate your insight and effort to thoroughly outline such a complicated interview.

[naruto]

Thank you, fantastic way to frame the narrative and build instant rapport with any customer

[Max-pxym]

8:03 you recommend setting up a hypothesis after, not before, laying out an issue tree. Some consultants, like Victor Cheng, argue the opposite : that an issue tree should only be made to test a hypothesis. Could you clarify this for me please?

[azukajusrine]

Thank you sir, you are one the best teachers for starters at cade study. Thanks for your procedure sir.

[professorhealth-tamil]

Thank you so much, your videos helped me to crack my interview.

[melisdirek]

Would step 5 be applicable for interviewer-led case interviews as well? As they are the ones asking the questions, I wouldn't want to appear as if I am trying to solve the case on my own and look unfamiliar with their case interview technique

[ryanmcdonald]

Quality work! Great job on the structure and flow!

[pavilga]

Hi Kim, I couldn’t find the overall approach for the other two case types of cases. Could you please specify the link for it. Thanks!

[pitbed]

thank you very much Bro! excellent stuff, hats off

[annagordiienko]

Thank you so much !! I have watched all of your videos several times, and they make me really confident that consulting is the right place for me in terms of culture, attitude and learning and that I can get in if I put in an effort. Thanks! I could not register in a forum, so can you please evaluate my script here?
Thank you for the interesting case, I am really excited to solve it. In order to make sure that I understood the case correctly and be able to solve it in the best way possible, I would like to do a quick recap of the information we have already and then ask for a few clarification questions to make sure we are both on the same page, is it okay? (yes).
So our client is xxx, and is having yyy problem, and the overall case objective is to zzz. Is that correct? Now I would like to ask a few clarification questions. So first, what does the term x exactly mean? Second, how do we quantify objective x? Third, within what timeframe do we want to achieve the objective? (add more if have more).
Thank you for your clarification; so, for the overall approach, in order to solve the problem in the best and most sustainable way, I will first outline the issue tree to cover all the possible causes, then by digging deeper into the data, I will identify the root cause for the problem, after I will explore the possible solutions for the problem and come up with some recommendations and suggestions for the next steps. Does that sound like a reasonable approach for you? Can I take a few moments to gather my thoughts?

Thank you in advance:)

[SHINeeKeyofLucifer]

Hi, could you do a video on the other 2 popular approaches?

[lamiaa.]

Would an opening like this be applicable for group case interviews? I have my first ever case interview coming up and it's a interviewer led group case so I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed (but kind of excited as it's the final round with a big 4). Also, I know these videos directly target management consulting but would they still be relevant for technology consulting interviews?

[lilinlin]

where is the forum you mentioned in the video?

[enlightenedinlasvegas]

Marc I am trying to get in touch with you, I am having a rough time. Is your mom OK?

[joshuamills]

This is pretty overdone, you don't want to come across as a case robot during an interview, it's a good way to alienate a lot of potential interviewers