Case_In_Point_7th_Edition_Page001_183_2

First Rouno r rout Cose Interviews
McKinsey and other firms have started holding group interviews for non-MBA graduate students as part
of their first round interviews. During a group interview, consultants look more at the group dynamics than
how the group answers the question. Does this candidate have the ability to build relationships,
empathy, and teamwork? On one hand, you are a competitor to the other people in the group, but on the
other hand, for this moment in time you are teammates. People who are aggressive and try to dominate
the conversation are the ones that don’t get called back. Remember, consultants work in teams, and if
you’re not willing to be a team player, then you’re out.
In my Harvard Business School classes, the professor rarely called on anyone who had his hand raised
while someone else was speaking. This indicated to the professor that the hand-raising student wasn’t
listening to his classmate and had his own agenda. Like a business school case class, you are
expected to build on what others have said. You are expected to move the discussion forward, not take it
off on a tangent, or move the discussion back because you had a point you wanted to make.
Remember, build on what other team members have said and don’t interrupt a team member when she
is speaking.