Case_In_Point_7th_Edition_Page001_183_2

[ 5. Ask Clarifying Questions ]
You ask questions for three main reasons:
to get additional information that will help you identify and label the question
to demonstrate to the interviewer that you are not shy about asking probing questions under
difficult circumstances (something you’ll be doing on a regular basis as a consultant)
to turn the question into a conversation (nothing turns off an interviewer more quickly than a fiveminute
monologue)
In the beginning of the case, you have more latitude in your questioning. You should ask basic questions
about the company, the industry, the competition, external market factors and the product. The further
you get into the case, the more your questions should switch from open-ended questions to closedended
questions. You start to get into trouble when you ask broad, sweeping questions that are hard for
the interviewer to answer. These kinds of questions give the impression that you’re trying to get the
interviewer to answer the case for you. You’ll know that you crossed that line when the interviewer says to
you, “What do you think?” When this happens, substitute assumptions for questions.