Give Job Applicants Case Studies to Dissect to Learn How They Think
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
Most interviews that firms conduct consist of little more than a series of predictable questions.
They start with the old standard, “Tell me about yourself,” continue on with administering some version of “Can you pull a rabbit out of the hat by telling us the answer to this tricky 
question” and conclude with, “Do you have any questions for us?”
A person is hired and there is a skill that has not been measured yet– the ability to reason through a situation.
Case study interviewing was developed by management consulting firms to do exactly that– see how someone can reason their way through a problem and demonstrate if they know how to follow the steps to determine what the problem is, frame the approach to solving it, and show measured reason in developing an effective solution.
They reveal a number of attributes about a job applicant:
- How well they identify, structure, and think through problems.
- Their ability to listen, gather information, and present conclusions.
- How they identify relevant information and ignore “the noise”
- Their ability to “think on your feet”.
- How well do they react to the unfamiliar
- How do they ask for additional details?
- How well do they organize their thoughts?
- How graceful they are under pressure?
You can apply this methodology in almost every job to see how someone dissects a problem and can develop a solution to it.
I think this is a lot more effective an interviewing approach than asking why a manhole cover is round and other stupid interview questions.
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