EXCELLING AT INTERVIEWS
Can I practise for these? YES, YOU CAN! Here are some ways you can prepare for case studies: 1. Find out about the kind of business decisions the company you are applying for has to make, or has made recently. 2. You will need a bird’s-eye view of the current economic environment. Read the business pages of newspapers or magazines to get a better idea of current business activity. 3. Practise your mental arithmetic, as you may have to demonstrate your quantitative abilities without a calculator. 4. Talk to your relevant industry contacts/mentors to learn more about new developments. You can also bounce various scenarios off them to see if your recommendations are sound. 5. There is often more than one way to solve a problem. Get in the habit of brainstorming multiple approaches to a single case, instead of sticking to a single textbook solution. 6. Check in with the Dato’ Kho Hui Meng Career Centre for its suite of workshops or relevant presentations on case studies. Join any practice sessions they host until you become familiar with the format. Though part of the aim of case studies is to help assessors see how you cope with the unfamiliar, research will still boost your confidence and help you tackle issues in a more informed way.
Case study example The following example, based on a genuine case study used by a multinational investment bank, should give you an idea of what to expect:
The scenario: A large publisher of magazines and books is looking to make a significant acquisition. It has identified a target company and approached a number of investment banks for their views on the merits of a potential deal and a target price. Based on these presentations, the publisher will decide whether to proceed with a bid and, if so, select one bank to act as its advisor.
The task: Your team is one of the investment banks bidding to win the mandate. You need to analyse the figures provided, to review the marketplace, your potential client (the publisher) and the target company. You must also prepare a fiveminute presentation giving your recommendations.
Note: You may either be provided with a wealth of raw data alongside the scenario, or you and your group may have to dig up all the necessary information by yourselves somehow. Either way, you will need to crystallise all this information into a workable action plan that you can present to your assessors.
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