at what point do you need a coach for case interviews?
I've never passed a single case interview at a management consulting firm in my life, at least not at the intern level. I'm thinking that it's time for me to get a coach.
How do you know if you need a case coach or not? I've practiced with peers but it can be like the blind leading the blind. Are there any affordable case coaches out there?
You need to either network and find people who are professionals who will do it with you because they care about giving back, or you need to get a coach. I think the WSO mentor service furnishes fantastic professionals (that I have used for PE and HF recruiting over and over again when I need counsel or interview prep).
Keep in mind that the people who use coaches will be much more prepared, in general, and there will always be people who use coaches. It is simply an investment to be on par with your competitive set.
I'm sure coaching would be helpful, but it's also expensive.
Start with Victor Cheng's LOMS. It should give you a great idea of what a good/great case sounds like. The only caveats are that they feel more interviewer-led i.e. BCG/Bain (which is good imo, makes McK cases feel easy) and you should stop using his canned framework at some point.
Then network. Most consultants you speak with would be willing to case you. MBB will also assign you a "buddy" for practice when you're invited to interview.
I think getting a coach could be a great investment in the long run. Last fall when I was interviewing for MBB, my friend hired a resume writing coach, while I was cheap and didn’t. Results? He got interviewed at all but 1 firm and I only got interviews at a few. A few weeks later, I had an MBB final round. I hired 2 different coaches for 1 hour each the week before, costing $400 total. 400 is a lot for me- 2 weeks of pay at my campus job. I think the coach helped me fine tune my framework and calm me down. I got the offer at MBB. Who knows if I would have gotten the offer without the coach. But honestly, I have no regrets. Now that I’m at MBB, What is $400? Just 1 day’s salary.
Moral of the story: it might seem like a lot of money, but it can pay off huge if you get the offer.
Personally, I would exhaust the other resources out there, especially the free ones, before you get to this point. It will help you get more out of the coach time if you go for that, or you will get good enough that you don't need one.
I did lots of live practice with people who didn't know what they were doing (I didn't either) and it got us pretty much nowhere. Then I used some free resources (CraftingCases course, Rocketblocks trial) and got way better, mainly from the free course I just mentioned. Never ended up needing to get a coach, but I did do some of the paid CraftingCases courses between my first and second rounds at an MBB, where I got an offer and will be starting in a few months. But the free course was enough to get me through the first round with practically no feedback areas, so I could have been fine with that for the second.
If you'd like, I can give you a practice case to tell you where you're at and what areas you should improve on. I do this for my firm often with folks who have interviews. However I highly recommend taking the steps above first, so neither of us wastes our time. Good luck!
Awesome answer - and I totally agree. Exhaust the mentioned resources as much as possible. When you feel like you’re getting diminishing returns with each incremental case, that’s when you think about coaching. A lot of getting past the MBB final rounds is luck (what case you get, how much your interviewer likes you, etc.), and coaching can fill those gaps effectively if you’re able to pay for it.
Cumque sit eveniet dicta commodi. Neque omnis iusto culpa molestias rerum enim velit aliquid. Aut esse iusto est incidunt.
Deserunt dolorum rem et voluptatibus iste inventore provident. Cum maiores et ut ut. Eos aspernatur necessitatibus eaque omnis hic quia. Magni ut ipsum vero adipisci aliquam tempore. Dolorem possimus dolorum facilis consequatur nam. Consequatur tenetur sunt explicabo adipisci officiis doloribus dolores.
Sunt eius optio quibusdam et qui nihil. Maiores vel molestias atque mollitia earum officia voluptas. Similique ipsum fuga repellat expedita perspiciatis assumenda asperiores. Occaecati qui qui non excepturi mollitia et. Consectetur sequi placeat et a odit modi reprehenderit atque. Est ipsum dolore sed ex.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...