IBM Canada group case interview - urgent

So I just found out yesterday that I have an interview at the IBM office this Monday. Apparently it's going to be in a group format involving a case and presentation, and then an invitation to a one on one if they liked you.

Has anyone here interviewed with IBM Canada before? I'm hoping to get some additional details on this format. I'm planning on reviewing cases for the next four days as I haven't done one in ages but I'm not sure how imperative that's going to be seeing as how I'll be working in a group.

I'm assuming that they'll be looking for teamwork skills but is there any way to make myself stand out in this situation?

Also, what should I prioritize for the next few days? Brush up on the frameworks or jump straight into a casebook?

 

Figure out how you're going to bring the team together. More important than the solution is how you work together. Stay client (problem) focused, not about individual frameworks and showing you're the best. They want to see how you work with others, and then secondly can the team solve the issue (expected you will).

Socialize well during the lunch (introducing yourself, asking questions to everyone).

TT

 

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind on Monday.

Since you're at PwC, which seems to be on a similar tier as IBM, do you know if there's a certain type of case that tends to be common at these interviews (ie. marketing, operations, etc.)? I was thinking about spending less time reviewing finance/accounting based problems since it doesn't seem like the stuff IBM would typically deal with.

 

I went through the process this cycle and received my offer last week.

Tips: - Like Tyler said, focus more on being a team player instead of standing out by monopolizing all the time in the group interview. - Know your elevator pitch and key qualities, they'll come in handy during the group questions (e.g., I've helped raise xxx$ as a founder of xxx). - They stated that they could care less about the content; it's all in how you present yourself. Do not seem too eager.

No tips for the ensuing interview because mine was an informal conversation and I can imagine they all differ. I was asked questions about the experience on my resume.

PM me if you have any more questions.

 

From my experience with IBM's case interview, it was a simple market entry case. I don't think you need to spend a lot of time drilling finance models and crunching equations. I think TT is right in emphasizing the team aspect. Consultants go wild for team building so make sure you have stories handy. Also, I found it helped a lot that I drilled frameworks from CIP. Best of luck.

 

Thanks for the input, guys. Unfortunately I missed out on antidote and Jack's answers before heading into the interview but it's still appreciated.

Pretty unique interview to say the least and slightly different from what seemed to take place at the Toronto office. Fortunately, I made it into the 1 on 1 and received an email the next day inviting me to the final stage, which is an IBM aptitude test. I'm planning on doing it today so if anyone has any tips beforehand, that'd be great (assuming any of you see this in time). As far as I know, it's just some sort of logic/IQ test that gets tougher as you answer the questions correctly.

I also have the final employment form to fill out. It's asking for a salary figure ($ per hour). I was thinking of leaving this blank - any thoughts?

 

Hi Spork new to this forum have a telephone interview with IBM the day after tomorrow, I wanted to touch base with you to see what the process is, what is the first phone interview about then what would be the rest of the process, this is for a Associate Partner role, I hear after the phone interview there would be group case study / solution presentation like you have done. would it be possible to somehow connect direct? appreciate direct email....

 

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