What follows is an exchange I had recently with a CaseInterview.com student about his upcoming Roland Berger interview that he was told would be a presentation interview.
CaseInterview.com Student:
Many thanks for all your materials, they have been very helpful in my case preparations. I have a final round interview at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Detroit on Monday.
For the last x months (I have lost count), I have been reading the Economist, Businessweek, practicing cases, listening to Look Over My Shoulder®, and I believe I am quite ready.
The interview format at RB is similar to the Bain interview format; however, it will be a presentation instead of a written case interview.
Below is an outline of the interview itself.
8:30 AM- Fit Interview
9:00 AM-9:45 AM- Business Knowledge Interview (Business topics/current events discussion)
9:45 – 10:30 AM- Prepare case- we will provide everything for you
10:30 – 11:00 AM- Present case
I am not sure if the presentation is on PowerPoint or on flipcharts. You had previously proposed a 6-slide strategy for a Bain final round.
Do you think this could be applicable to the Roland Berger format as well?
My Response:
To answer your question, yes, the 3 supporting idea structure should work well for Roland Berger. Good business communication is good business communication – regardless of the name of the company.
It is the same as the synthesis (verbally) I emphasize in all my materials, and it is the same structure as writing an expository essay in English class.
The key is to force yourself to think what the 3 most important supporting ideas really are, and then use a chart or a series of charts to “prove” that supporting point.
If the 3 supporting points prove the main conclusion, and your data supports the 3 supporting points, you’ve proven your argument.
For more information, see the video on “closing a case” video within the Case Interview Secrets video series.