As there are many types of jobs now, companies are creating new ways to select the best employee for a job. Many companies have their way of selecting and interviewing individuals, based on the job they are offering. Some companies still use the traditional interview procedure but not all companies use those methods now. New types of interviews are call interviews, video interviews, group interviews, case interviews, and many other types of interviews. Many companies design their way of interviewing and selecting the best individual for the job. Let’s know PWC Case Interview
In this article, we will be talking about PwC’s Case Interview. This article will help you to understand how PWC conducts Case interviews, what will be the questions asked, how to answer those questions, and how to create your chance of getting selected.
PwC is one of the biggest accounting companies, which is also famous for its world-class consulting business. It has two parts for consulting and they are PwC for implementation and transformation, and Strategy& for strategic consulting. PwC has more than 500k employees working in 155 countries. They are divided into two works which are accounting and tax, and the other one is consulting.
At PwC, they use two types of case interviews, which are candidate-led case interviews and group case interviews. The first type of case interview conducted at PwC is candidate-led, meaning that you have to lead the interview as a candidate. A candidate-led case interview is a method of conducting the interview in which the candidate is given a case to study which will be provided with some information. The candidate needs to give the solution to the problem. As a candidate, you have to be sharp, focused, and efficient with finding the solution.
The other case interview which is a group case interview is a little different from the candidate-led one. In this interview, you have to find the solution to the problem with a group of different candidates. You have to show your skills of teamwork, decision making, communication, etc. While all the candidates are discussing the problem and finding the solution, the interviewers will observe the candidate’s traits that will be needed for the job. The interviewers will ask some questions after the discussion time is over. The interviewers will not disturb the group and ask questions while they are discussing.
There will be some questions that you need to be prepared with for any type of case interview that will help you do great in your interview. This article will help you to understand some questions and scenarios of both types of the case interview. So if you are interested, continue reading.
PwC Company Overview
PwC is also known as PricewaterhouseCoopers, is a multinational company that works with accounting, tax, and consulting. PwC is working with more than 500k employees in 155 countries. This company was created in 1998 by combining two companies namely Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse. PwC is one of the best consulting companies there is with the competitors like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG.
PwC is the best company to work for if you are interested in working in consulting. Being one of the best in the field, it is not easy to get a job in this company. It has two sections of consulting which are PwC with transformation and implementation, and Strategy& with strategic consulting.
Types of Interviews at PwC
There will be a range of interviews or the recruiting process at PwC that you have to go through. There will be case interviews, behavioral interviews, group case interviews, individual presentations, group presentations, etc. All the mentioned interviews will not be conducted only some of them will be conducted as per requirement. Yes, the recruiting process at PwC is a little bit longer, but it is justifiable because of the gravity of the situation and the job.
Candidate-Led Case Interview- In this type of case interview, a candidate is supposed to study the material provided and suggest their opinion on the solution of the problem. The candidate is supposed to lead the interview and discuss the situation with the interviewer. This interview method helps the interviewer to understand if there are the skills and talent in the candidate which is needed for the position. This type of interview takes around 25 to 30 minutes. The case that will be given to the candidate would be similar to the cases that an employee would get during the job.
Successfully executing the Case Interview- There are many things that you need to do to execute the interview successfully. The list below contains some tips to use for the case interview:-
1. It is obvious if a person will not go to an interview without preparing for it. And in the case of a Case interview at PwC, you have to step up the preparation. You have to start preparing for the interview in advance. Study about the methods of the interview, practice other cases by yourself, research about the company, study the key points about consulting, etc.
2. Practice the sample cases with your friends as interviewers. It will help you create the same environment as the main interview and also help to give you more confidence. Also, make sure to be excellent with maths. You have to calculate big numbers easily and instantly. So, practice maths.
3. Do not ask many questions when the interviewer is explaining the case. Try to absorb as much information in your first try. After they are done with the explanation, review the information given to you and start asking only the most important questions. Try to not ask anything that was explained to you before.
4. After you are sure that you don’t need to ask anything and the information provided is clear, start creating a framework of the situation given in the case. Don’t use any similar framework that you have used when you were practicing. Always create new frameworks to solve different cases.
5. Be confident and start pointing out hints and facts that could solve the cases, and also start giving some points that will give answers to some parts of the problems. This will help to show that you are making progress and you have potential.
What not to do in Candidate-Led Case Interview- Some things should be avoided during this type of interview. With the help of the following list, try and understand:-
1. Don’t be nervous during the interview. Try to think that you are practicing for the interview with your friends.
2. Don’t act like you know everything, try to be polite and be positive. Don’t disagree with the suggestions that the interviewers are making, but ask questions about it if you are not sure.
3. Don’t be aggressive and don’t try to solve the problem alone, you can ask some questions.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are not sure about something and have any doubts.
5. Don’t ask many questions and irritate the interviewers.
6. Don’t use the same method or framework to solve every problem.
7. Don’t be in a hurry and take your time to understand the situation.
8. Don’t repeat your points again and again.
9. Don’t give any answers without thinking about it.
10. Don’t be aggressive and control your body language. Don’t be lanky and sit straight.
Group Case Interview- This method of the interview consists of groups of candidates and the number of group members could be 4 to 6. In this method, you and the fellow group members will be given a case that you all have to solve by discussing it among yourselves. You will have at least 10 to 15 minutes to study the problem individually or with the group. Then all the group members are supposed to discuss the solution for the problem for around 20 minutes. The interviewers will observe everyone’s contribution to the discussion and do not disturb the group during the discussion. After the group discussion, the interviewers will ask questions.
Successfully executing the Group Case Interview- There are also some things to understand before giving a group case interview. So, the following list will help you with that:-
1. Just like you prepare yourself for the Case Interview, you have to prepare for this interview also. Practice discussing sample cases with your friends, do research, watch online videos of group discussion, etc.
2. The first thing that you should do is to make sure you don’t have any doubts or questions about the case. If you have something to clarify before starting the discussion, ask the interviewer about it. If you don’t have any doubts, then you can start.
3. Don’t try to speak first. It must be really weird for many of the individuals that not speaking first would be bad. But it has a reason. With you not speaking first, you can do two things. First, you will get an idea of what others are trying to say. The second is, with the help of the first option, you will be sure of what type of people are in the group. So, you could answer accordingly.
4. Try to be a group member and not a leader. Try to involve everyone in the discussion and be polite. Point out the facts and ask other members for suggestions on that. If someone is dominating the group, try to discuss the points with them. Don’t let them do all the talking and ask questions.
5. When talking about something, try to say things that have some quality and don’t say anything that was said before. If someone said something interesting, try to carry that.
6. Try to find things that the interviewers could ask after the discussion. Be ready with an answer.
What not to do in Group Case Interview- You should avoid many things when you are in a group case interview. The list below contains some tips to help you. They are:-
1. Don’t go to the interview without preparing for it. You have to prepare yourself for the interview.
2. Don’t ask many questions from the interviewers.
3. Don’t be rude to the group members and the interviewers.
4. Don’t interrupt anyone when they are speaking. Try to be patient.
5. Don’t try to say anything without understanding it. Take your time to understand the topic.
6. Don’t try to be the leader of the group. Try to observe the group member’s involvement.
7. Don’t argue with the group members.
8. Don’t raise your voice during the discussion.
9. Don’t use bad words of any kind. Avoid abusive language and terms.
!0. Don’t be shy during the discussion. Try to be confident.
11. Don’t be in a hurry to say your points. Wait for a chance.
12. Don’t waste your time reading the problems again and again. Try to discuss it with the group.
13. Don’t repeat your points. Also, try not to repeat someone else’s point without mentioning them.
14. Don’t speak the most in the group. Try to give chances to everyone to put their opinions to the table.
15. Don’t just say or repeat anything. Try to make quality statements.
Conclusion
Now, it can be said that there are many difficult tasks or methods or interviews that we need to pass through to get a job in big multinational companies like PwC. The PwC Case Interviews are the type of interview which is conducted to easily choose the perfect candidate for the job. It easily figures out the candidate’s skills, qualities, and other expertise. It is the best option to see if the candidate fits the requirements of the job.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to prepare for a Case Interview?
Answer-You should practice sampling cases, research about the company, practice maths, etc.
2. How to behave in the Group Case Interview?
Answer-You should behave normally as you would for a traditional interview.
3. How many group members will be there?
Answer-It depends on the company and the interviewers. Normally it is around 4 to 6.
4. What is the hardest question asked in Case interviews?
Answer-The difficulty of the questions depends on the individual and the preparedness of that person.
5. How many questions are asked in the Group Case Interview?
Answer-The number of questions depended on how the group discussed the problem.
