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CaseQuestionsCasequestionsaremostcommonlyusedinconsultinginterviews,buttheycanbeusedinothersituations,suchasininterviewsformarketingpositionswithconsumergoodscompanies.Simplyput,acaseinterviewistheanalysisofabusinessquestion.Unlikemostotherinterviewquestions,itisaninteractiveprocess.Yourinterviewerwillpresentyouwithabusinessproblemandaskyouforyouropinion.Yourjobistoasktheinterviewerlogicalquestionsthatwillpermityoutomakeadetailedrecommendation.Themajorityofcaseinterviewersdon'thaveaspecificanswerthatyou,thecandidate,areexpectedtogive.Whattheinterviewerislookingforisathoughtprocessthatisatonceanalyticalandcreative.Here'sasamplecasequestion:Youareadvisingacreditcardcompanythatwantstomarketaprepaidphonecardtoitscustomers.Isthisagoodidea?You:Whatistheroleofourcompany?Dowesimplymarketthecardormustwecreatethemourselves?Interviewer:Thiscardwillbeco-marketedwithanoutsidephonecompany.Wedon'tneedtoperformtelecommunicationsfunctions.You:Whatareourexpensesconnectedwiththecard?Interviewer:Wemustpay15centsforeveryminutewesell.Wealsohavetopay$1.00asastart-upcostforthecardandcardsystems.You:Whatareourmarketingexpenses?Interviewer:Wenormallyuseslipsofpaperthatareattachedtothebacksofourcreditcardpaymentenvelopes.Wesometimesalsosendcustomersadirectmailing-inaseparateenvelope.Orwecanhavetelemarketerscallselectedcustomers.You:What(yī)'sthecostofeachofthesemarketingtechniques,andwhatistheirresponserate?Interviewer:Telemarketershavea2percentresponserate,andcost$1.00percall.Directmailingscostus40centspermailingandhavea0.50percentrateofresponse.Ourpaymentat(yī)tachmentshavea0.25rateofresponse,butonlycostus5centseach.You:I'mgoingtoassumewewillsellone-h(huán)ourphonecards.Thatwillcostus$9.00fortheminutesandadollarpercard-soeachcardcostsus$10.Interviewer:Thatsoundsreasonable.You:Andwhatisourexpectedrevenueonaone-h(huán)ourphonecard?Whatisthecurrentmarketratefora60-minutephonecard?Interviewer:Assumeit's50centsaminute.You:Soifwesellthecardsfor$30,wehavea$20profit,minusourexpendituresonmarketing.Interviewer:What'sourcoststructurelooklike?You:Okay,let'sfigurethisout.Tosell1,000cardsthroughtelemarketing,wewouldneedtocontact50,000people.That(yī)wouldcostus$50,000.Tousedirectmail,wewouldhavetocontact200,000thousandpeople,which,at(yī)40centspermailing,costsus$80,000.Sincetheenvelopeinsertsaren'tveryreliable,wewillneedtocontact800,000peopleusingthatmethod.Butat5centseach,itcostsonly$20,000tosell1,000cards.Wemake$20profitoneachcard.Butevenat(yī)thecheapestpromotionalvehicle,at$20profit,wewouldonlybreakeven,becauseourprofitson1,000cardswouldbe$20,000.Weshouldn'tmarketthiscard,unlesswecanfurthercutourmarketingcostsorincreasethepriceofthecard.Ifwecouldslicethecostoftheenvelopeattachmentsapennyorso,orsellthecardfor$35,orconvinceourco-marketertoreduceourcosts,itmightbeworthselling.Commonly-askedQuestionsCompaniesthesedayslookformorethanwhetheryou'reawittyorespeciallycoolindividualwhenitcomestopersonality.Amongthecharacteristicshighestontheirlistareteamworkandinnovation.Theymaynotaskwhetheryouareateamplayer,orcreative--doesn'tmeanyoushouldn'tgoaheadandtellthem.Butthenagain,alotofinterviewerswillaskyououtright:tellmewhyyourpersonaltraitswillworkhere.1.Whyareyouapplyingforthisposition?Probablythemostcommonlyaskedquestionat(yī)jobinterviews.Youneedtoconvinceyourinterviewerthatyouareenthusiasticaboutthejob.2.Tellmeaboutatimewhenyouusedinitiat(yī)ive/Givemeanexampleofwhenyoucameupwithaninnovat(yī)ivesolution/Givemeanexampleofat(yī)imeyouexceededexpectations.Inthisever-changingworldinwhichwework,employeesaresupposedtobeinnovative,tobeableto"thinkoutsideofthebox.Questionslikethese(suchasthewaythe"initiative"questionand"exceededexpectations"questionsareworded)canbeusedasopportunitiestotalkaboutcreativefaculties--pickaninstancewhenshowinginitiativemeantcomingupwithanout-of-the-ordinarysolution.3.Iseeonyourresumethatyouservedaschairpersonofsuch-and-suchcommittee.Whatwasthatexperiencelike?Alongwithinnovation,employersoftenlookforleadershipability.Ingeneral,interviewersarelookingforevidenceofawillingnesstolisten,anabilitytogivefeedback,andafirmnesswhenitcomestogettingthingsdone.4.Whatwouldmembersofyourbasketballteam/businessschoolcohort/butterflycatchingexpeditionsayaboutyou?Tellusaboutatimeyouhadtodealwithadifficultteammember.Teamworkisanotherhighlyvaluedtraitthesedays,companiesarelookingforemployeeswhoworkwellingroups.Ifyourinterviewerdoesn'tbringupteamwork,doityourself.Thesequestionsaresimilartotheleadershipquestions-interviewersarelookingforbothanopennesstoideasandawillingnesstonudgeteammemberstowardagoal.5.Whydidyoudecidetoswitchcareers/Whydidyoudecidetogobacktoschool/Whydidyoutaketimeoffduringcollege?Bepreparedtowalkthroughyourresumewithyourinterviewer,especiallyat(yī)companiesthat(yī)liketopromotefromwithin.Theywanttoknowthat(yī)you'recommittedtotheindustryandwillbeloyaltotheircompany.6.Wheredoyouseeyourselfin5years?Youdon'tnecessarilyneedtosaythatyouwanttoworkforthecompanyforever,butyoushouldexpresshowyouthinkthepositiontowhichyouareapplyingwillhelpyougrow.7.Soyoujustgraduated.Howdidyoulikeschool?Lovedit.Learnedsomuch.AndletmetellyoualittlebitaboutwhattypesofactivitiesIwasinvolvedin.8.Whatlessonsdidyoulearnfromyoulastjobthat(yī)youthinkcanbetransferredtothisposition?9.Whatdoyouconsideryourbiggestfault?Interviewerslovethisquestion,eventhoughitsortofinvitesdishonesty.You'resupposedtosaysomethinglike:"I'maperfectionist."Or:"Itendtoworktoohard."Youmaywanttoprepareamorethoughtfulanswer,butyoushouldat(yī)leastanticipatethisquestion.10.Ifyoucouldgoanywherefor24hours,withanunlimitedbudgetwherewouldyougo?Sometimes,interviewerswillaskoff-the-wallquestionsjusttogetabettersenseofwhoyouareasaperson.QuestionstoAskDuringYourSummerInternshipInterviews*Canyougivemeanexampleofmysummerresponsibilities?Trytomakesuretheansweryoureceiveisasspecificaspossible.Particularlyifyou'renewtotheindustry,youwanttoensurethat(yī)youwillperformworkthatisrepresentat(yī)iveofafull-timeassociate.*Howmanypeoplearetypicallygivenpermanentjoboffers?Andaskforpercentagestoo.Thisshowsyou'reinterestedinopportunitiesaftergraduationatthefirm,andallowsyoutoplanyourstrategicoptions.Somefirms,likeGoldmanSachs,areknownforgivingofferstoasmallproportionofthesummerclass.Youmaywanttotrybetteroddsatanotherfirm.*WillIbeabletorotatebetweendepartments?Again,themoreyouknowaboutthecompany,thebetteryouwillbeabletodeterminewhichdepartmentinterestsyoumost,orwhetheryouwanttoworkatthefirmatall.Ifthere'saspecificdepartmentyouwanttoworkin,youshouldmakethisknown.*Doyouprovideanyassistancewithrelocation?Manyfirmswillhelplocate,andevensubsidize,summerhousing.Ifthismakesadifferenceinwhetheryoutaketheposition,ask.Strat(yī)egiesforAnsweringBusinessCaseQuestionsIfyou'regoingintoaninterviewwhereyoumightexpectacasequestion(abusinessquestionpresentedtoyouforyourdetailedanalysis),it'simportanttohaveafewbasictipsdownpat.1.Takenotes.Asyourinterviewerpresentsyourcase,besuretotakecarefulnotesonthenumbersorotherfactsgiven.(Alwaysbringanotepadandapentoaconsultinginterview.)Youdon'twanttoaskyourinterviewertolat(yī)errepeatinformat(yī)ionthathasalreadybeengiven.2.Askquestions.Yourinterviewerexpectsyoutoaskquestions--asmanyintelligentquestionsasyouneedtoobtainanaccuratepictureoftherelevantfactsinthecase.Manyinexperiencedcaseintervieweesmaketheerrorofnotaskingtheirintervieweranyquestions,perhapsafraidthattheywilllookignorant,ornotwishingto"bother"theinterviewer.Onthecontrary--notaskingquestionsisafatalerrorinacaseinterview.Ifyoudon'tknowthefirstthingaboutthehelicoptermarket,askhowmuchitcoststomanufacturearotor.Ifyouneedtoestimatethedemandforabeef-flavoredpotatosnackinWichita,Kansas,thenfeelfreetoaskthepopulationofWichitaandenvirons.3.Bepreparedtotakecharge.Youwilloftenfindthatyourinterviewerwilldirectyourlineofquestioningtoaspecificarea,butyoumustalwaysbereadytocontroltheconversationincasetheinterviewerdoesnotdirectyourreasoning.Ifyouareunsure,simplyasktheinterviewer.Forinstance,ifyoufindtheinterviewerofferinglittledirectionasyoumovethroughyourinitialscoopingquestions,youmaywishtoask,"Ifindthelackofariskassessmenttobeapotentialshowstopper.MightIasksomedetailedquestionsaboutthis?"Oryoumightsay,"Givenwhatyouhavetoldmeaboutthesituat(yī)ion,Iwouldliketodrilldownforfurtherclarityregardingtheclient'scurrentrelat(yī)ionshipwithitsdistributionpartner.WouldthatbeOK?"Inthisway,youtakechargeofthelineofquestioningwithoutsteppingontheinterviewer'srole.4.Makenoassumptions!Asacaseinterviewee,youshouldnevermakeanyassumptions.Youshouldassumethepersonaofanactualconsultanttryingtolearnaboutanassignment.Itmightseemobviousthatthereisnopreexistingworkplan(becauseiftherewas,whywouldthisbeacaseinterview?)butyoushouldask.Youshouldalsoaskifthecompanyhasencounteredasimilarproblem,orwhatothercompaniesinthefieldhavedonewhenfacedbysimilarproblems.Yourinterviewermaynotreleasethat(yī)informat(yī)ionbutwillbeimpressedthatyouaskedthesesensiblequestions.Somegoodbasic"professional"questionstoask,whichapplytomostcases:Whohiredus?Howlongwilltheseengagementslast?Isthereaworkplan?Hasthecompanyfacedthisproblem(oropportunity)before?Ifso,howdiditreact?What(yī)wastheoutcome?Whathaveothercompaniesfacingthissituat(yī)iondone?Hasthefirmalreadydoneanyresearchintotheissue?Ifso,whatwereitsfindings?5.Maintaineyecontact.Alwaysmaintaindirecteyecontactduringthecaseinterview.Eyecontactiscriticalwhenansweringcasequestions--itdemonstratesconfidenceandauthority.Rememberthatinconsultingyoumayfindyourselfinfrontof20executivesatamajorcorporat(yī)ionpresentingastrat(yī)egyyouwerebriefedononlyahalf-hourago.Andthenyouhavetoanswerquestions!Soyoucanseewhybusinesscaseinterviewingissoimportanttoconsulting--itisadirectparalleltotheenvironmentconsultantsmustfaceeveryday.FinanceInterviewQuestionsWithWallStreetsalariesskyrocketing,investment-bankingjobsareashotasever.Thismeansit'sespeciallyimportanttobepreparedforbankingandfinanceinterviews.Thesefinanceinterviewquestionsshouldhelp.Formorequestionsandinterviewadvice,readtheVault.comGuidetoFinanceInterviews.1.Howwouldyouvalueacompanyyou'reconsideringbuying?

OneofthemostcommonquestionsWallStreetinterviewersask.(Othervariationsofthisquestionare:"howwouldyouvalueastockyouwereconsideringbuying,takingpublic,etc.)WallStreetersusethisquestiontoseparatethefinancejocksfromtheneophytes.Here'sabasicanswerthatshouldimpressyourinterviewer:Oneanswertothisquestionistodiscountthecompany'sprojectedcashflowsbya"risk-adjusteddiscountrate."Afterprojectingthefirstfiveor10years,youaddina"TerminalValue,"whichrepresentsthepresentvalueofallthefuturecashflowsthataretoofarintothefuturetoproject.YoucancalculatetheTerminalValueinoneoftwoways:(1)youtaketheearningsofthelastyearyouprojected,sayyear10,andmultiplyitbysomemarketmultiplelike20timesearnings,andthat'stheterminalvalue;or(2)youtakethelastyear,sayyear10,andassumesomeconstantgrowthrateafterthat,perhaps10%.Thepresentvalueofthisgrowingstreamofpaymentsafteryear10istheTerminalValue.Note:Tofigureoutwhat"discountrate"youwouldusetodiscountthecompany'scashflows,tellyourintervieweryouwouldusethe"CapitalAssetPricingModel"(or"CAP-M").(Inanutshell,CAPMsaysthattheproperdiscountratetouseistherisk-freeinterestrat(yī)eadjustedupwardstoreflectthisparticularcompany'smarketriskor"beta.")Finally,youshouldalsomentionothermethodsofvaluingacompany,includinglookingat"comparables,"-thatis,howothersimilarcompanieswerevaluedrecentlyasamultipleoftheirsales,netincome,orsomeothermeasure.2.WalkmethroughthemajorlineitemsonaCashFlowstatement.

Aquestiontotestyouraccountingskills.Theanswer:FirsttheBeginningCashBalance,thenCashfromOperations,thenCashfromInvestingActivities,thenCashfromFinancingActivities,andfinallytheEndingCashBalance.3.WhatisEBITDA?Alsoknownas"cashflow,"EBITDAisEarningsBeforeInterest,Taxes,Depreciation,andAmortization.4.Sayyouknewacompany'snetincome.Howwouldyoufigureoutits"cashflow"??Abasicanswer:Youstartwiththecompany'snetincome.Thenyouaddbackdepreciationandamortization.Thenyousubtractthecompany'sCapitalExpenditures(called"CapEx"forshort,thisishowmuchmoneythecompanymustinvesteachyearonplantsandequipment).Thenumberyougetisthecompany'scashflow:5.CompanyAisconsideringacquiringCompanyB.CompanyA'sP/Eratiois55timesearnings,whereasCompanyB'sP/Eratiois30timesearnings.AfterCompanyAacquiresCompanyB,willCompanyA'searningspersharerise,fall,orstaythesame??CompanyA'searnings-per-sharewillrise,becauseofthefollowingrule:whenahigherP/EcompanybuysalowerP/Ecompany,theacquirer'searnings-per-sharewillrise.Thedealissaidtobe"accretive,"asopposedto"dilutive,"totheacquirer'searnings.Defeat(yī)ingthe12-BallQuestionSomeinterviewquestionsarenotoriouslydifficult.Thisparticularlogicproblemhasmadeitsappearanceatvariousconsulting,investmentbankingandtechfirms(includingMcKinseyandMicrosoft).Willyoubepreparedifyourinterviewerspringsuponyoutheknotty"12ball"dilemma?ThankstoVaultReports,youcananswerinsafety!Here'sthequestion:Youhave12balls.Allofthemareidenticalexceptone,whichiseitherheavierorlighterthantherest-itiseitherhollowswhiletherestaresolid,orsolidwhiletherestarehollow.Youhaveasimpletwo-armedscale,andarepermittedthreeweightings.Canyouidentifytheoddball,anddeterminewhetheritisholloworsolid?Thislogicproblemissuretoputyouranalyticalabilityondisplay!First,we'llexaminewhatthoughtprocessesaninterviewerislookingfor,andthenwe'lldiscussonesolution.Startwiththesimplestofobservat(yī)ions.Thenumberofballsyouweighagainsteachothermustbeequal.Yeah,it'sobvious,butwhy?Becauseifyouweigh,saythreeballsagainstfive,youarenotreceivinganyinformat(yī)ion.Inaproblemlikethis,youaretryingtoreceiveasmuchinformationaspossiblewitheachweighing.Forexample,oneofthefirstmistakespeoplemakewhenexaminingthisproblemisthattheybelievethefirstweighingshouldinvolvealloftheballs(6against6).Thisweighinginvolvesalloftheballs,butwhat(yī)typeofinformationdoesthisgiveyou?Itactuallygivesyounonewinformation.Youalreadyknowthatoneofthesideswillbeheavier,andbyweighing6against6,youwillsimplyconfirmthisknowledge.Still,youwanttogaininformationaboutasmanyballsaspossible(soweighing1against1isobviouslynotagoodidea).Thusthebestfirstweighingis4against4.Thatway,youreserve4balls,andcanobtainsomeinformationabouteachsubsetof4.Secondly,ifyouthinkthroughthisproblemlongenough,youwillrealizehowprecioustheinformationgainedfromaweighingis:Youneedtotransfervirtuallyeverypieceofinformationyouhavegainedfromoneweighingtothenext.Sayyouweigh4against4,andthescalebalances.Luckyyou!Nowyouknowthattheoddballisoneoftheunweighed4.Butdon'tgiveintotheimpulsetosimplyworkwiththoseballs.Inthisweighing,you'vealsolearnedthattheeightballsonthescalearenormal.Trytousethisinformation.Youmustbebothcreativeandanalytical.Mostpeoplewhoworkthroughthisproblemconsideronlyweighinganumberofballsagainsteachother,andthentakinganothersetandweighingthem,etc.Thiswon'tdo.Thereareanumberofothertypesofmovesyoucanmake-youcanrotatetheballs,fromonescaletoanother,youcanswitchtheballs,etc.Let'slookat(yī)onesolution.Forsimplicity'ssake,wewillrefertoonesideofthescaleasSideA,andtheotherasSideB.Step1:Weigh4ballsagainst4othersCaseA:If,onthefirstweighing,theballsbalanceIftheballsinourfirstweighingbalanceweknowtheoddballisoneofthosenotweighed,butwedon'tknowwhetheritisheavyorlight.Howcanwegainthisinformat(yī)ioneasily?Wecanweighthemagainsttheballsweknowtobenormal.So:Step2:PutthreeoftheunweighedballsontheSideA;putthreeballsthat(yī)areknowntobenormalonSideB.I.Ifonthissecondweighing,thescalebalancesagain,weknowthatthefinalunweighedballistheoddone.a(chǎn).Step3.Weighthefinalunweighedball(theoddone)againstoneofthenormalballs.Withthisweighing,wedeterminewhethertheoddballisheavyorlightII.If,ontheotherhand,withthissecondweighing,thescaletipstoSideA,weknowthattheoddballisheavy.(IfittipstoSideB,weknowtheoddballislight,butlet'sproceedwiththeassBrandManagementCaseQuestion:TheBrandLaunchWhileWallStreetmaycontrolourpursestrings,andHollywoodmaycontrolourdreamsandimaginations,itisthe"brandmanagers"whoseguidinghandsshapeeverythingweeatandwear,andinfact,shapethewaywethinkaboutthesethings.Themostsought-afterbrandmanagementpositionsarewithleadingconsumerproductscompaniessuchasProcter&GambleandGeneralMills.Toclimbtosuchloftyheights,brandmanagers(sometimesknownas"marketingmanagers")undergorigorousinterviewsthat(yī)ofteninvolvecasequestions.Brandcasesvaryinbreadthandspecificity-somemaybeaboutpromotions,someaboutpricing,othersaboutlong-termstrategy.Vault.comtakesalookat(yī)onetypeofbrandcase:the"BrandLaunch."SAMPLEQUESTION:Ifourcompanywerelookingtointroduceacarpetcleanertoourlineofproducts,howwouldyougoaboutdevelopingabusinessplan?Ingeneral,interviewersareinterestedinwhatkindsofquestionsyouask,andyourunderstandingofmarketforces.Here,theinterviewerislookingforananswerthat(yī)describesthe"process"youwoulduseindevelopingabusinessplan,notaskingforabusinessplanitself.Theinterviewermaybepleasantlysurprisedifyouhappentoknowthesizeofthecarpetcleanermarket-buttheycertainlydon'texpectit.Here'soneapproachtoat(yī)tackingthiscase:STEP1:ANALYZETHEMARKET:Thefirstthingthemarketingmanagershoulddoisgat(yī)herallavailableinformationaboutthemarket.Thelogicalplacetostartwouldbethecarpetcleanermarketanditsfuture.Howlargeisthecarpetcleanermarketcurrently?Isitexpectedtogrowinthenextseveralyears?Whatarethemaincompaniesinvolved?Finally,howofteniscarpetcleanersold,andinwhat"channels"-ingrocerystores,inhardwarestores,inconveniencestores,asanimpulsebuy,asanemergencybuy,etc?STEP2:ASSESSYOURCOMPANY'SSTRENGTHSANDWEAKNESSES:Thenextissuesamarketershouldbeawareofarehisorhercompany'sstrengthsandweaknesseswhenitcomestothismarket.Doesthecompanyproducesimilarproducts,andthereforehaveabaseofR&Dexpertise?Doesthecompanyhaveadistributionnetworkinplace?Isthecompanysittingonextracapitalitislookingtoinvestintoaproductlaunch?Makesuretoidentifythecompany'sweaknessesaswell.Perhapsthecompanyisbestknownamonghomeownersforitseasytouseanddisposablecleaningproducts-thisdemographicgroupmaynotoverlapmuchwiththemarketforcarpetcleaner.STEP3:ASSESSCONSUMERPREFERENCES:Adiligentbrandwillalsoconsiderbroaderissuesindevelopingabusinessplan.Onemajorcategoryoftheseisconsumerpreferences.Arehomeownersoptingforhardwoodfloorsandthrowdownrugsratherthancarpeting?STEP4:CONSIDERMACROTRENDSandOTHERISSUES:Anothermajorconcernformarketersismajormacrotrends,suchasdemographictrends.Whatisthekeydemographicgroupthatusesthisproduct?Isthisgroupbecominglargerovertime,orshrinking?Areforeignmarketsbeginningtoconsumemorecarpetcleaner?Legalandregulatoryissuesshouldalsobeconsidered.Areaerosolcarpetcleanersbecominglessfeasiblebecauseofenvironmentalregulations?STEP5:DETERMINEOURCOMPANY'SOBJECTIVES:Finally,youmustdetermineyourcompany'sobjectives.Becauseconsumertrendsarefickle,andtechnologicalinnovationcanquicklytransformanindustry,brandstrat(yī)egyshouldingeneralnotbetoofar-sighted.Afive-yearplanisagood,safewaytocompromisetheneedforlong-termstrategywiththepitfallspredictingfuturestrategyinevitablybrings.Interviewersmaypresentyouwithobjectivesat(yī)thestartofthecase.Iftheydon't,ask.Ifnoobjectivesareproffered,funnelyourthinkingintothreemainareas:marketsharegrowth,financialperformance,andbrandidentity.GuesstimatesGuesstimatesarecommonlyaskedinconsultingandinvestmentbankinginterviews.Generally,yourinterviewerasksyoutoestimatethenumberorsizeofsomething,andobservesyourreasoningprocess.Mostinterviewersdon'tcareifyouactuallygetthecorrectnumber-whattheywanttoseeisthatyouareabletologicallythinkthroughaprocess,creativelythinkthroughanypossibleexceptionsorshortcuts,andcalculatebasicsumsinyourhead.Youwon'tbegivenanyrealdata(thoughyouwon'tneedtoknowmuchmorebeyondthefactthattheUnitedStateshasabout270millioninhabitantsand25millionbusinesses),andyoushouldn'trequestany;it'sirrelevanttotheproblemat(yī)hand.Makereasonableassumptions,witheasy-to-work-withnumbers,andgofromthere(rememberthatyou'reexpectedtouseapenandnotepadtoworkthroughyourcalculations).Theseguesstimatesmayalsoinvolveelementsofcreat(yī)ivityandproblemsolving.Forexample,whenposedthequestion"Howmuchchangewouldyoufindonthefloorofamall?"youmightwanttoask"Isthereafountaininthemall?"Let'stakealookatasampleguesstimate:1.HowmanygallonsofwhitehousepaintaresoldintheU.S.eachyear?THE"STARTBIG"APPROACH:Ifyou'renotsurewheretobegin,startwiththebasicassumptionthatthereare270millionpeopleintheU.S.(or25millionbusinesses,dependingonthequestion).Ifthereare270millionpeopleintheUnitedStates,perhapshalfofthemliveinhouses(or135millionpeople).Theaveragefamilysizeisabout3,sotherewouldbe45millionhousesintheUnitedStates.Let'saddanother10percenttothat(yī)forsecondhousesandhousesusedforotherpurposesbesidesresidential.Sothereareabout50millionhouses.Ifhousesarepaintedevery10yearsonaverage(noticehowwedeftlymakethatnumbereasytoworkwith),thenthereare5millionhousespaintedeveryyear.Assumingthat(yī)onegallonofpaintcovers100squarefeetofwall,andthattheaveragehousehas2023squarefeetofwalltocover,theneachhouseneeds20gallonsofpaint.So100milliongallonsofpaintaresoldperyear(5millionhousesx20gallons).(Note:Ifyouwanttobefancy,youcanaskyourinterviewerwhetheryoushouldincludeinnerwallsaswell!)If80percentofallhousesarewhite,then80milliongallonsofwhitehousepaintaresoldeachyear.(Don'tforgetthat(yī)laststep!)THE"STARTSMALL"APPROACH:Youcouldalsostartsmall,andtakeatownof27,000(aboutonetenthousandthofthepopulation).Ifyouusethesameassumptionthathalfthetownlivesinhousesingroupsofthree,thenthereare4,500houses,plusanother10percent,thentherearereally5,000housestoworryabout.Paintedevery10years,500housesarebeingpaintedinanygivenyear.Ifeachhousehas2,000squarefeetofwall,andeachgallonofpaintcovers100squarefeet,theneachhouseneeds20gallons-andso10,000gallonsofhousepaintaresoldeachyearinyourtypicaltown.Perhaps8,000ofthosearewhite.Multiplyby10,000-youhave80milliongallons.Yourinterviewermaythenaskyouhowyouwouldactuallygetthatnumber,onthejob,ifnecessary.Useyourcreativity-contactingmajorpaintproducerswouldbesmart,puttinginacalltoHUD'sstatisticsarmcouldhelp,orevenconductingasmallsampleofthesecondcalculationinafewrepresentativetownsispossible.Otherguesstimat(yī)es:HowmuchorangejuiceisconsumedeachdayinAmerica?Howmanygolfballswouldfitintoa747?HowmanygrocerystoresarethereintheU.S.?BrainteasersHigh-techcompanies,investmentbanksandconsultingfirmsarefamousfortheirbrainteasers.Anyone,afterall,cancomeupwithacannedanswertodisplaytheirleadershipandmanagementskills-butfewerpeoplecanquicklycomeupwiththreesolidreasonswhyamanholecoverisround.Whetheryou'reapplyingforatechnical,corporatefinanceormarketingposition,expecttogetafewofthesebeauties.Creativityandmentalflexibilityandspeedareofparamountimportancetohigh-techfirms,andonesurefirewaytotestthesequalitiesisthroughtheseslightlyoffbeatquestions.Ifyoufieldoneofthesebrainteasers,yourinterviewermaygiveyouatimelimit.Don'tbecomeflustered.Simplytrytothinkthroughthequestionfromeveryangleyoucan.Mostquestionsrequireeit

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