We continue to analyze the tools that interviewers use to check a candidate for relevance, today we will talk about a case interview.

Case interview – a metric that helps the interviewer determine the train of thought and logic of the applicant, his level of responsibility, inclination to different ways of solving the problem, personal qualities and skills. A case interview is often not related to your real experience, or the situation in the hiring company.

The purpose of the case interview is to finally bite you. That is, if there is an opportunity to choose the right answers to an HR question or a behavioral interview question, this will not be possible with a case interview, because the questions are more abstract, sometimes psychological, which force you to think. Plus, there are often no right answers to case interview questions.

It sounds confusing, but it’s actually not that scary. Let’s figure out what situational questions are encountered in the IT industry and how to answer them.

How to answer situational questions?

Questions about questions. And here it is prohibited, and even encouraged.

Let me remind you, the goal of the case interview is not to get the right answer from you, but to understand how you reason, think, and logically construct an answer. The main thing is not to answer no. Start thinking aloud, ask questions, the answer will be formed taking into account the answers of the interviewer. Let’s analyze several examples:

Question: count how many telegraph poles on the road from Moscow to St. Petersburg?

Your answer: Which road are we taking into account? Automobile, used? Old highway or M11? Do we consider only those telegraph poles that are functioning? Shall we drive into Bologhe by road?

Based on the interviewer’s answers and logic, we build your answer.

Question: name 10 ways to check that when the refrigerator door is closed, the light is on in it?

Your answer: there is no right answer here, you need to come up with the check options that come to mind, and you can think out loud. For example, putting a phone in the refrigerator and watching online broadcast from another phone, putting a piece of oil on a lamp, the refrigerator heats up near the lamp, etc.

What soft-skill situational questions can be asked specifically for you?

Depends on your specialization:

Analyst – logical thinking, work with incomplete data

Designer – creativity, attitude to feedback

Manager – critical thinking, empathy, conflict resolution

Developer – teamwork, self-presentation

With a little practice, you will definitely not get lost in an interview if you are asked, for example, how to build a house with 5 straws for 3 ants).

I’ve noticed that job search articles written by hr or people close to the field sometimes get a negative reaction. I understand that applicants are annoyed by the current approach to selection because it seems complicated and perhaps not entirely fair. I would like to remind you that the articles are based on my experience in recruiting and selling developers within an IT outsourcing company. The purpose of my articles is to help applicants. Glad to see judgmental comments on the topic and likes if the post is useful. If you want help with your resume or you need help with interview training, I’d be happy to help, too.

Good luck to all,

Julia Working bee.