The entire recruiting process was well-structured and smooth. Overall the super day was a good experience.
So...case interviews - IMO you can't really prep for it as they aren't typical consulting cases. No need for fancy strategy frameworks.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Cases are number-driven. The difficult part is to come up with an equation. Try to calculate #s in your head as hinted by the interviewers. They would change different variables and assess how you approach the problem.
- Understand the concept of break-even & profitability well. By "well" I mean you need to know how to plot different scenarios on a chart.
2 cases I had were:
1) Comparing cashback reward cards vs. standard credit cards. Determine profitability. Remember to convert APR to a monthly rate if you are looking at monthly profits.
2) Credit card application. 2 channels: one through email agents, another through live chat. Compare which channel is more profitable. Be sure to differentiate # of customers vs. # of application processed.
I applied through college or university. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Capital One (McLean, VA) in Sep 2011
Interview
Was contacted via email from resume submission through university career website. Given phone interview and emailed a skills/quantitative test similar to the GMAT but a very shortened version. Passed the test and scheduled to interview at corporate headquarters. Interview consisted of three interviews, one behavioral and two case studies. Behavioral was pretty straight forward. Mostly, basic Q's that ask to tell about a time when you had to learn something new or led a team. The two case studies were about a ferry boat and call center.
Overall, it was the most thorough interview process that I have been involved with. Did not get an offer but I thought it was fair and forthcoming. Good luck to all interviewees!
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Ferry boat service from one end of a bay to another in Australia. How to make business more profitable?