Ace the Case: A Guide to Cracking the Case Interview

On August 19, 2025, Janees Shaffer, PCC, hosted her first Pivot with Purpose session, offering her insights— a clear, structured framework—for international development professionals like you looking to ace the case and stand out in your next interview. Laura Sheehan (Georgetown SFS) moderated the event.

As international development professionals, we’ve mastered the art of effectively sharing our stories and experiences in interviews: one-on-one, panel, technical, hypothetical, and behavioral—whether at USAID headquarters, or in the rooms of our favorite NGO or IGO. Yet, as we pivot to new sectors like consulting, finance, or tech, we’re encountering a new challenge: the case interview.

More organizations—beyond traditional consulting firms—are using these interviews to assess how candidates think through complex problems, communicate under pressure, and arrive at strategic recommendations. 

To help us overcome this challenge, Shaffer offered her tips and tricks to acing the case interview. In her presentation, she offered both the best ways to prepare for these assignments and enumerated the ways we can best present ourselves during the interview process.

These skills are invaluable whether you decide to pursue a career opportunity in consulting or another mission-driven business setting. Indeed, as more companies of various disciplines and sectors use these case interviews to gauge how we think, it is critical that we know what to expect, understand how we should prepare, and be confident in our approach!

Other Previous Sessions

Please feel free to browse our other previous sessions to access summaries, video content, and more information about our other events!