For those interviewing for consulting roles at Protiviti, their interviews consist of a case interview, a group case interview, and behavioral or fit interviews.

 

Protiviti typically has two rounds of interviews:

• First round: A 30-minute behavioral interview and a 30-minute case interview

 

• Second round: Three 30- to 40-minute case interviews and one 40- to 60-minute group case interview

 

A unique aspect of Protiviti’s interview process is that they give candidates information about the case interview or case study interview beforehand. This lets candidates review the case information and think through how to solve the case before stepping into the actual case interview.

 

If you are interviewing for Protiviti or are expecting to interview with them, we have you covered. In this article, we’ll cover:

• The 4 steps to solve any Protiviti case interview

 

• Protiviti case interview examples

 

• How to ace the Protiviti group case interview

 

• The 10 most common Protiviti behavioral or fit interview questions

• Recommended Protiviti case interview resources

If you’re looking for a step-by-step shortcut to learn case interviews quickly, enroll in our case interview course. These insider strategies from a former Bain interviewer helped 30,000+ land consulting offers while saving hundreds of hours of prep time.

 

The 4 Steps to Solve Any Protiviti Case Interview

 

Since Protiviti provides candidates with the background information to the case interview or case study interview beforehand, make sure to spend enough time before your interview preparing your answer.

 

Follow these four steps to solve any Protiviti case interview:

 

1. Understand the case

 

Addressing or solving the right business problem is the most important aspect of a case interview. Review the case background information carefully, taking notes if needed. Focus on understanding the context of the situation, the company, and the objective of the case.

 

Make sure that you read the objective of the case at least two or three times. Not addressing the right business question is the quickest way to fail a case interview.

 

2. Structure the problem

 

Develop a framework to help you tackle the business problem. A framework is a tool that helps you structure and break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable components. With a framework, you’ll be brainstorming different ideas and organizing them into different categories.

For a complete guide on how to create tailored and unique frameworks for each case, check out our article on case interview frameworks.

 

3. Develop a solution

 

Next, use your framework to methodically develop a solution that addresses all of the major points in your framework. If you have questions regarding some of the information in the case, write them down so that you can ask your interviewer on your interview day.

 

For now, clearly write down all of the assumptions that you had to make when developing your solution or recommendation.

 

4. Practice presenting and prepare for potential questions

 

After you have a potential recommendation or solution, practice presenting your framework and your solution. You want your presentation to be clear, concise, and easy to follow.

 

With the remaining time that you have, brainstorm potential questions the interviewer may ask you during the case interview. They may want to know how you performed your analysis or how you reached your conclusions.

 

Preparing for these potential questions will help make your recommendation much more convincing. You’ll also feel much more confident about your answer and the process that you took.

 

Protiviti Case Interview Examples

 

Protiviti does not provide any examples of the types of case interviews or case study interviews you may expect to see on their website. However, candidates that have interviewed with Protiviti mentioned cases similar to the following:

 

Example #1: You are shown a process map for a retailer on how they purchase the products that they sell to customers. How would you identify potential bottlenecks or inefficiencies?

 

Example #2: Your client is a bank that processes small loans. How can they make their loan approval process more streamlined?

 

Example #3: Your client is a car rental business. How would you suggest improvements to the company’s business model?

 

Example #4: For a fast food restaurant chain, you are shown a process map that shows how a corporate-owned location versus a franchisee-owned location is opened. Which type of location is best for revenue growth?

For more practice, check out our article on 23 MBA consulting casebooks with 700+ free practice cases.

 

How to Ace the Protiviti Group Case Interview

 

Protiviti uses a group case interview in their final round of interviews. This special type of case interview assesses you on your collaboration and teamwork skills.

 

Here’s what you should expect:
 

• You’ll be put into a group with 3 to 5 other candidates

 

• The interviewer will give the group the case prompt and any other case background information

 

• You’ll have anywhere between 40 to 60 minutes to review the materials, discuss with your group, and prepare a presentation

 

• The group will then present their solution or recommendation to the interviewer

 

• The interviewer will ask follow-up questions based on the presentation

 

Your goal in a group case interview is to add as much value as you can to the group. There are six different ways that you can do this:

• Lead or facilitate the discussion: You can propose what topics to discuss, the order they should be discussed in, and how much time should be allocated towards each topic. If the group gets off track, you can bring the group’s focus back together.

 

• Expand upon other people’s ideas: If a group member suggests a great idea or raises a good point, build upon it and make it even better.

 

• Synthesize information: You can summarize information that other people have said and reconcile different viewpoints and ideas together.

 

• Keep track of time: You can volunteer to keep track of time and make sure that the group is on track.

 

• Play devil’s advocate: You can help your group develop strong ideas by testing the team’s thinking by considering potential risks or downsides of their ideas.

 

• Take notes: You can keep track of what other people are saying so that you can recall what has been discussed if any group members have questions.

 

Additionally, follow these five tips to improve your group case interview performance.

 

Tip #1: Treat your group members as teammates, not competition

 

The group case interview is not an exercise in which you are competing with others. Interviewers are trying to assess whether you would be a great teammate. Multiple people or even all people in your group can receive job offers.

 

Therefore, focus on adding value to the group rather than on making yourself look better than your teammates.

 

Tip #2: Don’t spend too much time reviewing the materials in silence

 

In the beginning of the group case interview, your group will likely want to spend time reviewing the case materials independently. This is fine to do, but make sure you move towards having a group discussion as early as possible.

 

There are likely many things that need to be discussed and decided on as a group, so reading materials in silence for too long is not a good use of time.

 

Tip #3: Don’t speak too much, but don’t speak too little

 

If you speak too much, this may be seen as being too aggressive or controlling. If you speak too little, you may come off as shy or timid.

 

If you were to rank all of the members in your group by how much each person spoke, you would want to be roughly in the middle. This would be the perfect balance between speaking and listening.

 

Tip #4: Don’t interrupt or talk over your group members

 

Interrupting others when they are speaking is rude and disrespectful. You do not want to be inconsiderate or a jerk. Be nice and respectful to your group members.

 

Tip #5: Involve other people

 

If you observe that someone has not spoken much, ask them for their thoughts or opinions. If you notice that someone has been cut off when they were speaking, ask them to finish their thoughts after the person interrupting them has finished what they have to say. This shows that you are a considerate and helpful teammate.

For a full guide on group case interviews, check out our consulting group case interview step-by-step guide.

 

The 10 Most Common Protiviti Behavioral or Fit Interview Questions

 

In addition to case interviews, you will likely be asked many behavioral or fit interview questions. There are ten questions that are most commonly asked.

 

1. Why Protiviti?

 

How to answer: Have at least three reasons why you’re interested in working at Protiviti. You could mention that you loved the people that you have met from the company so far. You can talk about Protiviti’s expertise in providing consulting solutions in technology, finance, operations, analytics, data, governance, risk, and internal audit. You can speak about the wide range of  professional development opportunities Protiviti gives to its employees through their diverse clientele. Finally, you can mention the opportunity to make a tangible impact on some of the largest companies in the world.

 

2. Why consulting?

 

How to answer: Again, have three reasons why you’re interested in consulting. You could mention the fast career growth opportunity, the opportunity to develop soft and hard skills, or the level of impact that you can make by working with large companies on their most challenging issues.

 

3. Walk me through your resume

 

How to answer: Provide a concise summary of your work experience, starting with the most recent. Focus on emphasizing your most impressive and unique accomplishments. At the end, tie your experiences to why you are interested in consulting and why you would be a great fit for Protiviti.

 

4. What accomplishment are you most proud of? 

 

How to answer: Choose your most impressive, unique, or memorable accomplishment. Structure your answer by providing information on the situation, the task, the actions you took, and the results of your work. Explain why the accomplishment is so meaningful to you and what qualities that reveals about you as a person.

It's a good idea to align your answers to the core values listed on Protiviti's career website: integrity, inclusion, innovation, and commitment. This is an easy way to demonstrate your cultural fit with the company.

 

5. Tell me about something that is not on your resume

 

How to answer: This is a great opportunity to highlight an accomplishment that is not related to your professional work experience. Perhaps there is a non-profit that you volunteer at, a side project or business that you work on, or a hobby that you have won awards or recognition for. Select an accomplishment that is impressive and interesting.

 

6. Tell me about a time when you had to lead a team.

 

How to answer: If possible, choose a time when you directly managed a person or a team. For this question and the following similar questions, make sure that you structure your answer. Provide information on the situation, the task, the actions you took, and the results of your work. This is known as the STAR method and is the most common way of answering behavioral or fit interview questions. 

 

7. Describe a time when you faced conflict or disagreement.

 

How to answer: When answering this question, focus on emphasizing the steps you took to resolve the conflict or disagreement. Speak about the interpersonal skills you had to use in order to mediate the situation. Interviewers want to know that you can handle conflict in a constructive way.

 

8. Give an example of a time when you successfully persuaded someone.

 

How to answer: Choose a time when you were able to change someone’s mind who originally disagreed with you. Focus on emphasizing the steps that you took to persuade that person and what impact this had on the organization. Interviewers want to know that you are a great communicator and have strong people skills.

 

9. Tell me about a time when you failed.

 

How to answer: Choose a time when you failed to meet a deadline or did not meet expectations. You do not want to pick a failure that is too big or embarrassing. Focus on emphasizing what you learned from the experience and how you used that experience to deliver even better results in the next opportunity that you got. Interviewers want to see that you strive to learn from your past failures and are always working to get better.

 

10. Are there any questions that you have for me?

 

How to answer: This is a fantastic opportunity to get to know the interviewer on a more personal level. Ask them questions about their experience in consulting. Ask what their favorite case was or what they are looking to do next in their career. The more you can get the interviewer talking about themself, the more likely they will be to have a positive impression of you.

For more help on Protiviti behavioral or fit interview questions, check out our complete guide on consulting behavioral interview questions.

 

Recommended Protiviti Interview Resources

 

Here are the resources we recommend to land a Protiviti consulting offer:

 

For help landing consulting interviews

 

• Resume Review & Editing: Transform your resume into one that will get you multiple consulting interviews

 

For help passing case interviews

 

• Comprehensive Case Interview Course (our #1 recommendation): The only resource you need. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, this step-by-step course will transform you into a top 1% caser that lands multiple consulting offers.

 

• Case Interview Coaching: Personalized, one-on-one coaching with a former Bain interviewer.

 

• Hacking the Case Interview Book (available on Amazon): Perfect for beginners that are short on time. Transform yourself from a stressed-out case interview newbie to a confident intermediate in under a week. Some readers finish this book in a day and can already tackle tough cases.

 

• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook (available on Amazon): Perfect for intermediates struggling with frameworks, case math, or generating business insights. No need to find a case partner – these drills, practice problems, and full-length cases can all be done by yourself.

 

For help passing consulting behavioral & fit interviews

 

• Behavioral & Fit Interview Course: Be prepared for 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours. We'll teach you exactly how to draft answers that will impress your interviewer.