A written case study is a critical step in the Nous recruitment process. Written case studies give you time for deep reflection before writing a client-ready report that showcases your critical thinking and writing capability.
Nous written case studies are assessed against the following criteria:
- Clear articulation of the client's question
- Accurate and rigorous analysis
- Identification of the challenges facing the client
- Sophisticated and creative recommendations
- Consideration of risks associated with the recommendations.
Visual additions can be used to enhance your narrative but are not essential. We ask that you use only the supplied information and that you don’t include any outside references – you may use your experience to enhance your response, but rationale must be steeped in the evidence provided.
- There is a method to solving cases and delivering a successful response. Clearly define the question that needs to be solved to address the client’s problem. This helps you to identify the key issues from your analysis.
- Answer all the questions and tasks posed in the case study outline.
- Undertake accurate and rigorous analysis. Look deeply: some insights are not immediately apparent. Interpret the information provided and complete calculations to develop your insights.
- Synthesize the findings from your analysis into sophisticated and compelling conclusions or key challenges. Clearly reference evidence to support these conclusions or key challenges.
- Develop recommendations that are logical, sophisticated and creative to address the key challenges. Recommendations should align with the identified challenges, solve for the problem presented, and be appropriate for the client to implement.
- Deliver a clear, logical document structure that communicates your key messages and guides the reader through your thinking. Provide an executive summary and use headings and sub-headings that clearly signpost each element of the document.
- Ensure clear and succinct communication that is engaging and professional. Write in an active voice and use correct spelling and grammar. Your final document should be something you'd be proud to send to a client.
We suggest you approach this task with the same rigour and enthusiasm you would any professional task. Be creative and deliver bold ideas!