Magnolia Innovation Associate Interview Questions
& Process

I had two 30-minute phone interviews. After that, I was invited to the last stage, which involved a case study presentation to three employees, and then individual interviews with each of them. The case study took me over 10 hours to prepare. I got good feedback during the presentation and the one-on-one interviews also went okay. Then I never heard back. I sent a few follow-up emails and got no response. Really unprofessional, especially considering how much work they expect candidates to put in.

I applied online. The process had a few phone rounds, then an onsite day where I presented a take-home exercise, did a case question, and had interviews with their leadership. Everyone I spoke with came from different backgrounds like strategy consulting, market research, and healthcare analytics, so each had a unique perspective on the daily work. It seems like the firm handles open-ended strategy projects for life sciences clients, using various research methods; my interviewers highlighted the diverse skills they acquired and the broad scope of projects, making the work feel eclectic and demanding. Despite being a small office, it appeared to be a fun place to work. People were already working when I arrived for my morning interview. There were different types of workspaces, ideas drawn on whiteboards and white-tables everywhere, a foosball table, and a nice kitchen. The presentation and interviews were good experiences; the questions were detailed, but the interviewers were very open about their experiences and views on the firm. It seems like a work-hard-play-hard culture, and they don't take themselves too seriously. Their offer was also good compared to many other research/strategy firms I interviewed with – they had a solid bonus structure and benefits, which can be rare for smaller firms in this industry. Many of the people I interviewed with had been there since the firm started, so it seems to have worked out well for them. Overall, the interview process was intense but smooth; I left with a very positive impression of the firm.

First call was with the recruiter, then a phone interview with an Associate Director. After that, I did a case presentation. I had to analyze data and make a presentation following their branding guidelines, then present it to 4 directors. The case took over 10 hours for analysis and presentation prep. They seemed to want a lot from the presentation, like including extra statistical analysis and insights beyond what was asked. Even with the extra data I included, it felt like it wasn't enough. Considering all the extra work they asked for, it could easily be a 20+ hour task, which is wild to expect from a candidate. There were supposed to be three more interviews after this. I didn't hear back for over a month after presenting.