A Quick Note On Planning To Set Foot In McKinsey

McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting organisation and one of the world’s top advisors on business strategy. It helps clients, from large multinational corporations to small, family-owned businesses, achieve lasting success by solving their pressing problems.

Since 1926, the company has been guided by its founding principle that the practical application of analysis and insights can produce a positive economic impact and social good. McKinsey strategic planning template has helped businesses transform themselves, shape global markets and secure investments for international projects.

Furthermore, the company is famous for its “McKinsey Staffing Model”. It is well known that landing a job at McKinsey’s isn’t easy. Let’s learn more about the infamous McKinsey Staffing Model.

McKinsey Staffing Model

McKinsey adheres to an office-driven staffing model. The McKinsey staffing model refers to how the company hires consultants with different skill levels and uses the pooling of resources among these consultants to manage client projects.

It also describes how McKinsey selects individuals for a project assignment or who get hired for full-time employment at an office in a given region or country. 

After joining, every candidate is allotted a formal mentor, also known as a Development Group Leader (DGL). A Professional Development Manager will accompany the DGL. Both guides will accompany the candidates throughout the training process.

The McKinsey staffing model focuses on the following profiles:

• Skill building
• Apprenticeship
• Balance

How To Set Foot In McKinsey’s

McKinsey is one of the most prestigious and competitive consulting firms globally. If you want to work there, you must rise above your peers and work hard to climb the McKinsey career ladder. But how do you do that? 

First off, McKinsey does not simply hire anyone off the street — it takes about 2-3 months for candidates to be qualified for an interview at this life-defining firm. However, this should not demotivate you to work towards landing a job here. 

McKinsey Selection Process

McKinsey’s recruitment process is divided into two parts.

The Screening Process

McKinsey only interviews the top 10% of the students with relevant academic backgrounds and educational qualifications. The screening process ensures that only qualified candidates are picked for the next rounds of interviews. It includes the following steps:

Resume and cover letter screening

All resumes and cover letters are screened by two or three of the firm’s first line recruiters. They pay attention to how you present yourself, your coursework and grades, the efforts put into your resume, and your ability to construct a compelling narrative.

HR screening Interview

The HR screening interview is a one-on-one interview with a team member from the firm’s HR. It is the most crucial step in the selection process and can be intimidating; however, it is relatively straightforward. The HR person will ask you about your background, why you want to work at McKinsey and how your experience has prepared you for this job.

McKinsey problem-solving tests 

The last part of the screening process is a problem-solving test designed to test your deductive, inductive, and quantitative reasoning abilities. These are more technical than a typical interview and usually involve modelling or data analysis. The test contains multiple-choice questions and has a time limit of one hour. 

The Selection Process

If you get selected for an interview, you will be called for a series of PEI and case interviews. The candidate will have to perform exceptionally well to be examined by McKinsey’s management and scholars. During these interviews, the company determines if the candidate has the potential to work at McKinsey or not. The selection process includes the following steps.

• Round 1: 3x Interviews (PEI and case)
• Round 2: 3x Interviews (PEI and issue)

Personal Experience Interview: 

This interview will be conducted by a partner from one of the practice areas. These interviews, like the PEI interviews, are relatively short. The partner will ask questions about your experience and discuss your understanding of the McKinsey business model. This step is integral to the recruitment process. Most candidates fail to clear this round.

Case Interview

This is the most famous part of McKinsey’s selection process. At the outset, two people interview you — a senior associate (who has been at McKinsey for 1-2 years) and a partner (who has been at McKinsey for 2-6 years). They will ask questions about a case, which is an organisational problem that needs to be resolved; you must analyse it and give them your recommendations.

Conclusion

Since the selection process is highly competitive, you should prepare for it. If you want to climb up the McKinsey career ladder, you must keep in mind that their hiring policies are highly rigid. If you’re going to work at McKinsey, you need to be prepared for the interview sessions. 

However, McKinsey has a very liberal attitude towards the in-house development of its employees. McKinsey’s management has designed four different kinds of development programmes to help people reach the pinnacle of their careers.