How To Start Mckinsey Interview Preparation

If you just applied or have an interview already scheduled. You don't know how to start  Mckinsey Interview Preparation then  this post is for you.

There is a ton of resources out there to read about interview preparation. Forums, blogs, books, it is easy to get lost and feel overwhelmed. And that is why we are centralizing all the information you need on to prepare in one place!

Zerotombb will provide all the resources on one place.  Check out our free practice case or join one of our live practice session! you can get free resources on your email, only need to sign up on the website.

Is management consulting right for you?

In  MBB Management Consulting Firms,  all the Consultants have very different backgrounds, personalities, and goals when entering consulting firms. But there are some common traits that could help you decide if management consulting is right for you.

Overachievers

Management consultants tend to be overachievers. If you want to enter right after graduating, you should have excellent academics, no matter what subject matter your study.

FYI: most consultants will come from business programs or engineering programs, a few from will come from medical school, law school, and a small number from other majors like history, literature etc.

On top of academics, and still in line with the overachiever personality, consultants will have spent a lot of time one extracurriculars, be it sports, clubs, volunteering, and often in leadership positions.

If you have already some work experience, your grades become less important but your professional track record should still demonstrate excellence through high impact projects, leadership, and extracurriculars such as the ones mentioned above.

Hard workers

Management consultants work long hours, in stressful environments with tight deadlines, sometimes with uncooperative or even hostile clients. If you want to be a management consultant, you should enjoy working hard and welcome being pushed and challenged on workload, quality, and speed.

Globe-trotters

You are afraid of flying and can’t sleep anywhere else other than in your bed? Forget it! At least if you aim at a top consulting firm. Consultants love to travel and explore new countries and cities. Many firms also give you the opportunity to transfer or work for several months abroad. Discussions about how to beat jetlag and queues are one of the favorite topics of conversation among consultants. You will learn to pack smart and accumulate so many hotel and airline points that you will go on vacation for free. Nice! But be aware, traveling is also pretty tiring and demanding on your body in general. Talk to your partner about being away Monday-Thursday and see what works.

Fast impact seekers

Many people seek to have an impact in the world and consultants are no different. The difference with other profession is that they don’t have a lot of patience. They want to work hard and fast and make a measurable impact quickly, then move on. Many Ph.D. graduates join consulting, for this reason, i.e. they didn’t like the speed at which they were making an impact during their Ph.D. Same for those who transfer from large corporations when they realize that their impact will be limited by organizational and cultural hurdles.

Team players

You will always be part of a team as a management consultant. Often a team of 2-3 people full time on the ground, plus 1-2 partners popping in and out during the week. Because work is intense and stressful, you will rely on your team to overcome hurdles and blow off some steam during the week. You should, therefore, enjoy teamwork, have a natural propensity to help others, coach and be coached. Consulting is not for loners, and one of the main questions that consultants will eventually try to answer during the interview is this one: “would I want to have this person on my team?”

If you don't know anyone, welcome to ZeroToMBB where all our coaches are experienced interviewers from top firms! Also, when you apply and get invited for interviews, make sure to ask for a “buddy”, i.e. a consultant from the company who will accompany you through the preparation process, in particular, you can ask him/her to do a practice case. Lastly, you may dream of getting into a specific consulting firm, but remember that you will increase your chances if you apply to several consulting firms at the same time. We offer one-stop preparation resources to get you into the most prestigious management consulting firms.