Meet McKinsey’s MBA Class Of 2022 by: Jeff Schmitt on October 13, 2023 | 36,648 Views October 13, 2023 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit Colleagues enjoying time in the dynamic Washington, DC office, which serves a broad mix of organizations in the public, private, and social sectors BIG OPPORTUNITIES: CLIMATE CHANGE AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT What concerns McKinsey clients the most? Climate change is clearly top-of-mind both in the public and private sector, says Blair Ciesil. To meet their clients’ needs, McKinsey has invested roughly $400 million dollars over the past two years in the area. In addition, between its client rolodex and internal expertise, McKinsey has emerged as a thought leader in the field – even becoming, in Ciesil’s words, “the center of the web” in shaping thinking on emissions reduction. “We are very open about saying we serve some of the biggest emitters on the planet,” Ciesil adds. “If you think about it, the bigger the player the bigger the possible reduction. We don’t shy away from that. By partnering with some of the biggest emitters on the planet, we’re going to get the bang for our buck as a society to help reduce emissions. Over last few years, our clients – who have contributed 20% of our global GDP –are also responsible for 80% of the reported reductions of CO2 emissions. For us, that’s really validating that we’re in the arena and working with the people who are going to affect this for our entire planet.” People and talent are also keeping CEOs awake at night, adds Ciesil. “We are in an increasingly volatile world: The intersection of geopolitical uncertainty; labor markets that have been through extended periods of talent shortage; everyone trying to get their arms around how AI is going to change the future of work – all of these are examples of how getting talent right is the unlock for any organization. For example, take diversity – not just traditional diversity but thinking about diversity of perspective and experience. How do we ensure that we are bringing together a team that can dissent with each other, debate, and build a better answer? We are increasingly advising our clients on how to do that.” Great teamwork is a science at McKinsey TESTING AND INTERVIEW ADVICE Now that the Class of 2022 has spent a year at the firm, what advice would they give for acing the digital test, Personal Experience Interview (PEI), or the Problem-Solving Interview? Alonso Badiola used his family as a “sounding board” to ensure he came off as authentic. At the same time, he would always ask himself “So what?” to dig below surface level responses and address “risks, implications, and suggested next steps.” In terms of the big picture, says Hugo Nathaniel Chim, the interview is a microcosm for what it takes to become a consultant. “Every step of the process tests a candidate’s ability to think and articulate clearly and methodologically under time pressure. For the digital test, everyone works differently, but most of the successful candidates I know have formulated a system of taking notes and organizing a large amount of information quickly – whether it was digitally or on a piece of paper. For PEI, it’s really about being able to articulate the impact you make. For the case interview, being able to communicate in a MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive) manner is crucial. In all interactions, it helps to form rapport with your interviewers early on – it’s a people business after all.” Even more, the process is designed to weed out those who lack the right mentality for consulting. “It is very difficult to excel at the firm if you are not genuinely excited about it,” adds Alexander Schurer. “If you don’t enjoy preparing for case studies for a few hours a week, you are unlikely to enjoy living that life day-to-day. Personally, I was excited not only about the prospect of joining the firm, but I found the cases genuinely fun to solve…My advice would simply be to try and enjoy the interview process as an intellectual game as opposed to a hurdle you need to overcome.” In 2022, McKinsey worked on more than 1600 sustainability engagements with 600+ clients HOW TO THRIVE AT MCKINSEY Blair Ciesil offers some advice of her own for those candidates who land a position at McKinsey. A popular aphorism at the firm is “Make our own McKinsey.” On one level, that translates to experimenting with new ideas and pursuing passions, particularly with so many resources at consultants’ disposal. On another “Make your own McKinsey” is a call for consultants to stay upbeat and proactive, focusing more on possibilities and less on limits, always keeping an eye out for how they can add value to clients. For Ciesil, this freedom—or “self-authorship” in her words – is critical to success at the firm. “We are looking for people who are excited to pick up the pen and write their story. They’re not looking for someone to tell them, ‘Here’s the path of your career for the next 20 years, just follow these mileposts and you’ll progress.’ We really unleash the power of people’s self-determination in ways that is really exhilarating. So a way to stand out, so to speak, is to be courageous and decide the places you want to grow.” To do that, Ciesil urges new consultants to seek out company leaders and subject matter experts, ask questions, seek feedback, and volunteer for projects. “Asking begets more opportunity… The people who thrive on raising their hand, seeking the next step for them, and do it in a supportive way [are the most successful].” What is the biggest mistakes that Ciesil sees MBA new hires make? They do the opposite – something she admittedly did early in her career. “When I was a summer intern, I felt like I had to get this offer; I had to demonstrate to McKinsey that I could contribute, fit in, and meet their expectations of what a good consultant is. It took a colleague of mine – a business analyst who’d been hired from undergrad and been with the firm for a year – to take me aside and tell me I got it wrong. He said, ‘You are worried so much about meeting an expectation. Instead, you need to decide where your gifts can contribute. You need to decide where you are excited to grow and learn and where you think you can help this client with your own unique capabilities.’ It just flipped my mindset: ‘I own this. I own my own journey. I own the skills I get to develop.’ I am so lucky to have a learning, teaching culture where that’s prioritized.” The end result, Ciesil adds, is the most valuable takeaway from time at McKinsey: Confidence. “Because [our work] can be messy and hard, it does give you this confidence to say, I’m being asked to do something I’ve never done before and I’m going to figure it out. That is a real benefit for people who like growing and stretching themselves. You’re given the toolkit to tackle hard problems. It helps to build your confidence that you can keep doing that.” MBA Graduate McKinsey Office Hometown MBA Program Alonso Badiola Mexico City Mexico City, Mexico Northwestern University (Kellogg) Hugo Nathaniel Chim London Hong Kong London Business School Candice Creecy Boston Woodland Park, CO MIT (Sloan) Jada Ferreira Houston Houston, TX Rice University (Jones) Michelle Gil London New York City, NY London Business School Jennifer Li New York City Federal Way, WA University of Chicago (Booth) Mridang Lodha Seattle Bokaro Steel City, India Duke University (Fuqua) Paul Prenevost Minneapolis Park Rapids, MN University of Minnesota (Carlson) Davon Robertson Silicon Valley Providence, RI Stanford GSB Débora Rozão Rio de Janeiro São Paulo, Brazil IESE Business School Alexander Schurer London Cape Town, South Africa Cambridge Judge Jubinder Singh Chicago New Delhi, India Cornell University (Johnson) Brooke Wages Atlanta Raleigh, NC MIT (Sloan) Previous PagePage 3 of 3 1 2 3