Management Consulting Discussion

Originally Posted by newinny

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I know MBA's that have had to take McKinsey's test.

+1. McKinsey's standard recruiting process is resume screen --> PST (problem-solving test) --> round 1 interview (2-3 associates/ engagement managers) --> round 2 interview (2-3 partners)

Question from out of left-field: I have a buddy who is a successful, tenure-track, engineering (interdisciplinary biomedical/mechanical field) professor at a top 5 school in his field and he seems to be tired of the research and the academic framework. He's thinking about a few different options, and I think that management consulting should be among them. His pros are that he's extremely analytical (he's recently, and quickly, developed a strong competency in sports analytics and has begun to garner recognition in this area), wicked smaht, and that he is doggedly persistent in solving problems, including a strong ability to self-assess and redirect on the fly if he realizes there is a better way to do something. Cons are that he's in his mid-30's and he's never worked for a "business."

Is he a decent candidate to get into MC or has the opportunity passed him by at this point? He would have absolutely no issues taking any McK type screening test. His resume reads like an academic - schools, post-docs, grants, publishing, and not sure it would wow anyone.

Just to keep this in AF's wheelhouse, he's also a bit of an audiophile. At the risk of outing him, he's developed some electronic DIY projects that have garnered him some reknown around the world. He's a bit of a renaissance man.

By the way, great thread.

He would be an excellent candidate for McKinsey but he might want to stress his problem solving on his resume.

McKinsey likes APDs or advanced professional degrees. They find that mixing these with MBA students creates a team with a variety of perspectives. This is also true for BCG and likely Bain.

i keep forgetting whether or not this question was answered, but how do you deal with work life balance?

i'm not afraid of long work hours (i work ~60 hours per week... not a lot by any stretch but it's more than your average 8-5er) and I have a steady relationship

but how do you deal with work life when you're going away for quite possibly 65% of your weeks?

i realize that each situation/project is different, but in general, how do most people deal with it?

Originally Posted by yjeezle

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i keep forgetting whether or not this question was answered, but how do you deal with work life balance? i'm not afraid of long work hours (i work ~60 hours per week... not a lot by any stretch but it's more than your average 8-5er) and I have a steady relationship but how do you deal with work life when you're going away for quite possibly 65% of your weeks? i realize that each situation/project is different, but in general, how do most people deal with it?
Good questions. Being more senior now I can choose projects a bit. I travel twice to three times a month and only for a few days at a time so that is very manageable. When at McKinsey there would be weeks I lived in a suitcase. The key is to work for a good firm that gets to work on very strategic and interesting projects. Another benefit is taking some time in each city visited and if possible taking advantage of a local feature such as a restaurant or a museum or niche shopping. But most of all have a very understanding Significant Other.

thought this may be of interest to this thread...

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/03/the_...+%28HBR.org%29

Originally Posted by Matt

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thought this may be of interest to this thread...

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/03/the_...+%28HBR.org%29

Interesting article. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

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He would be an excellent candidate for McKinsey but he might want to stress his problem solving on his resume. McKinsey likes APDs or advanced professional degrees. They find that mixing these with MBA students creates a team with a variety of perspectives. This is also true for BCG and likely Bain.
Thanks - my thought as well. I'll talk to him about exploring the application process to become an associate.

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

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He would be an excellent candidate for McKinsey but he might want to stress his problem solving on his resume.

McKinsey likes APDs or advanced professional degrees. They find that mixing these with MBA students creates a team with a variety of perspectives. This is also true for BCG and likely Bain.

AF - how about an econ phd, in combination with a 3-5 year background in corp. finance consulting? My interest area is business strategy for new market entry, specifically in emerging markets. I'm considering whether continuing for the phd after finishing my masters is worthwhile from a career perspective. I'd like to do the phd for personal reasons (I genuinely am passionate about what I'd write on), but my long-term interest is not in academia. Would be interest to hear it you think the phd is positive, negative, or neutral for this area.

Originally Posted by abc123

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AF - how about an econ phd, in combination with a 3-5 year background in corp. finance consulting? My interest area is business strategy for new market entry, specifically in emerging markets. I'm considering whether continuing for the phd after finishing my masters is worthwhile from a career perspective. I'd like to do the phd for personal reasons (I genuinely am passionate about what I'd write on), but my long-term interest is not in academia. Would be interest to hear it you think the phd is positive, negative, or neutral for this area.

I think this background would be attractive for any of the Big 3 strategy firms, especially if you can show clearly how you have solved real world client problems.

Originally Posted by ramuman

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I should also mention: Don't let your school or major ever keep you from doing what you want. It's only a roadblock if you make it one.

if what you want to do involves working for someone else this is not true

Originally Posted by scientific

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if what you want to do involves working for someone else this is not true

Originally Posted by pwy95a

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+1. McKinsey's standard recruiting process is resume screen --> PST (problem-solving test) --> round 1 interview (2-3 associates/ engagement managers) --> round 2 interview (2-3 partners)

This is not true, unless they changed it this year. I have interviewed with McK and so have friends of mine (all MBAs) and none have taken the PST. Maybe non-top 10 MBA applicants have to take the test.

Also, a round 1 interview for an EM would be a lateral hire, not a hire out of school.

Originally Posted by ns7

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[...]
Also, a round 1 interview for an EM would be a lateral hire, not a hire out of school.

He meant interviewed by an EM.
I don't imagine it's quite that rigid. I know of at least one 1st-round interview performed by a partner (for an internship nonetheless).

Originally Posted by Redwoood

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He meant interviewed by an EM.
I don't imagine it's quite that rigid. I know of at least one 1st-round interview performed by a partner (for an internship nonetheless).

This is true, you can be interviewed by partners/principals in the first round. McK does 2 first round interviews and 4 second round interviews. The second round is also a mix of everyone from associates to partners.