Getting Hired at McKinsey: A Guide to the Most Selective Employer

Getting hired at one of the top three consulting firms, such as McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Co, is notoriously difficult. With a success rate of just 1%, it's no wonder that many people are intimidated by the prospect of applying. However, with the right skills and experience, you can increase your chances of getting hired. In this article, we'll discuss what it takes to get hired at McKinsey and how to prepare for a career with one of the most selective employers in the world. McKinsey & Company was founded by University of Chicago professor and management accounting expert James O McKinsey in 1926. As an outsider, the path to McKinsey as a management consultant was as mysterious as the work itself.

A career at McKinsey or any of the top consulting firms is the best job in the world, believe me. McKinsey reportedly receives more than one million applications a year and hires less than 1% of them. This means that you only have a one percent chance of getting hired. However, this shouldn't deter you if you think you have the right skills and experience. Before you apply, make sure you're willing and able to adopt the lifestyle of a McKinsey employee.

For example, the firm created the McKinsey Institute for the Economic Mobility of African Americans to help black leaders accelerate economic development. McKinsey is also a prolific recruiter at many business school campuses, such as Harvard Business School and MIT's Sloan School of Management. McKinsey is a leading consulting firm with worldwide recognition and attracts clients from all over the world. Case interviews are another famous part of the interviewing and hiring process at firms such as McKinsey & Co, Bain and BCG. Most test cases come from previous McKinsey projects, so the test is an almost accurate representation of the type of conditions you'll encounter once you're hired. McKinsey is more willing to hire candidates from non-traditional business environments than other top-tier management consulting firms: about 50 percent of McKinsey consultants don't have a graduate degree in business. I spent two days going through about 10 exhibitions.

Examples of cases can be difficult to find. I used cases from my mock interviews, cases from YouTube and these case books from MBA schools. I hope that by making clear what you need to get hired at McKinsey, BCG or Bain, you'll be in a better position to start preparing for a career with one of these firms. For example, McKinsey & Co subjects its candidates to two or three rounds of appropriate interviews, unlike the other two firms. A mentor of mine knew I wanted to make the transition to business and product management and suggested that I study McKinsey. With dedication and hard work, you can increase your chances of getting hired at one of these top three consulting firms.

Good luck!.

Léo Poitevin
Léo Poitevin

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