Coffee chat with head of Mck office

Hi,

First, well done on securing the coffee chat - this is the first step :)

Ask For Yourself

While a coffee chat is a way for you to make a good impression, please remember that it's also about you making sure this job + path are right for you!

To prepare, think about things you'd like to learn about the company. Ask about your person's experience at the firm, where they've come from, if they have any advice for you etc. Be inquisitive and interested in what they have to say, and feel free to ask thoughtful follow-up questions.

Have Your Pitch Ready

In terms of what they'll ask you, make sure you have your 30 second pitch prepared! Who are you in a nutshell and why are you interested in Mckinsey and strategy consulting?

Ask About Them

People love to talk about themselves. Just ask them what they've worked on recently or what their journey at Mckinsey has been like. Importantly, do your research beforehand - find out what they've done and try and pick something from their past that looks interesting to you. Tailor your questions just like they tailor their FIT questions to your resume.

"So, how did you end up in the Industrial Goods sector?" "I saw you worked on a big digital transformation for a financial services company - I experienced one myself and it seemed so hard to move such a big organisation. What did you see as the major challenges and breakthrough moments?"

Here are some other great related Q&As

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/points-to-highlight-to-a-senior-partner-over-a-coffee-4588

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/curve-ball-questions-to-expect-with-partners-6268

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/networking-with-partners-7005

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/skype-call-with-mbb-hr-manager-after-referral-what-can-i-get-out-of-it-4135

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hr-screening-rejection-6851

Hi Anonymous,

The main idea of this ~2 years of waiting time is to give you a chance to develop yourself further in that period.

For sure there was 1 or more topics in your previous interview procedure which were not up to the performance level expected by McKinsey at that time.

So the main idea for your current meeting is to prepare accordingly the following key aspects:

• What was not 100% perfect in your previous application?
• What did you do over the last 2 years to address each of those issues specifically - and what are specific examples of that as proof?
• In general: What's your development since 2 years ago and why is consulting/McKinsey right now the logical next step in your career - so have your story-line ready for that.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

Hi Anonymous - well done on landing the coffee chat! This already shows they are still interested in your profile. Use the 30 minutes to tell your story and making sure it is 'WOW'. Take the time to also understand the Senior Partner - their focus area, impact of COVID etc.

At the end of the 30 minutes - mention you are keen to apply again. If your chat has gone well then most likely the senior partner will be supportive and offer to refer you without you having to ask. Try not to focus on what happened 2 years ago - water under the bridge. Fact is they want to speak with you now

That said - I expect you will need to prepare for the interview process rigorously to avoid the mistakes of last time. Highly recommend working with an experienced coach if you are through to interviews

Dear A,

Congratulations for that opportunity! Good job! 

Well, in general, you need to be lightly person on order to do so you need to google the most relevant information about your partner with whom you are going to talk about his background, his competence and focus, past projects. Maybe, you can even find any publications where he was an author. Through this, try to ask him the questions and find similarities with yourself: maybe you cam from the same school, town, or interested in the same topics. This will help you to establish both profesional and personal link. 

Listen more than you speak, be an active listener. Partners normally like those person who are smart and listen to them. So make the partner feel great during this conversation. And I'm pretty sure that afterwards he will be eager to help you to get into the firm, which is your ultimate objective. 

Hope it helps you,

If you need further tips, just drop me a message,

Good luck,

André

Hi there,

Well done on setting the coffee chat – that’s a great achievement already.

I would recommend the following:

• Prepare good questions (see below some examples)
• Move from the questions to a conversation, trying to connect on a personal level with the partner. It is too long to describe how to do so in a post, but if you are interested How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie has all the basics
• Ask a closing questions to test if he would be willing to refer you. You cannot ask directly of course as it would be too pushy.

The key things I would recommend to prepare in advance are the following:

• Read about McKinsey and the consulting industry. Try to understand recent developments – this will ensure you can ask relevant questions and stand out
• Learn as much as possible on the partner. In this way, you will be able to connect more easily.
• Be prepared on company-related fit questions. You won’t be formally interviewed, but you want to leave a positive impression. At the bare minimum, you should:
  • have a clear idea of why you want to become a consultant
  • why you want to join McKinsey
  • what you can bring to that company and
  • have a clear, 5-lines pitch of who you are as introduction
  • how did you improve in the last 2 years since the rejection
• Prepare your questions to ask. Relevant questions are a great way to show your interest in the company and get additional points. In the first reply at the following post, you can find some information on the ideal type of questions to ask: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/open-house-at-bcg-311

Best,

Francesco

Hello!

It´s a great opportunity, ensure you make the most out of it!

On top of what´s been shared, try to think about this as if you were meeting your partner´s parents. You need to impress them and you want them to have a good opinion about you, but you also need to be enjoyable. 

Hope it helps!

Best regards, 

Clara