Networking event with McKinsey. Any tips/suggestions?

If the on-campus event is invitation-only and is limited to 60-80 people, I agree with other suggestion: you have been flagged as high potential and you shouldn’t be worried about impressing them.

If instead this is an event open to anyone with a first-come first-served basis in terms of registration or registration open only to consulting club member, then I would instead suggest to try to have have an intelligent conversation with a few (2-3) McKinsey folks so that they remember (positively) your name.

Hope it helps,

Andrea

Hey Tom!

My advice might be counterintuitive, but - please - do NOT plan on doing anything special! Networking events at McKinsey are formats for the Firm to market itself. It is MUCH LESS the time for you to market yourself. In the moment that you are eligible to participate in such a workshop, the Firm has already tagged you as an interesting candidate, and there is very limited headroom for you to wow anyone during the event.

So just be relaxed, observe, and ask yourself what are the 2 or 3 things you really want to find out about the Firm and its employees. That's it. Don't try to impress at such a workshop. The time to impress will be the interviews! Cheers, Sidi

Hi there,

For an university networking event I suggest:

• Do some research on McKinsey people attending the event
• Define what you want to take out of the event (referrals, contacts to practice your cases, information about internships, etc.)
• Dress professionally
• Practice your elevator pitch / presentation to show your strengths / achievements (please keep it as human as possible ;))
• Ask insightful questions and engage actively on the event
• Introduce yourself to everyone after the main event and engage personally with them
• Follow up

Best,

Alberto

Hey Anonymous!

I have a slightly different point of view and my advice here might sound a bit counterintuitive, but - please:

Do not plan on doing anything special! Networking events at each of the MBB firms are formats for the firm to market itself. It is MUCH LESS the time for you to market yourself. In the moment that you are invited to participate in such a paid stay event, the firm has already tagged you as an interesting candidate, and there is very limited headroom for you to "wow" anyone during the event.

So just be relaxed, observe, and ask yourself what are the 3 or 4 things you really want to find out about the Firm and its employees. That's it! Don't try to impress at such an event. The time to impress will be the interviews!

Cheers, Sidi

Hi Tom,

unless it’s a restricted event or you fall under Option B mentioned by Vlad (the workshop is specifically to test your ability to solve cases), as Andrea said I would try to get in touch with few of the current consultants as a way to create a positive connection with one of them.

Your goal in these conversations should not be to get a referral on the spot; rather, you should try to provide a good impression with smart questions, transform the dialogue in a conversation and ask the consultants in the end whether you could reach out later for further questions; if he/she says yes you can then ask for his/her business card. If you made a good impression and the person is an alumnus of your university (usually at least the junior ones coming on campus are alumni) there are chances you could later transform the connection in a referral.

You can find some examples of good and bad questions to ask at the following link:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/open-house-at-bcg-311

As general tips for the workshop:

• Arrive early, stay late – best moment to talk is when the event is not crowded
• Prepare questions in advance; if possible do research in advance on who is going to present
• If they offered to help more in the future, send a thank you note after the event, thanking for chat and the opportunity to keep in touch

Hope this helps,
Francesco

Hey Anonymous!

I have written this earlier, and my advice might be counterintuitive, but - please:

Do NOT plan on doing anything special! Networking events at each of the MBB firms are formats for the firm to market itself. It is MUCH LESS the time for you to market yourself. In the moment that you are eligible to participate in such a workshop, the firm has already tagged you as an interesting candidate, and there is very limited headroom for you to "wow" anyone during the event.

So just be relaxed, observe, and ask yourself what are the 2 or 3 things you really want to find out about the Firm and its employees. That's it. Don't try to impress at such a workshop. The time to impress will be the interviews!

Cheers, Sidi

Hi,

It depends on the structure of a workshop:

1. Option A: Consultants will show you how to solve a case. Here you don't need to do anything special - just try to have a couple of nice conversations after the case. Don't expect to get any benefits from that
2. Option B: You'll be split into teams with a dedicated consultant observing you solving the case together. Here your main objective is to demonstrate how good you are at solving the cases. That's the only and the best way to impress. Also be careful, since it does not mean you should not listen to others and try being an absolute leader. Be the guy  with the smart ideas

Best

Hi,

Several tips:

1. If it is a case practice event - be ready with cases. Many events have the group cases and you can shine if you are prepared more than the average candidate
2. Have in mind interesting questions to ask. Skip the boring / negative ones are career growth or work hours. Ask the smart questions about different industries and the future of the consulting
3. Do a lot of networking after the event. Write a thank you note to the consultant or even approach him later to practice a case.
4. More tips on networking you can find in my post here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/networking-for-experienced-hireprofessional-914#a1794

Best

Hi,

It depends on the structure of a workshop:

1. Option A: Consultants will show you how to solve a case. Here you don't need to do anything special - just try to have a couple of nice conversations after the case. Don't expect to get any benefits from that and don't do anything special
2. Option B: You'll be split into teams with a dedicated consultant observing you solving the case together. Here your main objective is to demonstrate how good you are at solving the cases. That's the only and the best way to impress. Also be careful, since it does not mean you should not listen to others and try being an absolute leader. Be the guy with the smart ideas. I know many candidates who got invited to McKinsey PST or Bain interviews without a test after these events.

You'll also get a chance to:

• Look how MBB approaches solving a case
• Talk to MBB people and get some information for you FIT interview (why The Company reasons, topics for your questions to the interviewer, etc)
• Meet with other candidates with whom you can practice the cases further

PS. After each event, there is a Q&A session where you can talk to consultants 1 on 1 or in a group. If you want to keep in touch - send a thank you note after the event:

• "I just wanted to thank you for visiting our University...
• It was especially interesting to hear about...
• Would be happy to keep in touch and apply in the nearest future.

Alternatively, you may use LinkedIn for that. 

Best!

Best

Hi there,

regarding your questions:

1. You should be visible and participate actively in any activities during the event, i.e. try to "lead" your group in case you do a case study, participate in discussions, and show genuine interest in the firm and its consultants. But most importantly: Be yourself. These events won't help you to receive an offer straight away, but they may help you to facilitate the recruting process afterwards. From my experience, there is no way to "prepare" for this.
2. See 1. Very likely you will have a few discussion rounds with other participants and consulting staff, you may be asked to solve a case in groups etc.
3. The idea of these events is more to advertise the firm to potential candidates, not the other way around. All of the participants have been invited because the main recruiting criteria seem to fit (grades, experience etc.) However, after the event recruiting will actively contact selected participants, who stood out from the group, so this is your chance: Be visible, show genuine interest / ask questions and leadership skills.

Most importantly, you should also use the opportunity to figure out whether you feel that the firm is the right place for you - this works best if you talk to as many people from the firm as possible.

Hope this helps.

Dorothea

Hi,

It depends on the structure of a workshop:

1. Option A: Consultants will show you how to solve a case. Here you don't need to do anything special - just try to have a couple of nice conversations after the case. Don't expect to get any benefits from that and don't do anything special
2. Option B: You'll be split into teams with a dedicated consultant observing you solving the case together. Here your main objective is to demonstrate how good you are at solving the cases. That's the only and the best way to impress. Also be careful, since it does not mean you should not listen to others and try being an absolute leader. Be the guy with the smart ideas. I know many candidates who got invited to McKinsey PST or Bain interviews without a test after these events.

You'll also get a chance to:

• Look how MBB approaches solving a case
• Talk to MBB people and get some information for you FIT interview (why The Company reasons, topics for your questions to the interviewer, etc)
• Meet with other candidates with whom you can practice the cases further

PS. After each event, there is a Q&A session where you can talk to consultants 1 on 1 or in a group. If you want to keep in touch - send a thank you note after the event:

• "I just wanted to thank you for visiting our University...
• It was especially interesting to hear about...
• Would be happy to keep in touch and apply in the nearest future.

Alternatively, you may use LinkedIn for that. 

Best!

Hi Anonymous,

assuming your goal is to get an interview invitation, the best thing to in these events is to create a strong connection with current consultants for further support in the application process. To do so, you should prepare smart questions, transform the dialogues in a conversations and ask the consultants at the end of the event whether you could reach out later for further questions. If they says yes you can then send a thank-you note and, so far you made a good impression, chances are you could later transform the connection into a referral.

As for your questions:

1) The key things you should prepare in advance are the following:

• Read about the firm and the consulting industry. Try to understand recent development – this will ensure you can ask deeper questions and stand out
• Learn as much as possible about the consultants who will participate at the event. In this way you will be able to connect more easily.
• Prepare typical fit questions. You won’t be formally interviewed during these events, but you want to leave a positive impression in informal conversation with consultants. At the bare minimum you should
  • have a clear idea of why you want to become a consultant
  • why that particular MBB
  • what you can bring to that company and
  • have a clear, 5-lines pitch of who you are as introduction.
• Prepare your own 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 more information on the ideal type of questions to ask:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/open-house-at-bcg-311

2) In terms of what you should expect at the event – that depends by country/expertise area/number of people invited. You will probably go though an introduction of the firm, see examples of life as a consultant and potentially have individual/group feedback session with mocks from current consultants to assess your level. I am pretty sure they will provide an agenda of the topics covered before the event.

3) In terms of what the company expects: besides preparation as for point 1, you are expected to participate actively in group conversations/ activities proposed. Whenever you have a group activity, you don’t necessarily have to act as the leader if that doesn’t come natural to you - it’s actually more important to support the team to achieve the overall goal (eg help people who are not participating to interact, volunteer to help the natural leader on specific topics, provide suggestions on next steps).

Hope this helps,
Francesco

Consultant's referrals only have value if they truly know you; i.e., if they have worked with you. In other words, don't expect a true referral from someone just meeting with you once over coffee or at a meet & greet.

MBB will see the whole stack of resumes before even coming on campus, and pre-select whom they want to meet with. By applying early, you would confirm your interest and may get invited to a special event - but I doubt it would make much of a difference anyway: who gets invited for interview will usually be decided after the campus visit, regardless of when you apply.

As for the events themselves, you will obviously want to spend as much time as possible with the consultants when they come on campus: arrive early, leave late, participate in discussions & ask good questions. That will be true regardless of the company, consulting or not.

Hi Anonymous,

below you can find the things I would keep in mind in a networking event:

1. Prepare a strategy to reach your goal. Your goal in a networking event is normally to put the basis for a referral. If that’s the case, you should get in touch with few of the current consultants and find a way to create a positive connection with one of them. Your goal in these conversations should not be to get a referral on the spot; rather, you should try to provide a good impression with smart questions, transform the dialogue in a conversation and ask the consultants in the end whether you could reach out later for further questions. If he/she says yes you can then ask for his/her business card. If you made a good impression and the person is an alumnus of your university (usually at least the junior ones coming on campus are alumni) there are chances you could later transform the connection in a referral. You can find some examples of good and bad questions to ask at the following link: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/open-house-at-bcg-31
2. Arrive early, stay late. Best moment to talk is when the event is not crowde
3. Prepare questions in advance. If possible do research in advance on who is going to present
4. If they offered to help more in the future, send a thank you note after the event, thanking for chat and the opportunity to keep in touch

Best,

Francesco

Hey,

I agree with both Sidi and Vlad.

From the perspective of a person who has just gone through the mixers and events - here is just some small tips:

• Prioritise your questions to ask that will provide talking points in your interviews later down the track..."i spoke to X and they said Y,this is interesting to me because of XYZ...what do you think"
• Try to at least build some small rapport - get their early and try to get 1 person to learn your name
• Get in and out, don't be the annoying smell that hangs around too long with the same consultant. Make your impression and leave as the longer you stay around the higher chance you'll say something stupid. Be impactful 
• Make your question different from others - Every single person asks their favourite project, the travel, what tips they have for a graduate etc...BE DIFFERENT! 

Be curious, confident and try to have some fun. 

T

What do you mean by you should not expect a great referral?

Then all the stuff you have been writing so far about networking via linkedin and career fairs ... should not be taken into account??

Hi,

Chances are very low that you'll get a referral through the career event. The only exception is if the purpose of the event is to filter the candidates. (Check if the event assumes solving a case as a team. Chances are high that you will be invited to apply).

Best