Incoming McKinsey BA - What are courses to get up to speed in Excel AND PPT, specifically designed for consultants?

Hey there,

Congrats on the achievement!

If you are interested in preparing for your new role, I'd suggest the following:

When I got the offer some years ago I did the same. I reached out to people I knew in McKinsey and people who interviewed me to ask: what can I do to make the start easier? how can I prepare?

The answer from everyone was: Relax! Enjoy your time before you start and don't think about it. You will figure it out on the job. I followed that advice and it made sense to me once I joined.

When you start at in top tier consulting there are 2 ways to learn:

1. Formal training. The formal training sessions/ weeks/ days in the beginning, are nice, however, they are more for networking and meeting your peers. You learn some interesting concepts and get some useful tips from more experienced consultants BUT
2. Constant and implicit learning on the job is where it's at. No matter if you are a newcomer or a veteran after 2 years, you will always find yourself on a steep learning curve. As soon as you barely mastered one skill or the skills needed for one level in the hierarchy, you will take care of things, which are expected from a more senior colleague. This cycle never ends. You are expected to learn on the job, learn from your colleagues, your mentors, sometimes even the client. So basically a newly promoted Engagement Manager has the same 'struggle' as a new-hire Business Analyst. They both need to work in a completely new environment and role.

Knowing that, if we now go back to square one in your MBB journey it makes perfect sense to enter the firm with a blank slate with a lot of curiosity and eagerness to soak it all up and quickly learn the ropes.

Nothing matches the experience and the learning and this is a good thing (also the reason why ex-MBBs are valued highly on the job market).

You will learn everything you need to master while doing it. You will be thrown in the cold water and need to swim. However, your colleagues will always be happy to help you and mentor you. And for the rest, you will figure everything out along the way. The key here is always to ask for tips, shortcuts, feedback, etc. Don't be quiet if you get stuck.

Lastly, if you have no domain knowledge about a certain industry or topic, read through the internal library of documentation (which is endless) and call some of the firm experts on the topic. Usually, they are happy to offer you a short call to get you up to speed.

But here’s something extra: Since the question came up ever so often with my clients, I've authored a book titled "Consulting Career Secrets," specifically to guide newcomers like you in navigating this journey. The goal of the book was to answer all typical questions of entry-level consultants and show them the way to make the entry and the transition as simple and painless as possible. 

While no book or training can entirely prep you for the unique experiences of your first day, week, or project, it offers comprehensive insights to mentally prepare you, suggests essential tools and skills to acquire, shows you the ways how to do that, and strategies to quickly adapt and excel in your new role. 

You can DM me if you want to know more.

In any case, don't sweat the small stuff and enjoy the ride!

Florian

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the upcoming consulting career start with McKinsey!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, while it is great to see how eager you are to prepare for your consulting career start, I would highly advise you not to worry about it.
• All major consulting firms provide you with excellent onboarding and training that will prepare you for everything you need to know.
• Lastly, if you still want to improve your MS PowerPoint and Excel skills on your own, I would advise you to focus on learning common MS Excel functions as well as MS Excel and PowerPoint shortcuts.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

What is your level of proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint? 

If you're starting from scratch, it's wise to get up-to-speed on the basics of Excel/PPT before jumping into training. The further along you are, the more valuable you will be to a fragmented engagement manager. 

Yes, people invest time in training, but the amount of time and thoughtfulness folks give varies. To de-risk your learning, I would: 

1. Learn essential functions and shortcuts in Excel and PowerPoint -- YouTube, LinkedIn learning, and other free platforms can do the trick
2. Review publically available McKinsey slides on topics you're interested in to get exposed to how they communicate (both writing and visuals)
3. Consider reading the following book: Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything (Charles Conn, Robert McLean)

There is path dependency in your growth and development. The stronger you come out of the gate, the better off you are in the long run. With that said, this is not something you need to commit full-time to -- just a few hours a week could put you in a great spot to crush your first few months. 

Feel free to reach out if you'd like to chat in more detail! 

One week at McKinsey is worth 3 months of external courses

Don't stress out with being ready. Everything is designed so you can get up to speed very fast. Enjoy the upcoming days to do things that charge your physical, mental and emotional energy. You will need to be at your 200% when you start.

Take a break. Don't bother trying to learn stuff before. 

Source: my own experience taking a break before starting consulting and coming from a background with zero business experience.