Should I express my practice preference in an interview?

Question

I have an interview with McKinsey coming up soon. It’s for a MENA office (non GCC).

I understand that there’s little discretion to the entry level analyst when it comes to specialising in a certain practice. However, I heard from people in the company that the private equity practice is very good. They do a lot of interesting high level work for large PE firms & SWF, which includes a lot of collaboration with other MENA offices. I was also told these projects tend to have the worst hours and possibly culture.

I have a finance background and I think my skills can be a strong match for the PE practice. I know better than to say this in an interview, but I want to exit to PE so i think working with PE companies can be beneficial. I’m curious if I should say that I prefer working with PE projects in interviews. Does it show knowledge and initiative or reductive skills?

Answer 1

Congratulations on landing an interview! I worked with the McKinsey private equity practice for ~8 months and it was my most enjoyable time at the firm. The hours are long but the hours are long in almost every single practice in the firm… focus on the work you'd most enjoy and the people you'd most enjoy working with.

3 thoughts for you to consider:

If you are applying as a generalist, entry level BA - the firm is more interested in your intrinsic problem solving ability, ambition, drive etc. You can absolutely highlight your interest in 1 or more practice areas and if you have some intel on studies, people, experiences that you can share in the interview that might help you stand out
Private equity (PEPI) practice sometimes has a dedicated ‘Strike’ team, a small pool of dedicated consultants for 6 month blocks. The lead time between LoP and kick-off can be extremely short so the practice benefits from having a dedicated pool of resources. After you join you can express your interest in the team and offer to be dedicated for a period of time. If they don't have a dedicated team, then network with Partners, APs, EMs that regularly do PEPI work. The better your network the more likely you'll get staffed on those engagements when they come up.
If your end game is PE, and you have a finance background, 2yrs in IB is actually a more traditional route and is more aligned to the majority of PE firm lateral hire funnels. You can absolutely move from MBB, LEK etc to PE, I would just sense check / reflect why you would want to develop a consulting toolkit vs an IB / investor toolkit.
Good luck with the interviews!

Answer 2

Hi! Let me share with you a couple of points that might help you structure your approach:

Do the people working in MENA in PE have a separate practice with a dedicated interview process (this is the case for Italy, for example)? I would ask this to your contacts at the company. If this is the case, it might create confusion if you are applying as a generalist role if you then say you would love to do PE - they might ask you, why are you not applying for our PE role? Just be sure to think it through before you start your interview process.
Assuming here you are applying for a generalist role. In general, I would say sharing your industry interest is fine, as far as you do not push it too far (i.e., showing you are also excited to work on other industries) and the industry is relevant for the McKinsey office your applying to.
If you want to exit in PE, working in the PE practice is a plus but not a must. So, think it through if you really want to focus your years in consulting only working on PE (it has some disadvantages).

I hope this helps!

Answer 3

Hi there,

I don't see any issues with stating your preferences. It shows that you are authentic and know what you want.

2 other things to consider:

1. The question will likely not come up

2. Find a balance between stating your preference and being open to generalist projects as well, especially in the interview and at the beginning of your tenure. Once you are in the firm and found your footing, it's always easier to chart your own course and work towards your preferences.

All the best,

Florian