McKinsey (one of the top three management consulting fims, the other two being Bain and BCG) actively recruited at our law school. Never one to pass up new opportunities, I actually signed-up and tried out for McKinsey (this was a few years ago). They required resume and grades. I'm not sure if they ever looked at my grades/resume.
Wow. Management consulting! You get to work with super smart and accomplished team mates. Your clients are fortune 500 company executives. You get to travel. Start new projects every 6 months or so. Work hard and play even harder. I mean what's not to like about it?
Wow. Management consulting! You get to work with super smart and accomplished team mates. Your clients are fortune 500 company executives. You get to travel. Start new projects every 6 months or so. Work hard and play even harder. I mean what's not to like about it?
The McKinsey interview was quite eye opening. I walked into their Chicago office (the Chase building) where they had me sit down (along with other law school students - there were approximately 15 of us) and take a math exam. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit to myself. Law students are notorious for hating math. Some of us chose the legal profession because it's the only professional degree that doesn't require math knowledge (for example, look at the LSAT). So McKinsey, as a first step test, wanted those who can work comfortably with numbers. I saw no problem/issue here (or so I thought). Check!
After the exam they split us into teams of four, and walked us through a sample case study and interview process. This was very nice of them. Up until that point I had only heard horror stories about management consulting interviews (e.g., "How many bubble gum balls can you fill into a Boeing 747-400...you have one minute, go!"). They kept encouraging us to think outside the box and show every step of our thinking process. They wanted us to break down our thoughts into numbers and steps. I saw no problem/issue here (or so I thought). Check!
Immediately after the interview training, they commenced with the same group of four into an actual interview! By this point, I'm comfortable with my fellow interviewees. But suddenly, they turn on me! Not zombie or vampire style turning, but definitely close to it. Before these guys were nice and accommodating. But as soon as the interview began, they took every opportunity to cut me down and outsmart me. I did my best to stand my ground (and failed miserably). Check!
Alas, I didn't get a call back offer. Oh well. But my friend and classmate Julian did.
For those interested in management consulting after law school - I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE it. Or at least look into it. Here's an interesting and informative article on management consulting.
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