First Round Interviews with two associate Partners

Hi there,

1) Is it normal for candidates to have their first round interviews with associate partners?

Not very common but may happen. Usually you interview with Managers and Principals (aka Associate Partners at McKinsey) during the first round, but you could also interview with Principals only.

2) What could it mean?

It doesn’t have any real implications.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

Based on your terminology you seem to be talking about McKinsey. Here's my take on it:

• Is it normal? That depends. McKinsey recently moved to a more streamlined process in some offices with 1 round only, led by APs/Partners. It might be part of this leaner process and the “new normal” insofar. The “old” normal was generally interviews by Associates/EMs in 1st round so historically speaking it’s unusual.
• What does this mean? Nothing that should affect your preparation in any way. It's purely internal and has nothing to do with you.

Best thing to do is to acknowledge the email and forget about it again so you can focus on your preparation. If there's anything you'd like to discuss in that regard, please let me know!

Best of luck!

First round interviews are typically with Managers / Project Leaders and  Associate Partners / Principals. Second round interviews are typically with Partners and MDPs.

Key word here is *typically*. This will also vary upon who is available. I would not read anything into this.  
 

Beat of luck in your interviews! 

Hey there,

No worries about it!

That can happen if the interviewers' schedules line up this way. I would not interpret it in any way.

Cheers,

Florian

Hey there! 
 

Well done on gaining an interview! This means nothing other than who was available for interviews. 
 

In practice, they will have a bit more experience so may ask questions slightly off the beaten track to assess your business acumen. Don’t worry though, this is minor and won’t have any real impact to your score if you were interviewed by a Manager/Senior Manager. 
 

Good luck!

Hello,

First round interviews are typically done by consultants or project leaders/engagement managers. However, I wouldn't read too much into this - it most likely has to do with interview scheduling and interviewer availability.

Hi there, 

It's rather unusual, but sometimes it happens. 

When I had my interviews, I had an EM and an AP in the first round and then an AP and a Partner in the second. Usually you tend to have more junior people in the first round but it really depends on the availability of consultants at that time. 

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

It's not “normal” in that it does not occur frequently.

At the same time, it means nothing. Nothing at all!

All the same rules/tips apply, including those in this article: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

No it's not what you usually observe. That being said, when there are a lot of interviews to get through (like now) then it is all hands on deck and generally based on availability.

Hi there,

From my knowledge, usually McKinsey always do interview with 15 min PEI question and 40 min case interview. Since this is not the case I will just ask the person who contact you to specifiy what type to interview to expect, they usually like candidates who come preparerd and knows what to expect!

Good luck!

Hi there,

First, I would directly clarify with the recruiter/HR on what exactly to expect. You may as well get your info straight from the horses mouth!

That said, based on what you've said, it sounds like it will be very fit + brainstorming focused. So, make sure you have a good amount of stories, and have a strong/compelling "why consulting" and "why x company". Be ready to talk in great depth about anything on your resume, and practice brainstorming (just because there aren't case questions doesn't mean they won't ask "how would you do x" or "what do you think are the key reasons for y")

Good luck!