How Do I Decide What Industries I Should State As My Preferences for McKinsey Staffing?

Question

I'm going to be staffed on projects soon at McKinsey, and I'm trying to figure out what industries I'd like to state as my preferences to my staffer

I have interests in everything from CPG to Construction to Agriculture.. or from Strategy to Operations work... Of course, I can limit myself to the industries of my home office but given McKinsey's global/regional staffing model and being in the Northeastern U.S, I don't think there are home office industry limitations I can use as a way to narrow things down. Maybe there are limitations to the global staffing model at McKinsey when you're a new joiner and you are staffed on what the home office's partners do?

1) I'm sure industries I initially find interesting could end up not being that interesting, so want to narrow down what I would be a good fit for/weed out the industries that aren't as interesting as they seem.

2) What kinds of external resources can I use? And for McKinsey, what kind of internal resources can I use? I'd like to start with the external resources first though.

Answer 1

Great question and one that many new-joiners have.

My recommendation is to take time to think about where you have previous experience and knowledge and where you could see yourself focusing or even getting into post-consulting.

1) Previous experience: if you have pre-existing knowledge on a certain industry the ramp up period of a new joiner is slightly less stressful. You're focusing on the consulting tool box and have a bit of an understanding of the context which can be great!

2) Thinking about where you might want to focus - this is great if you can start aligning yourself with the right people - though it will take time. You may also discover you do not want to join a particular industry group and should continue exploring.

Sometimes it also comes down to which cases are available and who you enjoy working with more so than the industry group itself. Make your initial choices but know that you can change over time.

Good luck!

Answer 2

It might be all simpler than you expect because in practice, you have fewer choices.

During this first staffing call, you can indeed communicate to your staffer if there any industries you'd like to focus on, or whether there are any industries that you're already experienced in and you'd like to continue with.

You also don't have to communicate preferences.

In practice, especially when you just start in the firm, you have no value proposition. You are typically staffed for free for the first 3 months or so and the client is also not charged on your behalf. You are basically an investment that the team is making in you, especially since they know you won't be able to bring a lot of value from the beginning since you're just learning the ropes.

My strong recommendation is that you stay open to what comes project wise and as you gain more experience and a clearer sense of what you're interested in, then proactively communicate these preferences.

I also wrote a guide for new joiners that you might find helpful:

Expert Guide: How to Become A Distinctive Consultant

Hope you have a great start!

Best,
Cristian