Interviewer asked a lot about my CV

Question

Hello everyone,

I recently had my first round interview at McKinsey, and I noticed that the interviewer asked a lot of questions about my CV and mentioned that they were very interested in my background. I was under the impression that the first round mainly focused on the Personal Experience Interview (PEI) and the case study.

Does the interviewer’s interest in my CV and background play a significant role in my progression through this stage? How much weight does it carry compared to the PEI and case study?

Thank you in advance for your insights!

Answer 1

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application process with McKinsey thus far!

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

You eventually have to convince all your interviewers, independent of the interview round or firm. Therefore, if you don't perform well answering resume-related questions or any other types of questions, you will equally be rejected.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming McKisney interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 2

Hi there,

Your CV and background may or may not play a significant role for you to progress into the next stage.

While not clear which roles you're applying for, you mentioned PEI and case study for the first round, then there's high chance that you were interviewing for the consulting track.

In such case, the CV screening is done already and your background qualifies you for the first round. Not sure what kinds of questions the interviewer asked, but usually your CV and background provides context for the PEI questions.

If you are applying for a specialist role, while the process may vary by office, some specific assessment beyond PEI and case study will be done and may involve going through your CV and background and ask behavior interview questions and technical questions to get a better understanding of your qualifications and experience.

Answer 3

Hey!

It depends on the interviewer how the interview is getting started! Therefore, I always advise to prepare your personal pitch & why you are generally interested in working for McKinsey & Company at this point in time.

The focus is definively on the PEI! Nethertheless, some questions regarding your CV / background help to get the interview started!

BR
Alessa

Answer 4

If you are recruiting for a specific role, or you are selected to be interviewed based on some specific skills you bring then yes it is quite normal for them to be focused on your resume. So for example if you want to work in the PE practice and you have extensive experience in investment banking, they will be keen to learn more about that.

Answer 5

They play some role… very frequently and in a lot of companies the “CV overview” part is used to assess the “personal experience” part. Understanding your knowledge, how you made certain decisions is relevant to them.

Regarding your question… all of them are important, and it is not like there's a certain weight. You have to pass every part of the interview, it's useless to be brilliant at one part if you are mediocre at the other.

Answer 6

Hi there,

Depends on role and country.

For instance, in the newer format with one extended initial interview in some countries, there are usually more resume questions than in the traditional format.

The impact is considered yet nowhere near the PEI or case relevancy.

Cheers,

Florian