McKinsey Additional Interview

Hey there,

Congrats on making it thus far!

So, this can basically go two ways:

• First, you get the offer and the Sr Partner just wants to have a chat and convince you to accept it right away (the same thing happened to me). In that case, you don't have to worry at all
• Second, they want to continue their evaluation for some reason (see below)

Now with the mindset of being prepared for everything that might come, let us dive deeper into the second possibility:

Extra rounds are common

• if you demonstrated a couple of spikes in several dimensions, for instance, idea generation, structuring, chart interpretation, PEI, etc. (strong hiring recommendation)
• but did not cover enough ground in another dimension, for instance, in your case the quant section of the case (rejection)

Now there is a huge discrepancy between the two. Most candidates do not show enough spikes besides their weaknesses which makes such decisions easier. In your case, you really impressed the interviewers so they want to give you another chance on the area they could not agree on.

They want to see if your weaker areas are outliers or rather the rule so the partner conducting the interview will definitely drill down into those.

Prepare the following way:

1. Figure out what your weaknesses are
2. Actively work on them, go through case books and work on all the related problems you can find
3. Create an error log to see what types of questions you are struggling with the most, drill deeper into those
4. Work with a coach to make this more efficient and focused

Have a look at my McKinsey-specific tutorials on the case and PEI:

Case: https://www.preplounge.com/en/mckinsey-interview

PEI: https://www.preplounge.com/en/mckinsey-pei

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there, 

Congrats on getting this far!

Some offices do practice this 3rd sort of round of interviewing, where they bring the candidate together with the head of the office. In most cases, this interview is indeed a formality - i.e., you will be very likely be extended the offer, but they usually want to have the Senior Partner have one last look at you. 

In terms of what you can do:

1. Do exactly what you've been doing until now. They are confident that you are a very strong candidate if they passed you through two rounds. 
2. Relax and aim to connect as much as possible with the last interviewer. Be curious about their experience and seek their advice as to how to best start you career in the firm. 

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

Basically, expect more of the same! 

No need to psych yourself out here - this shouldn't be majorly different to your other interviews.

Of course, always be prepared for anything. So, be prepared for this to be all fit, or all brainstorming. And, of course, if you exhibited any weaknesses and/or had direct feedback on weaknesses, you need to resolve this!

But, in general, be ready for fit + case. Good luck!

Here's some case reading: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

Here's some fit reading: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

Hi there,

Congratulations on the progress so far. In terms of your question:

Q: Must have one more 30-min interview - a formal meeting with a senior partner - the head of the hub. Do you know what to expect from such meetings?

This could be basically two things:

1. You will have a chat with the partner, with no case, to discuss the offer. From how you phrase the question, that seems to be the case
2. You will have an extra interview covering parts where they have doubts. Usually at McKinsey they explicitly mention this is going to be the case, so doesn’t seem very likely given what you shared

In the second case, you can prepare as done for your previous interviews. You can find some tips below:

▶ PEI Dimensions

▶ McKinsey Final Round Prep Tips

Good luck!

Francesco

Hello,

I fully agree with Cristian's advice! This sort of interview tends to be more of a formality, and I think you would be well-advised on trying to develop a positive rapport with the partner during the interview: be curious and engaged, ask them questions about their work, etc. To cover your bases, I would also recommend continuing to prep case + PEI in the same way you have done so far, to make sure you are ready to go wherever the interviewer wants to take you in the interview.

Congratulations on the offer! As others have said, they're likely either going to use this as a final fit interview, or they want to double-check an area where you were a bit weaker. Given that both interviewers told you that this would happen before you did the interview, I suspect it's a final fit round. So go in and enjoy it! 

I know it sounds stressful but it is much better than a rejection. It means that they want someone senior's opinion to decide whether you are a good fit for the role. Prepare like you would for any other interview and you will be good.

All the best!

Udayan

It will likely be more informal, and part of it will be a conversation about your motivations, your life experience, etc. 

And another part will either be a mini case (unlikely to be market sizing at this state), or a conversation about a topic the partner brings (e.g. how would you solve XYZ, what do you think about XPTO?).

Please make sure you are on top of the recent news topics before going to the interview.