Hello all!
A few month ago, I applied for an analyst position, after 2 rounds of 2 interviews per round, I got an offer in less than 24h from the last interview. Instead of the position I applied for, I am offered a senior analyst position, and the recruiter told me I was put on a fast track to associate. I am wondering what does this mean? What is expected of me and how shall I best prepare for it?
Thank you!
Hi there,
It basically means they were very impressed with you - well done!
They've given you a higher level role *and* flagged that you will advance quickly. This is great!
MOST IMPORTANTLY: Know that no-one can perfectly prepare for the job and that's the point: You will mess up, you will learn, you will be trained and supported. That's OK!
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First: I have a consulting survival guide handbook with 25 key tips for surviving the consulting world. Feel free to message me for it!
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Second: In terms of things you can learn/do to prepare beforehand:
1) Daily Reading
2) Industry deep-dives
3) Analytics tools
4) Excel
5) Powerpoint
6) Presentation skills / sharp communication
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Third: In terms of doing well in your role when you're there:
1) Understand the context/prompt (what role are you in, what company, who's watching, etc.)
2) Understand the objective (what, specifically, is expected from you...both day to day, and in your overall career progression)
3) Quickly process information, and focus on what's important - Take a lot of information and the unknown, find the most logical path, and focus on that.
4) Be comfortable with the unknown, and learn to brainstorm - think/speak like an expert without being one
In summary, there will always be a flood of information, expectations, competition etc. and not enough time. Find out which ones matter when. (i.e. be visibile and focus efforts on the things that people care about)
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Fourth: Here are some great prior Q&As for you!
https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-hard-is-it-to-excel-in-top-consulting-firms-6762
Hey there,
Congrats - you did exceptionally well! :-)
If you are interested in preparing for your new role, I'd suggest the following:
When I got the offer some years ago I did the same. I reached out to people I knew in McKinsey and people who interviewed me to ask: what can I do to make the start easier? how can I prepare?
The answer from everyone was: Relax! Enjoy your time before you start and don't think about it. You will figure it out on the job. I followed that advice and it made sense to me once I joined.
When you start at McKinsey there are 2 ways to learn:
Knowing that, if we now go back to square one in your McKinsey journey it makes perfect sense to enter the firm with a blank slate with a lot of curiosity and eagerness to soak it all up and quickly learn the ropes.
No book, no training, no coach can prepare you for your first day, your first week, your first engagement. Nothing matches the experience and the learning and this is a good thing (also the reason why ex-McKinsey are valued highly on the job market).
You will learn everything you need to master while doing it. You will be thrown in the cold water and need to swim. However, your colleagues will always be happy to help you and mentor you. And for the rest, you will figure everything out along the way. The key here is always to ask for tips, shortcuts, feedback, etc. Don't be quiet if you get stuck.
Also, for every technical problem (IT, Excel question, etc) McKinsey has a Global Helpdesk and the rule is to call them for every problem you can't solve within 5 minutes. They will fix your computer, guide you through Excel formulas, etc.
Lastly, if you have no domain knowledge about a certain industry or topic, read through the internal library of documentation (which is endless) and call some of the firm experts on the topic. Usually, they are happy to offer you a short call to get you up to speed.
Don't sweat the small stuff and enjoy the ride!
Florian
Hi there,
Congratulations on the McKinsey offer!
1) I am wondering what does this mean?
It means you have done a great job during the interview, and they believe you can advance faster.
2) What is expected of me and how shall I best prepare for it?
The tasks of a senior analyst are basically the same as those of an analyst, so no difference compared to what you were already expecting. In terms of how to prepare for the new job, you can find some tips at the link below:
All the best for your new job!
Francesco
Hello,
Congratulations on the offer! They are offering you a more senior role than the one you initially applied for, which means that they were very impressed by you in the interview.
In terms of how best to prepare for it, I think in consulting the best learning is truly done on the job. There are various prep courses and standard skillsets (PowerPoint, Excel) that are useful to have, but in my opinion nothing really mimics the work of a consultant on the project other than actually doing the job. McKinsey should offer you some formal training before you start, but beyond that I don't think much prep is necessary. You could talk to some of your fellow senior analysts to better understand what to expect on the job if you wanted to.
Expert case by