PEI stories - Consulting stories vs. internships / other

Hello!

Don´t you worry, they are never going to ask directly questions about your school or pre-working experience. However, with wide behavioral questions, you can choose to tell a story that is beyond professional (e.g., I founded and manage an NGO, which is extra-work but a story that I always talk about in interviews). 

If you are looking for materials, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Furthermore, you can find 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:

• Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200
• Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201
• Behavioural questions (ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE) >https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-211

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch!

Hey, very unlikely interviewer will specify a time period e.g. Tell me about xyz that happened 5 years ago...they generally leave it to you to give your best story mostly. But dont be surprised at all if such a thing pops up i.e you must prepare comprehensively.

I advice people to prepare examples from various walks of life- work, school, personal etc to show the full spectrum of who you are. Use the one thats most effective in terms of showing FIT with the firm & where you demonstrated the most impact. Be mindful not to go back too much in time (e.g 15 yrs ago). 

So in your case its okay to stick with examples from past 2-3 years but make sure you are not using the same example multiple times.

Practice storytelling as well. Plenty of videos on youtube or courses on Udemy. 

Have a look at this thread and others too in the Q&A forum- https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-start-an-answer-of-telling-a-story-about-past-projects-8188

Good luck!

Hey there,

When it comes to the selection of your McKinsey PEI stories, you need to think about three dimensions in the following order:

1. Fit with the actual dimension that is asked (Entrepreneurial Drive, Leadership, Personal Impact)

2. Diversity of experience (make sure that different stories are from different walks of life, e.g., jobs or career, university, extracurriculars, etc.)

3. Recency (in general, the more recent the better. Unless you interview for an experienced hire senior position, your stories should not date back more than 2-3 years)

All the best with your preparation and interviews! :-)

Take care,

Florian

Hi there,

I agree with Adi, it is unlikely you will get requests for stories related to a specific timeline.

Interviewers normally prefer recent stories. It is good practice to use stories max 2-3 years old unless you can refer to really exceptional achievements.

The timeline of your stories related to consulting is good. You can prepare some older backups just in case but it is unlikely you will have to use them. Also, try to have at least 2 stories for each key dimension so that if the interviewer asks for a different one you have it ready.

Best,

Francesco

I have never heard of an interviewer wanting to go further back as opposed to staying near the current time period. Your approach is exactly the right one to follow!

Udayan

Hi,

Use the most impactful stories you have! Work-related experiences are preferred but it also important the impact you achieved and the way you communicate.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Antonello

Hi there,

No need to worry at all! They will not go that specific with this question. Furthermore, they most certainly won't ask about earlier periods (if anything, they'd rather you talk more about recent experiences as they are far more revelent).

Hi there,

I agree that it's very unlikely they'll ask that. 

I always suggest to prepare your best PEI story and to be sure - to prepare a couple of them. 

Good luck!

GB

Hi,

I don't think you should focus on time period but more on the best story you have for a specific questions. If that is a story from a longer time period than you should use it I think it is very unlikely that an interviewer will ask for a specific time period..

I suggest to have several stories for each questions so if the same questions asked in different rounds you can show that you are not defined by a single event.

Best,
Iman