Hey there,

I guess you read my answer already in a previous thread. :-)

I want to reiterate and also support what Ken was saying. The value of working on Excel or PowerPoint before you start is extremely limited and comes with a low ROI. Whatever firm you start with, you will learn on the job how things are done.

They will follow a specific modelling approach and a specific slide creation approach. Going through a random tutorial by a firm stranger won't help much. On top, most analytics work you will do in Excel is extremely basic and consists of the standard functions plus INDEX MATCH, VLOOKUPS and pivot tables. All you need to know on the job can be 

• googled within 1 minute
• asked by you to your colleagues in the team room
• if more complex found out via the help desk

The same applies to PPTs.

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:

1. Formal training. The formal training sessions/ weeks/ days in the beginning, are nice, however, they are more for networking and meeting your peers. You learn some interesting concepts and get some useful tips from more experienced consultants BUT
2. Constant and implicit learning on the job is where it's at. No matter if you are a newcomer or a veteran after 2 years, you will always find yourself on a steep learning curve. As soon as you barely mastered one skill or the skills needed for one level in the hierarchy, you will take care of things, which are expected from a more senior colleague. This cycle never ends. You are expected to learn on the job, learn from your colleagues, your mentors, and sometimes even the client. So basically a newly promoted Engagement Manager has the same 'struggle' as a new-hire Business Analyst. They both need to work in a completely new environment and role.

Knowing that, if we now go back to square one in your consulting 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-consultants 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. I believe other firms have similar functions.

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

Since you have already been given the advice to let yourself relax, which I agree with, I think the most productive use of your time is by networking with people in your firm and familiarizing yourself with spreadsheets and presentations.

Start reaching out to the people you’ll be working with on LinkedIn, tell them how excited you are to start and ask them for advice or tips. You don’t actually want their advice (although it’s a good plus if they give it to you), it is just an excuse to kick off a few conversations and make some friends before joining the firm.

As per spreadsheets, learn how to build the primary financial models. If you have a budget to spend on education, I recommend the FMVA program offered by Corporate Finance Institute. I have no affiliation with them, I just love their material.

As per presentations, ask your newly formed friends to send you a few sanitized decks from their projects. Once you get some, get on PowerPoint and challenge yourself to replicate the looks and formatting of their decks.

(editiert)

I can't speak for every firm but not passing the probation is usually a behavioural / ethical consequence which I wouldn't be concerned about.  Consulting is a relationship business where clients like working with consultants who are “interesting” people.  As much as you can practice PPT, Excel modelling, read business books, etc. etc. you will get enough of that as soon as you start.  More importantly, they would have tested that in detail if that was a crucial part of being successful in the job! Instead, I would encourage you to try new experiences, especially those that you will struggle with once you are living a consulting lifestyle.  Read a book, try painting/pottery, learn a new musical instrument, learn a new language, etc. etc. - the sky is the limit!

(editiert)

Hello!

Congrats of that offer!

If there is one thing I wish I had done before joining McKinsey, that would have been Excel. It can really be a game changer, so I would really focus on that (more than pptx, industry knowledge, etc., that are nice-to-have, but not deal breakers).

Excel skills are part of the core skill-set of consultants, and it´s great that you want to practice them. PFB a list of the most popular commands:

Basic operations: SUM, SUMPRODUCT

Text transformations: CONCATENATE, LEFT, RIGHT, & operator,

Connecting different datasets: VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, INDEX(MATCH(),MATCH())

Conditional-based operations: SUMIF, COUNTIF, SUMIFS, COUNTIFS, COUNTA

Learn how to analyze data using Pivot Tables

There are plenty of online materials -unfortunately now we cannot post the adress but you can find them easily-

Microsoft Support: support .office

Kubicle: kubicle.com (go for the 7 days free trial - Excel for Business Analytics)

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi there,

Your thinking is right - I believe that unless you are a genius, you shouldn't listen to the ones that tell you to “just chill”, but use this time to not only get your personal life in order (get all the doctors' appointments out of the way, sort out your taxes/insurance/life admin and, get all your non-perishable shopping done 6 months in advance), but also prepare for the job as much as you can by mastering the skills you will be most reliant one.

Because this is such a frequent question and because I had it on my own mind when I was starting on my role, I've made a 6-min video about this, called 5 Skills you need to survive your first year in consulting, on my nascent Youtube channel Angelina's Business World. I hope it can help you out.

Good luck!

Hi,

I had a 3 month gap between the offer and start date after I graduated.

I used the time to travel and scuba dive (things I love to do). I would suggest that you spend the time doing what you love - you really won't have that kind of time after you start work.

Consulting really is about apprenticeship and on-the-job learning, don't stress out or worry about preparing before hand.