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Expected skill level in Excel and Powerpoint at the start of internship

Excel PowerPoint
Neue Antwort am 13. Nov. 2022
9 Antworten
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Knut fragte am 10. Nov. 2022

The title says it all. How high of a standard does MBB expect you to have when starting your internship? Is lacking skills a common reason for not receiving a full-time offer?

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Francesco
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 11. Nov. 2022
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Knut,

Congratulations on the offer! In terms of your question:

Q: Excel and PowerPoint. How high of a standard does MBB expect you to have when starting your internship? Is lacking skills a common reason for not receiving a full-time offer?

You should receive initial training covering everything you need. Having said that, if you know you may improve on those skills, taking a course could help you to get up to speed faster.

Below you can find a few other tips.

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INDUSTRIES

If your office specializes in specific industries where you would like to work, you may want to get some knowledge about them in advance. You will learn during the job so this is not strictly necessary.

You can find some tips on recent consulting trends here:

 11 New Consulting Trends You Should Know

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READING LIST

In case you have time before starting, a good way to invest it is to… read. You won’t have much time to do this later and reading is one of the most undervalued growth opportunities available today.

Personally I don’t have much time to read, so I listen to books – Audible is great for this. You can easily listen to a book per week with minimum effort. You absorb books differently when you listen, so you have to check if this works for you.

The following are some books I would highly recommend to develop a growth mindset – key in any industry with high pressure. You can expand the list with anything you want to learn – just try to find a few really good books on that topic.

  • The Compound Effect – Darren Hardy (great book on long-term planning)
  • Tiny Habits – BJ Fogg (excellent, science-based book on habits formation)
  • The Mediations – Marcus Aurelius (written ~ 2000 years ago but incredibly actual – the personal diary of the most powerful man in the world at the time)
  • The 80–20 Principle – Richard Koch (very smart life tips from one of the founders of LEK)
  • Peaks and Valleys – Spencer Johnson (crisis management tale – from the same author of the famous “Who moved my Cheese”, I personally found this book a lot more interesting and applicable)
  • The Gap and the Gain – Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy (excellent book in terms of mindset for happiness)

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FIRST WEEKS

Below you can also find some tips for the first weeks I usually recommend – you are probably familiar with most of them, but could be good to review:

  1. Take notes during meetings/discussions with your manager – this will help you to remember details and will show you care about them to the team.
  2. Always double-check. The first impression is very important when you join a new company: if you show you are reliable from the beginning, you create a reputation of a reliable person. Double checks should be done on expectations for your job, your Excel analysis, your slides – basically everything.
  3. Define priorities before starting any set of tasks. The majority of the results usually come from a subset of activities – this is true also for your tasks in consulting. You have to identify which they are and prioritize them – the application of the so-called 80-20 rule or Pareto Principle. Alignment on priorities and expectations is particularly important with your manager at the beginning of the project.
  4. Socialize with your colleagues and start to build a network. You should ideally build a good network within the company. A good start is key to develop good relationships long-term. Try to take advantage of as many social events as possible to build connections.
  5. Organize your private life activities. You probably want to organize your calendar to leave some space for personal activities (sport/ friends/ family). This is not easy but can be managed if you organize well, and long-term will be critical to keep a balance between work and private life. Also, it is better to align with your manager/teammates from the beginning on your core needs, so that there are no surprises later­ on.
  6. Ask for feedback every two-three weeks – this will show you are proactive and willing to learn.
  7. Ask for help when you don't know what to do – better to let know you are in trouble with meeting a deadline than missing the deadline.
  8. Be social and respectful with the support staff – these people are great and influential as well in the company.

Best,

Francesco

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Emily
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 13. Nov. 2022
Ex McKinsey EM & interviewer (5 yrs) USA & UK| Coached / interviewed 300 +|Free 15 min intro| Stanford MBA|Non-trad

You are not expected to have any skills! But you are expected to learn quickly. It's worth doing a bit of practice before you start just so that it's a bit easier when you land in post. There are lots of courses online e.g., training the street for excel which you could look at. The more you've learnt in advance the easier it'll be when you start. 

Don't worry and good luck!

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Benjamin
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 13. Nov. 2022
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hello,

As someone who has weighed in on internship offer decisions:

  1. Lacking ‘technical’ skills like Powerpoint and Excel is not a reason for rejecting somebody
    • Remember, powerpoint and excel were not tested during your interview ;)
  2. However, lacking ‘core’ skills (critical thinking, communication, team player etc) and aptitude is a reason for rejecting somebody. However given that you have been offered the internship, the firm already thinks you have those

It's hard to anticipate what exactly you will be tasked to work on during your internship. So my suggestion will be to relax more before your internship, and if you really want to prep, be more targeted in your prep

 

 

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Florian
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 11. Nov. 2022
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

It is all about how quickly you are able to learn and pick things up, not what you need to know.

That being said, you should be familiar with the basics of Excel and Powerpoint

  • For Excel, it helps if you know basic formulas (sum, sumproduct, vlookups, index match, etc) as well as pivot tables, and basics of data cleaning (e.g., remove duplicates). This is really the most there is. For everything else, ask your colleagues in the team room or Google. :-)
  • Every firm has its own approach to chart design with specific guidelines. Look at the official training and scan through engagement documents to get a feel for impactful chart creation (how to write, how to display data, etc.). Also, all MBBs have their own PPT add-ins with specific functions and shortcuts. You can only learn about them on the job. Lastly, if you are at McKinsey, you can outsource most of the slide production (you would still need to be able to draft it on paper).

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, 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 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-MBB 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.

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

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Maikol
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 11. Nov. 2022
BCG Project Leader | Former Bain, AlixPartner, and PE | INSEAD MBA | GMAT 780

Two pieces of advice:

  • Learn at least to use the basic MS Excel functions. You can use many YouTube tutorials. Practice on your own to make Excel your second nature.
  • Learn how to create a presentation on MS PowerPoint. I would devote less time to this since at MBB you will use some customized PPT tools. However, it is important to know where to find the basic functions. Even here, some YouTube is great.

Avoid reading many books that some people suggest. Just go for one: Strategic Storytelling from Dave McKinsey (nothing to do with the Firm!).  

Beyond that, try to be as fit as you can when you start. Consulting can be tough on the mind and the body at the beginning. 

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Mario
Experte
antwortete am 12. Nov. 2022
Ex-Mckinsey (analyst->associate->manager) and now in tech (Bytedance) + Part time interview coach and mentor

Hi there,

There aren't expectations and attitude is the most important aspect in your first couple of months (willingness to learn).

That said, you can ramp up on the basics beforehand if you really wanted to (excel and powerpoint). There are lots of courses online for this including “beyond formulas” for excel.

Mario

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Dennis
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 11. Nov. 2022
Ex-Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Hi,

congrats on your internship - exciting times ahead.

As already mentioned, each consulting firm has their own PPT graphics/slide guidelines on which they will train you (there are usually also training videos/guides on the respective intranets). That said, you will maybe have an intro training in the beginning but in all likelihood, you will have to learn it on the job.

As for Excel, there are likely some standards on how to structure models that are specific to the firm (or the manager on your team). Regardless, here I would recommend you already familiarize yourself with pivot tables, vlookup, index match and some other general functions. That will help you navigate more easily and to pick up the rest faster.

All in all, there is really not much you can do upfront because you will only be made aware of what really matters once you start. I'd rather spend your remaining free time recharging so you can start your intership with a full tank of energy

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Ian
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 11. Nov. 2022
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi Knut,

No expectations at all. Technically…

That said, if you have 0 skills, you really can't go wrong doing prep beforehand. I would highly recommend you do whatever you need to to maximize your odds of a return offer. Minimize the things you'll need to learn and ramp up on.

Powerpoint in particular (and basic/intermediary Excel) is critical to success. Please get ramped up in these skills beforehand to maximize your odds.

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Cristian
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 10. Nov. 2022
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi Knut, 

Congrats on soon getting started (I assume)!

The expectations are low to inexistent. That is a high opportunity, however. If you actually prove to be decent with powerpoint and excel, then you'll provide a lot of value and be an asset to the team despite your limited experience. 

If you have the possibility, take some time until you start the internship to work on your skills. This will also make things easier and less stressful on a day to day basis when you do start the job. 

Best,

Cristian

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