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How to find coaches who have interviewed candidates while at the firm?

Hi everyone,

May I know for McKinsey, BCG & Bain, who conducts the round one and round two interviews at the firm based on seniority?

My thinking is that I should get coaches who have done recruitment and interviews when they were at their respective firms.

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Top answer
Agrim
Coach
on Sep 02, 2021
BCG Dubai Project Leader | Elite Prep to dominate interviews | 10 years in Consulting + M&A | Free prep plan

BCG generally puts Project Leader and above in the interviewer seat, while McK also has Associates doing their bit.

That said, a good coach is one who can guide the candidate in the right direction and transfer knowledge effectively. That skill is innate and does not depend much on whether the person has had interviewing experience or not.

Further, your choice for a coach should depend on your interaction with the coach. Feel free to message coaches of your interest - interact with them and ask them their approach to helping you out. Then go with the one that fits your requirements and constraints the best.

on Sep 02, 2021

Hi there,

At BCG ME you can only be an interviewer once you reach Project Leader level. I assume this is the same for other offices as well. 

As an Associate / Consultant, your role in the recruiting process is to have coffee shops, university meetings, buddying for candidates and not much more. In fact, you only get your official “training” to become an interviewer once you reach PL level.

17
on Sep 02, 2021
Former McK interviewer, PhD who successfully transitioned from Academia, received offers from McK/BCG/Bain/LEK

When I was at McK, I started interviewing after one year as an Associate (and completing appropriate training of course).

I do believe that having this specific experience gives a coach additional insight into how to boost a candidate's performance.

Ian
Coach
on Sep 02, 2021
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Some Consultants (McK Associates) conduct interviews but this would be very close to their promotion period. Project leads/Engagement Managers and above conduct interviews.

You're right that one factor is having done recruitment/interviews but just be careful to take a more hollistic approach in assessing coaches! (Personal success rate interviewing, candidate success rate, supplementary materials, length of time as a coach, coaching style, reviews, etc.)

Pedro
Coach
on Sep 03, 2021
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

As a general rule, Project Managers, Principals and Case Team Leaders (and comparable “job titles”). But this depends on the office/country. In smaller offices/countries, people may start interviewing sooner.

Deleted user
on Sep 03, 2021

Hello,

This is firm and office-dependent, but generally speaking project manager/engagement manager level and above are involved in interviewing candidates. However, analysts/associates/junior consultants are also often involved in the recruiting process through giving case workshops, running practice interviews with candidates, acting as a recruiting ambassador, and in some cases doing first round interviews. In my experience as a candidate, junior consultants can be great coaches too, and often charge lower prices, but of course it's totally up to you how much emphasis you want to place on seniority.

I would also recommend messaging coaches to do some due diligence and talk a bit about your needs and their approach before booking a meeting. You can message any coach you are interested in working with on PrepLounge.

13
Florian
Coach
on Sep 03, 2021
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hey there,

Not sure about other firms or offices but McK Germany already enables consultants with excellent performance ratings to interview with a bit above one year tenure to interview, so way below EM level.

To answer your question on how to find coaches: Just sent them a message and ask. :-)

Cheers,

Florian

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