In 2 weeks, I have an informal call with a McK Senior Partner. I have been trying to get a chance to speak to him for a while and he finally replied last week.
To be completely honest, the reason I reached out to him is because I know that he is the "Michael Jordan" of Senior Partners in the office I am targeting but now that I have the opportunity to speak to him, I don't want to waste it by asking un-insightful questions.
Ideally my goal is to stay in contact with this person and have 2-3 calls before trying to get a referral (would be a dream if I get a referral from this call but I strongly doubt it) which I think is the correct way to approach this; however, since SP expect people to ask for referrals, should I indirectly ask for it if I feel the opportunity presents itself or should I wait for him to suggest this?
Here's a quick list of questions I am thinking of asking (after the 30 secs pitch and the call structuring at the beginning); appreciate any comment/help:
- What are some qualities that you wish more people had joining as an associate? In other words - what is it that is required to succeed in this job but most people do not have enough of?
- Making it to Senior Partner at McKinsey is no easy feat especially given the up or out policy (not sure if I should say this though), what is the single most important thing looking back that helped you make it to where you are today?
- Leading the "XXX" practice puts you at the forefront of the investments big companies are making at the moment to prepare for the post-pandemic world, where do you think the business landscape in the region could shift 5-10 years from now? Besides digital, what do you think are the most important trends that will shape the way companies do business in the region?
- Last question is more of a McKinsey-internal question; how does the Firm invest in training and preparing associates to succeed on the job, how are evaluations being done and what impacts promotions the most?
Let me know if I come across as pretentious instead of interested in the job/company. Appreciate any tip to improve on these questions or come up with completely new ones.
Thanks