McKinsey Middle East office HR call

Hi there,

Same happened to me.

In my case the call was to discuss office preferences (e.g., if I wanted Doha Riyadh or Kuwait)

Very informal call (no mini fit whatsoever). We ended up discussing how to process would go (if I needed to do the PST or not).

I expect your call to be quite similar.

Regarding your specific questions:

1. There is no garantee you passed screening but its a good indication of such

2. I would be prepare to discuss the overall interview process (e.g., if you need to do PST, how the rounds would go (remote I assume even if you are in the country)); also to understand your office preferences (potentially they will try to steer away from Dubai and give you other ME options

Hope it helps!

Hi there,

First off, congratulations and well done....your networking efforts paid off! This all is very good/promising news.

Of course, careful to not set expectations, but you should be cautiously optimistic.

No 1: No, but yes. You should get your hopes up, but they will still be evaluating you in this call. It still counts as a screening. But that's ok! They're already impressed with you :)

No 2: Prepare like a regular interview. It won't be as intense, but you should be ready with 1) Resume walkthrough 2) Why Consulting 3) Why McKinsey.

You should also be very clear about why you're interested in the ME office, and have a good idea of what possible roles might fit you. They will let you know which roles they think you fit in (and, ideally, this matches what you expect).

You should then be prepared to say "I think that role sounds great. It's exactly what I was expecting, and it's where I would thrive b/c I have experience, interest, etc. there"

Good luck :)

Hello!

To add on top what has been said already, try to behave as you would when meeting your partner´s parents: not only trying to impress them, but also being enjoyable and nice.

Best of luck,

Clara

Hi Anonymous,

1) Most most likely you passed the initial CV screening at this stage. What you describe fits into the "standard" procedure of McKinsey (assuming there are no red flags / show-stoppers in your documents that HR needs to clarify to do a proper diligent job). You can get your hopes up.

2) I would not expect a fit interview - it's not what HR is doing. If your all is with HR, it will be about more general recruiting-related topics. Like discussing your background in a bit more detail to understand your application track (experienced vs. non-experience hire, etc. etc.). Obviously it's good to be prepared for a general fit interview and review your own documents to be prepared to elaborate on any of the points mentioned - but take it easy, mostly administrative talk.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

Hi there,

1. It could be both yes and no. But you have already impressed them, so it’s a good beginning.
2. It would be an ordinary interview (why consulting, why this position, why this company and of course CV screening).

Do you need any further help?

All the best,

GB

Dear A,

My congratulations to this referral and your interview invite.

Yes, it means that you have passed the initial screening and you are on the pre-stage before the actual interviews will take place to answer your first question.

Regadring the second one, I would strongly recommend you to prepare for the personal fit as much as possible, it will be about your resume, your general motivation for consulting, for McKinsey and for ME. Specifically as well as some exemples of individual behavior like leadership or conflict management stories.

Be sharp during the interview and use this chance.

If you need any help, drop me a line, since I already helped multiple people to get inside MBB in the Middle East.

Best,

André

Hi there,

Congrats on getting the initial call, in particular in this tough period.

Answering your questions:

1. It could be, but the goal of the call is indeed to understand if there is a mutual fit
2. I helped some candidates who had the same call and as Jamie said you may not get any fit questions. However, I would be overprepared and organize the standard answers for fit just in case. You can find some examples below:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-are-the-most-common-personal-questions-at-the-mckinsey-first-round-interviews-1541

In your specific case, be sure to have a good answer for "Why the Middle East", as it is one of the most common questions asked there.

Best,
Francesco