McKinsey PEI: Not work-related story and background explanation?

Hi Olegs,

1) If you have an option, work story is more relatable than non-work story, and is a safer route. But if you really have a great non-work story, go for it. 2 things about the PEIs - a) It's always about the delivery. You should be top-down so the interviewer can let you know early on if they want to change the story and b) It's not about the 'what', but the 'why'. You need to spend time explaining why this was a great leadership/personal impact story for you. For instance, someone saving $10K for their company can have a much better answer than someone who saved $5M

2) This should be the same. Having a structured and genuine 'Walk me through your resume' is important and having multiple versions just makes it more confusing.

Hope this helps!

Nirmit

Hi Olegs,

Generally speaking, work-related stories are easier to translate into the consulting world than non-work related stories. All other factors being equal I recommend going for the work-related story. In your situation however, assuming that this one non work-related story is much stronger than all other stories, I don't see an issue at all in using this private context.

That being said, you need to make sure that there is a strong underlying conflicting interest in the beginning and how to communicate this clearly to the interviewer. Without conflicting interest, there is no point in demonstrating how to convince somebody, since the other person doesn't have a contradictory opinion which makes him hard to convince (and your interviewer won't be interested in a situation in which it was easy to convince somebody).

Concerning your 2nd question: Yes, apart from the PEI, McKinsey interviewers typically want to understand much more about the candidate including his background. Here it's important to highlight how all your steps in your CV are connected to each other strategically, pointing into the direction of consulting.

Hope that helps as a first step! Occassionally I also have some slots for coaching sessions - ofc we can discuss your situation and how to the best structure and communicate your PEI stories in much more detail; just send me a message if required.

Robert

Hi,

1) Better to have both career and non-career related. The more experience you have the more they expect if to be career related. They can also say "This story does not fit. Do you have another one?"So better mitigate the risks

2) The story about yourself can be the same. Actually, if both interviewers ask you about leadership - you can tell both the same story. No issue here

Best!

Hi Oleg,

1- You can have both types of stories. Quality of the story is also an important factor. I would recommend to choose mostly work related ones.

2- You do not need to change this part.

Cheers
Serhat