McKinsey Partner Referral

Question

Hi everyone,

I am meeting a McKinsey partner from my local office next week. I cold emailed him about my interest to apply next month for the BA role (there is a set timeline in my office) and he agreed to meet via Zoom. Although I already have some questions in mind, could you please guide me on how to approach our conversation? My main goal is to form a meaningful relationship and get a referral.

Answer 1

Congratulations on getting a partner to speak to you - that is more often than not the hardest step in the process.

Realistically, a short phone call is not the best situation to build a relationship and a true connection. That takes a lot more time and effort. In this case, your best bet is to be more direct with your approach and ask for a referral without expecting too much. Here is an approach you could take

Start the conversation by expressing your appreciation for their time

Explain your interest in McKinsey

Begin by expressing your interest in the job and how your qualifications align with the position.

Discuss the role you had in mind:

Learn more about the job opening, the team, and its responsibilities (1-2 questions that are relevant and cannot be easily googled)

Highlight Mutual Benefits:

Explain how your contribution would benefit both you and the company. Or alternatively - how your current schooling/past work experience has led you to this role

Inquire About the Referral Process:

Ask about the company's referral process and if they'd be willing to refer you.

Address Concerns or Questions:

Ask if they have any concerns or need more information about your qualifications.

Request Guidance:

Seek advice on how to navigate the application process effectively.

Express Gratitude:

Regardless of their response, thank them for their time and support.

Follow Up:

If they agree to refer you, confirm the next steps and express your intent to keep them updated.

Hope this helps,

Udayan

Answer 2

Hi there!

I wrote a guide exactly on this - how to conduct coffee chats with consultants (and get referrals in the process). You can read it here:

Free Guide: How To Handle Networking Calls and Get Referrals

The most important 3 things to focus on are the following:

Develop a good personal pitch / story. Basically, a 30-40 second version of who you are, what you stand for and what you aspire to do.
Aim to connect, not to impress. Don't try to come up with ‘smart’ questions, but to be an active listener and to genuinely engage with the speaker. Your objective should be that at the end of the conversation he thinks fondly of you, as someone he'd like to connect with again.
Research their profile and prepare a couple of questions. It's important to know who they are and what they do. Then ask open questions about their experience and their learnings. One good one is to ask: ‘You have so many more years of experience in this career than me. If you were to start again i.e., be in my shoes, what would you focus on?’

Best of luck with the conversation!
Cristian

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Answer 3

Hi there,

Very well done on lining up the call! This already says a lot about your attitude. As for the call, you're exactly right to keep the eyes on the prize and focus on building a good relationship. So far so good!

For the call, you will primarily be talking about 3x things, which you have to prepare for:

Yourself: You would think that this will be like 70% of the call but it's often less around 20%. Depends on the Partners. It's important you can present yourself in a nutshell by having a good 30 second intro that focuses on you in the present, you in the past (and how that lead you to where you are now), and how that continued trajectory is pointing to McKinsey. You need to be a storyteller, not a fact-teller. And any follow-up question about yourself needs to link to that story. Get in touch for more advice on this.
Partner: People love to talk about themselves, Partners included. They might lead by talking about their own path, or they might open up when asked. Make sure to have some genuine questions based on their specific background or just general. Advice here is to keep it simple and stay clear of questions that make you sound ‘smart’. Remember, this is about a relationship, not showing off.
The Firm: The focus can be on anything here e.g., culture, clients, careers, operating model, etc. Important that you have some genuine questions here as well, not about the interviews but about the firm. However, you should eventually be talking about the recruitment process, of course. If it doesn't come up until the very end, save yourself 2 minutes before the call ends. If you feel like you managed to leave a good impression, let them know about your plans to apply and that you would be grateful if they considered supporting your application. That's code for referral but is a much more elegant and less direct way of asking.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Moritz

Answer 4

Hi there,

Nice work getting this Partner's time - excellent networking!

Remember this is a conversation - it's great to have questions, but make sure you keep it conversational
Ask about them - show interest in them + the firm
Be professional but also yourself
Bring to the forefront your skills/traits/experience - you want them leaving this call thinking well about you…so, always make sure to bring in your experiences/thinking
hint at a referral - you can hint at a referral without directly asking. This is preferred

Answer 5

Hi there,

Well done on landing the call in the first place! In terms of your question:

Q: Although I already have some questions in mind, could you please guide me on how to approach our conversation?

I would recommend preparing three main things before the call:

Your own pitch. 3-4 lines should be enough to introduce yourself.
3-4 questions on the personal experiences of the person. Avoid asking questions about the company only.
A closing question for the referral. It should be an indirect request to avoid being too pushy.

Before the call, I would recommend having your CV and Cover ready – in this way, you can send them right away if the person wants to refer you.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 6

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