Hey Tom!

My advice might be counterintuitive, but - please - do NOT plan on doing anything special! Networking events at McKinsey are formats for the Firm to market itself. It is MUCH LESS the time for you to market yourself. In the moment that you are eligible to participate in such a workshop, the Firm has already tagged you as an interesting candidate, and there is very limited headroom for you to wow anyone during the event.

So just be relaxed, observe, and ask yourself what are the 2 or 3 things you really want to find out about the Firm and its employees. That's it. Don't try to impress at such a workshop. The time to impress will be the interviews! Cheers, Sidi

(edited)

Hi Tom,

unless it’s a restricted event or you fall under Option B mentioned by Vlad (the workshop is specifically to test your ability to solve cases), as Andrea said I would try to get in touch with few of the current consultants as a way to create a positive connection with one of them.

Your goal in these conversations should not be to get a referral on the spot; rather, you should try to provide a good impression with smart questions, transform the dialogue in a conversation and ask the consultants in the end whether you could reach out later for further questions; if he/she says yes you can then ask for his/her business card. If you made a good impression and the person is an alumnus of your university (usually at least the junior ones coming on campus are alumni) there are chances you could later transform the connection in a referral.

You can find some examples of good and bad questions to ask at the following link:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/open-house-at-bcg-311

As general tips for the workshop:

• Arrive early, stay late – best moment to talk is when the event is not crowded
• Prepare questions in advance; if possible do research in advance on who is going to present
• If they offered to help more in the future, send a thank you note after the event, thanking for chat and the opportunity to keep in touch

Hope this helps,
Francesco

(edited)

Hi,

It depends on the structure of a workshop:

1. Option A: Consultants will show you how to solve a case. Here you don't need to do anything special - just try to have a couple of nice conversations after the case. Don't expect to get any benefits from that
2. Option B: You'll be split into teams with a dedicated consultant observing you solving the case together. Here your main objective is to demonstrate how good you are at solving the cases. That's the only and the best way to impress. Also be careful, since it does not mean you should not listen to others and try being an absolute leader. Be the guy with the smart ideas

Best