By Amy Cho ’24, Technology Associate Intern at Career Services
Last Friday, a group of Swarthmore students visited the McKinsey Philadelphia office to get a first-hand look at the firm. It was an enriching and helpful session to hear from a panel of associates and the recruiter.
Here are some key points I learned:
- 1. Any major, any background can do consulting! A lot of students think they need heavy finance and economics background for a consulting internship, but that’s not true. Students with any majors should be encouraged to apply. In fact, one of the panelists graduated with a major in computational biology, but she pointed out how a lot of skills are transferrable to her job: problem-solving, analysis, and critical thinking.
- 2. McKinsey has world-class development opportunities. I realized how McKinsey supports their employees with structural and individual opportunities to help them grow professionally and personally. The tight-knit community of McKinsey allows consultants to build long-term relationships with clients and colleagues, and easily ask others for mentorship and guidance.
- 3. Interview Prep. There are mainly two parts of the interview: personal experience (behavioral questions) and casing. Some tips the consultants shared are: focus on areas you’re weak in and find which strategy is best for you when casing. They also recommended watching videos of casing and checking out the website for more resources.
