Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Aside from a couple of courses on technology commercialization at the University of Washington, I did not have much exposure to the business world before coming to McKinsey. For consulting firms that do hire scientists, the interview process does not presuppose prior business knowledge among candidates. Instead, these firms rely on case studies, an interview technique that tests for the ability to solve problems in real time. To hone your case-based interviewing skills, read business cases from the websites of consulting firms and practice on them with colleagues. The transition was easier than I imagined once I joined, in large part because of a number of training programs that McKinsey provided as well as the support of the teams I have worked with. A typical challenge that scientists do face early on is learning how to rise up from the details and think about the big-picture implications at every level, something that many scientists are not used to doing on a day-to-day basis. Another key difference between academia and consulting is that almost invariably, you work in teams. Scientists typically do not have extensive experience working in teams, which is why McKinsey makes a substantial investment in training programs on leadership, teamwork and communication. A day in the life Since joining McKinsey, Ive had the choice to work in different industry sectors, but have chosen to primarily serve clients in the healthcare sector given my long-term interests. In my first year in consulting, I served pharmaceutical clients in three continents North America, Europe and Asiaon issues ranging from sales and marketing to corporate finance and organization. This has given me broad exposure to the industry in a short span of time. What made it all the more exciting was that these projects focused on senior
Samarth Kulkarni is an Associate at McKinsey & Company, 3075A Hansen Way, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA. http://www.mckinsey.com/careers/
managements key issues. The scientific rigor applied to some of these projects has been surprising. In one of my projects, I found myself, along with a colleague, coding a Monte Carlo simulation to solve It is not uncommon a corporate finance to see the impact problem; in another, of your work in the I found myself porWall Street Journal a ing over dozens of few weeks after you finish a project, says clinical trial publicaMcKinseys Samarth tions on nonsmall Kulkarni. cell lung cancer. A unique aspect of all these projects has been the diversity of the teamsI have been on teams with lawyers, doctors and art historians, along with industry experts, each bringing a new perspective on the problem we were solvingwhich is something I very much enjoy about working at McKinsey. While I am on recruiting visits to various campuses, candidates often ask what a day in the life of a management consultant actually looks like. Although each day is varied, most consist of a combination of team brainstorming, working with the client analytics and interviews with experts. It is not uncommon for entry-level associates to have meetings with senior-level clients, which require careful and diligent preparation beforehand. Over time, consultants move from basic consultant roles to become project managers and then partners at the firm, with each role adding a greater leadership element to the job. The learning curve is steep because you are expected to progress from entry-level associate to partner in 67 years. This also means that you are continuously developing as a leader.
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