I focus on interviewing candidates interested in joining our Operations practice – my home within the firm. I am part of the international interviewer group for MBA schools, such as INSEAD and LBS. In the last 18 months, I’ve participated in more than 30 interview days and conducted sessions with more than 100 candidates.
The importance of interviewing
Interviewing is crucial to the firm as we aim to attract the best talent. Even in this time of COVID-19, we’re taking a through-cycle approach which means we’re continuing to recruit new colleagues to ensure we always have the talent we need to serve our clients well.
For me, it is very rewarding to meet diverse candidates and share part of my experience with them. They all have such impressive backgrounds and intellect. During conversations in my interviews, I get to discuss topics about which I am passionate – as part of sharing my journey with the candidates and conducting the case portion of the interview. That helps me stay connected to the Operations practice and often gives me a renewed sense of passion for the work. It also gives me a great glimpse of the future of McKinsey and that’s always very encouraging.
Expectations
During interviews, I expect candidates to tell me about their role in particular situations that demonstrate their drive, leadership, problem solving, and entrepreneurial spirit. During the case, I want candidates to be open to diving into a new topic on which they may never have worked. I am looking to see how they approach a problem, break it down into manageable pieces, think critically through it, etc. It’s not just about the calculations or applying a framework.
Advice
I recommend candidates be themselves when they interview with McKinsey. It is important for the candidates to get to know McKinsey and vice versa to make sure they are the right fit for one another. I encourage candidates to come prepared. Train your analytical skills through case practicing and think about your specific role and actions in the stories you want to share with us.
Learn more about interviewing at McKinsey.
More about Adrian
Adrian received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in technology and management from the Technical University of Munich. He spent a semester abroad at Shanghai Jiao Tong University while pursuing his bachelor’s degree and at Columbia University in New York during his master’s degree.
He spent his first two years at McKinsey as junior specialist in McKinsey’s Operations Excellence Program (OEP) focusing on supply chain management topics. Since he completed the OEP, he has been working on his PhD in supply chain management and logistics at the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management.
Outside of work, Adrian loves being in nature. On the weekends he enjoys hiking or biking in the mountains. He also enjoys backpacking to remote locations around the world as it allows him to reset and experience something completely new. One of his best travel experiences was the overwhelming feeling he had going to the Hindu festival Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai, where masses of people came together singing and celebrating (pre-shelter-in-place, of course).