My role at McKinsey
I am half Moroccan and half French, and recently graduated with a master’s in management from Audencia. I joined McKinsey as a private equity diligence analyst in Lisbon’s Client Capabilities hub. I am part of the private equity insight center, which helps McKinsey teams with the due diligence process of private equity deals in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
I applied to McKinsey because I wanted to be part of a firm that would allow me to work on a broad range of topics and also, be more autonomous on the projects I worked on. I decided to join the private equity insights center team because it is focused on private equity work, which is fast-paced and constantly changing, permitting me to work with different teams every time I take on a new project.
Making the first step – the application
Applying to McKinsey was a big challenge for me because I did not know what to expect during the interviews. I was surprised to see how nice and encouraging everyone was throughout the process and how supportive the people are.
My preparation paid off and when I joined, I found everyone to be as kind and approachable as they were during my interviews. My new colleagues helped me feel comfortable right away.
My experience at McKinsey has helped me gain valuable hard - and soft - skills. For example, I have learned about various technical aspects of my job, but I think what I’ve developed the most is my self-confidence.
A global community that supports growth
What I value the most about my role is the way I can work with people from different backgrounds and in different locations on a daily basis, as well as the opportunities I’ve had so far to work on a broad range of topics.
As a member of the private equity insights center team I am also able to travel to other European and Middle Eastern offices to work with the colleagues I am staffed with. I also enjoy the autonomy I am given and the freedom to grow, at my own rhythm, creating my own McKinsey.
Lina’s advice
If you are thinking about applying to McKinsey, I believe the best advice I could give is to not focus only on the technical aspects of the whole process and instead, focus on the relationships with the people you will interact with, because they will probably have some very good advice and insights that will help you.
Outside of work
Since moving to Lisbon, I try to travel as much as possible. My goal is to see as much of Portugal as I can.