The Consulting Offer Season 2 Part 11
Watch Kevin P.Coyne, ex-McKinsey Director and Worldwide Strategy Practice Co-Leader, mentor and train Alice Qinhua Zhou and Michael Klein for their McKinsey and BCG case interviews. Alice successfully joined McKinsey NYC at the conclusion of the program.
Kevin P. Coyne was a director and co-leader of both McKinsey’s Worldwide Strategy Practice and CEO Transitions Practice. At the time, he was the youngest associate at the firm and one of the youngest Principals appointed. He was the only person ever admitted directly into the Harvard Business School from his junior year of college, Rice University, which he attended by special permission before graduating from high school. Kevin has co-written 6 Harvard Business Review articles, 12 McKinsey Quarterly articles, 2 bestselling business books and articles across influential business publications. He spent time in the Federal Government as an Executive Assistant and sole policy advisor to the Deputy Secretary of the United States Treasury in the Reagan Administration.
Alice Qinhua Zhou is a 26 year-old candidate from Yale University. She attended Fudan University where she graduated 1st in her class. Alice has a strong track record of leadership at Yale, having served as President of the consulting club and editor-in-chief of a peer-reviewed journal. Alice has no full-time work experience. Coming off a McKinsey internship decline and unsuccessful Bain internship, Alice is interested in both McKinsey and BCG for a full-time associate position in NYC.
Michael E. Klein is a 30 year-old candidate from McGill and Brown University. Michael has a very strong analytic profile balanced by an equally artistic side: he was a candidate for ‘Canada’s Got Talent’ where he sang Prince lyrics accompanied by a harpist. Michael has limited work experience as a business journalist. Going into his very first interviews, Michael will have to prove he can use his technical skills to seamlessly understand and solve business issues, while demonstrating his leadership acumen in the fit interviews.
There are two farmers markets housing sellers and attracting buyers. They have a 60% / 40% market share split. Michael must determine which market will grow and dominate.
Cases tend to be data intensive. There is usually too much data available to reasonably analyze everything. Kevin explains how hypotheses help in such situations.
Kevin’s body language and response to Michael’s requests for more data provides strong hints to the nature of the case. Moreover, Michael’s approach is too simple.
Partners will guide candidates to the central issues. Kevin does the same by encouraging Michael to think about how the size differences between the markets.
This scene demonstrates the manner in which interviewers communicate. While they may not use words like brainstorm, the candidate must recognize the request.
Candidates mistakenly assume they have failed the case when an interviewer offers an answer. This scene demonstrates the signal candidates are receiving when this occurs.
In this scene candidates learn a valuable lesson when using external, to the case, data/metaphors to make a point. It can lead to confusion and a loss of focus.
Michael shifts away from metaphors to think about the principles that drive a market-place monopoly. Again, Kevin is slightly rephrasing the question to help Michael.
There is a pattern occurring here. Kevin is never providing Michael with the answer. He constantly tries rephrasing the question to help Michael identify the insight needed.
Michael develops a critical insight by shifting from the location lever to thinking about critical masses in a market. However, he does not develop this insight further.
Kevin picks up the critical mass concept and works with Michael to develop a graphical interpretation of how the number of market players adds value to a market.
Kevin explains how the number of participants creates value in a market and at what point the too many participants begins destroying value in a market.
Kevin discusses the importance of describing concepts using a very specific type of language and how to read the hints provided by partners in a case interview.
Kevin explains that cracking the case is not as important as candidates think. He thereafter guides Michael on a strategy to “score points” throughout the case interview.
Michael leads this discussion outlining all the challenges he faced and why he made the decisions he did in the case.
Kevin concludes the case by offering suggestions for Michael on how to practice conceptual strategy cases, which require a very skilled case partner.
In this inference-based style of interviewing, Kevin presents a challenging strategy case. This is another case, common to final round interviews with partners, where basic frameworks rarely work. The case focuses on the economic principles that drive the creation of a monopoly, and ultimately le...
