The Consulting Offer Season 2 Part 12
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.
Kevin provides a significant amount of case data. Alice must quickly understand, categorize and extract insights from the data to help her move the case forward.
Kevin provides a strong hint about the direction of the case by taking time to explain the mechanics of the drug testing and approval process.
Kevin presents the case question, but also eliminates many potential areas of analyses. This makes the case tougher, since Alice must identify the main hypotheses early.
Although Alice’s hypotheses are premature, she does very well to not become swamped with all the case facts. This is a major reason why the case progresses.
Kevin is very consistent at ensuring the candidates understand the rationale for their answers. He does the same with Alice by examining why her option could work.
Kevin is strongly hinting that this case is about understanding, building and maintaining barriers to entry as the economics of the sector changes. Can Alice take the hint?
This scene shows how McKinsey partners conduct cases using an economics language. Kevin guides Alice to the baby testing, but Alice needs to outline the economic barrier.
Kevin is hinting that this a “product” comparison issue. Alice needs to analyze the products and identify the one area where the baby cells will have a major advantage.
Alice makes a classic mistake of forgetting the cells are a product with a market and, therefore, ends up analyzing the cells solely around scientific dimensions.
Kevin helps Alice by explaining the key difference between the cells, and it is a strong hint to Alice about the possible economic advantage generated from the baby cells.
Alice correctly identifies one competitive dimension around which the client’s products can be marketed.
The key to answering this question is to visualize how the economics changes over time and, therefore, how the competitive advantages change.
Kevin helps Alice by explaining how the key difference in the baby cells translates into a significant revenue advantage in the long-term.
In this insightful scene Kevin explains how the conventional principles of strategy can be used to analyze all types of technology cases.
Kevin explains the distinctive value candidates with scientific backgrounds can bring to a case interview, versus the traditional MBA who tends to be a generalist.
Kevin asks Alice to practice a technique, which, if perfected by candidates, ensures they discuss their backgrounds in the language McKinsey wants to hear.
Kevin enhances the technique taught in previous scene, by explaining how Alice can apply context to demonstrate 2nd and 3rd order insight in a case.
Like Felix in Season 1, Alice is quick to learn and eager to practice new skills. She tries to immediately apply the lessons from the case.
Kevin explains the one key case interviewing skill, which candidates with a scientific background must learn if they are to build a connection with the interviewer.
Kevin alters his interviewing style a little in Alice’s final round case interview: he provides a significant amount of data on a complex topic. The case is also unusual in that Alice, the candidate, would have some basic knowledge of the case facts given her background. This case provides three ...
