The Consulting Offer Season 2 Part 15
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.
Michael discusses his background growing up in upstate New York and some of the events shaping his early life.
Michael elaborates on the direct impact his mother’s musical impact had on his career, and how he found a way to merge both his parent’s interests into his work.
Two events shaped Michael’s early year. He discusses them both and outlines the way they impacted his thinking, development and early career choices.
Michael explains the role of this older brother and a manager. They both played key roles in mentoring and inspiring him. He also discusses leaving academia.
Michael talks about why he chose McGill for his studies. He elaborates on why it was easier for him to apply to the US and how he is managing the transition with his supervisor.
Michael talks about why he wanted to be a part of Season 2, how he felt when he was selected and the differences he noted between both seasons.
In this scene, Michael explains what he learned from watching Season 1 and how he has used the material to prepare for the interviews with Kevin.
Michael candidly shares his initial observations about Alice; how he believes she will perform in the case interviews and his strategy for working with her.
Michael shares his strategy for interviewing with the former McKinsey Worldwide Strategy Practice Co-Leader and his expectations for the interviews.
Michael discusses the closed-list dinner scheduled for tomorrow, what candidates think about its relative importance and how he plans to use the time with Kevin.
Michael talks about the unique challenges he faced as a PhD in Canada, with a US citizenship, trying to interview in the west-coast offices of McKinsey.
Michael discusses the steps he took to apply, the challenges he faced and what the consulting firms are doing to smooth the process for advanced degree candidates.
Michael discusses the areas he is comfortable about going, into the interviews with Kevin, and the few areas he hopes to strengthen after the sessions.
An artistic element in Michael’s resume is his spike. Michael also elaborates on what motivates him in his long-term career.
Michael recaps his own experiences and offers advice for candidates who are going through the interview process. He offers both tips and a note of caution.
Michael talks about how long he has been preparing, his focus areas, the material he is using to fix fundamental case skills and how he is working with practice partners.
Michael discusses which cases he found the most difficult, the different types of full-cases he had to master and differences between the BCG and McKinsey interview styles.
Michael discusses his views on McKinsey final-round inference style cases, how he prepared for the PEI, and his resume and cover letter preparation.
Michael wraps up his pre-interview by walking us through the timelines from his preparation, to submitting his applications to finally receiving an interview invite.
Michael discusses his early experiences, decision to attend McGill and the influence of this older brother. He talks about preparing for TCO 2 and the challenges of applying within the US, particularly California. Michael elaborates on the differences between McKinsey and BCG cases, preparing for...
