Interview preparation: What Quality Mckinsey looks in the candidates for jobs

Evaluation of the candidate for a job:

Each organization looks for job fit and organizational fit by evaluating the behavioral and technical competencies of the candidates. The interview questions are framed in a manner to evaluate candidates on these qualities. The candidates who do the job interview preparation learn about these and prepare for interviews. For example, Mckinsey has mentioned on their site that the organization looks for the following qualities in their candidates:

Personal Impact

Customers come with complex problems and issues to the consulting organizations. The resolution of these problems requires a great deal of involvement, working in teams, and collaboration with many persons. Employees need to be engaged in an effective manner in these trying and complex situations to bring out the solutions. 

Entrepreneurial Drive

An entrepreneurial minset with innovation inclination is required for attaining targets and tackling barriers. An entrepreneurial mind is open to new ideas and seeks learning and growth. Entrepreneurial drive is required in employees for success and growth.

Inclusive Leadership

Leadership is inspiring people. Inclusive leadership is about inspiring people from different backgrounds, synthesizing their diverse ideas to achieve goals. It’s about creating an environment of belongingness where each member is performing at their peak. However, only having leadership qualities does not help. “Arjun and Karan, both the characters had the same intellectual capital and the same leadership abilities. However, their careers went two different ways,” beautifully explained by Mr. Gautam Sengupta. He further advises ” How then does an individual develop the skills to ensure that his career boat does not force land on a shore of quicksand”.

Problem Solving Skills

The job is to provide solutions to customers for their complex issues. This requires a high order of intellectual abilities, problem-solving skills, and hard work.  It also requires a practical sense of operational knowledge. Candidates appearing for an interview at the organization should prepare to give examples with Answers to the interview questions. The candidates appearing for Mckinsey should be able to articulate the above-mentioned qualities in them with situational examples in a structured manner.