There’s a huge temptation to go after big brands in banking in the same way you go after them for business schools, but I think it’s more important to find the right cultural fit. Where do you find the greatest intellectual challenge? Where do you see the most room to grow? Where do you love the team around you? That becomes vastly more important than chasing after one name or the other.
The first few years as an investment banker are really tough, but once you can get through the high-slope learning curve, your military background will provide a significant value-add. Things we consider basic skills – courage, leadership, initiative – will really come to fruition as you gain experience and seniority.
When I came out of business school in 2002, there was a very clear hierarchy between firms, with the largest banks on top. Since then, boutiques have taken much more market share, while providing employees with greater freedom and autonomy. In fact, many of the competitors we hold the greatest respect for are other boutique firms that provide laser-focused expertise.
For those about to start their MBA, I would recommend waiting until you begin classes to kickoff case prep. I have seen many people become burned out from case interview fatigue, so I would encourage you to trust your school's process. I waited until October to start casing and I had my final round interviews in the first week of January. If you can't sit still and feel like you need to do SOMETHING to prepare before class, I highly recommend the book "Case Interview Secrets" by Victor Chen. The book is free for veterans, so you have nothing to lose by ordering.
McKinsey is a big place, providing you opportunities to find your core group of sponsors and mentors. This allows you to identify what problems you enjoy solving and who you like to solve them with. Solving for the people plus the problem creates a great environment to work with people from a variety of backgrounds with similar passions and interests to you.
Walking into the client site for the first time was similar to being a 2LT showing up to my unit for the first time; there was a lot of pressure to deliver, and while you have a solid background and education, you’re still unproven. People size you up and are skeptical about what value you may be able to bring. Ultimately, your success will depend on your ability to win over the client team by proving to them you are competent, can deeply understand the problem and the context, and tailor a solution that the organization can deliver.
One of the defining elements of working at McKinsey is our long-term view; we push for client success in a larger sense rather than looking at short-term sales metrics. Building these relationships over time has been one of the most rewarding parts of my time with the firm.
We bet on the jockey, not the horse. We look for “woodpeckers” – the people who get up at 3 AM, bang away 20,000 times a day and don’t give up. These people are relentless; their refuse-to-quit mindset is essential to what we look for in entrepreneurs.
