McKinsey no longer a possibility

Iason Gabriel and Milan Ilnyckyj

It seems as though management consulting can probably be stricken from the list of things that I may be doing next year. Based on the employment history listed on my CV, it was always a long shot: computer sales at Staples, juice bar attendant at the Olympic Athletic Club, janitor at the King’s Court Apartments, etc. In response to my application letter and CV, I got the following from McKinsey & Company today:

We have read your application with interest. Regrettably, we have decided not to invite you for an interview. We were impressed by your achievements; however, based on our screening criteria for potential consultants, we do not believe that you currently match our requirements in some areas.

Certainly, it is a bit disappointing. McKinsey has an excellent reputation, even if the kind of work that they do isn’t the sort that I see myself as likely to be enormously interested in or good at. Providing business-related advice to companies really doesn’t sound like a job that would play to my advantages; also, the crushing seven day weeks and ten hour days that seem to be the complement to McKinsey’s excellent pay are hardly compatible with the possibility of using free time next year to apply to doctoral programs.

Where should I try applying next?

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here.

10 thoughts on “McKinsey no longer a possibility”

  1. You should really think about a D.Phil conversion: a doctorate in two years. Plus, you only need to pay fees for the first one. If you really wanted to, you could do a postdoc in the USA later on.

  2. think of it this way: if you weren’t particularly interested in the job, then it’s a blessing in disguise that you were not invited for an interview.

    m.

  3. I got an ever more perfunctory dismissal from the UN Volunteer program:

    Thank you for completing our online questionnaire. Given that the minimum age to serve abroad as a UN Volunteer is 25, we are unable to offer you an assignment.

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