McKinsey is one of the most recognized brand names in the world – and it is making new waves in the tech consulting space via McKinsey Digital (also known as “Digital McKinsey”). Separating these practice areas can get confusing, as the firm has multiple groups that leverage the McKinsey name but offer services that don’t focus on traditional strategy consulting.
What is McKinsey Digital?
McKinsey Digital focuses on helping clients use digital technology to transform their businesses. Digital McKinsey provides a common home for technology savvy colleagues who want to work at the intersection of business and technology. The group offers various services from IT modernization and strategy to agile, cloud, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.
The practice area consists of a team of 2,100 consultants and experts across 60 offices. The group serves a wide range of companies, from start-ups to global Fortune 100 firms. To date, McKinsey Digital has delivered 15,000+ digital and technology engagements for 2,000+ clients.
Needless to say, working at Digital McKinsey offers employees the chance to work across various industries and functions, albeit in a more focused way. If your long term goal is to become a leader in the tech space, McKinsey Digital may be a more preferable career stop for you than even Big Daddy McKinsey.
What Kind of Work Do Your McKinsey Digital Colleagues Do?
You and your colleagues will work on providing strategic solutions through a technology perspective. Examples include:
- Transforming customer experience via digital enablement at a global bank
- Establishing cyber security measures and protections to ensure data confidentiality at a major pharmaceutical company
- Optimizing enterprise architecture, infrastructure, and application management at a large technology company
How is McKinsey Digital Different from McKinsey Consulting?
McKinsey Digital consultants work on engagements (McKinsey’s term for case projects) with generalist consultants and other practices within the firm. As a result, these consultants often serve clients across a mix of both technology and non-technology related topics.
Digital McKinsey consultants are provided the same development opportunities as generalists. The main unique aspect of being a consultant in this practice is a focus on technology. Overall, these consultants all share a passion for technology and create close knit communities within each office. In addition, consultants within the group develop a strategic competence in technology, just as others at McKinsey eventually develop expertise in the areas they are passionate about.
What are the Different Roles Available?
In order to best serve its clients, McKinsey Digital hires from a wide variety of backgrounds. These include strategy consulting roles, design experts, and technical engineers.
The most common entry point into Digital McKinsey for those interested in strategy consulting is the Associate or Business Analyst role. Joining this practice is like declaring your major at college, except it’s with McKinsey instead. Most strategy consultants at McKinsey start off as generalists and eventually specialize, and one of the options available is McKinsey Digital.
Digital Labs is a group within the Digital practice and it is home to some of the world’s best designers, data scientists, software specialists, and agile engineers and coaches. Specialists combine data science, human-centered design, and the latest rapid-development techniques to help clients deliver breakthrough products, experiences, and businesses.
McKinsey Leap is the firm’s answer to BCG Digital Ventures. The practice focuses on building businesses from the ground up and fostering innovation.
Resume + Cover Letter Edits
- 2 Rounds of Edits each on 1 Resume and 1 Cover Letter
- Digital pass: 24 templates, 5 e-books
Black Belt
- 8 hours 1:1 Zoom sessions with MBB coach of your choice
- All Access Pass: 600+ cases, 10K+ math/structure drills, 9 video courses, 18 chatbot cases
- 2 Rounds of Edits each on 1 Resume and 1 Cover Letter
- 1 Year Membership to MC Community
What is the Interview Process Like?
The interview process at McKinsey Digital differs on the role you are applying for (i.e. data scientist interviews are much more technical). This also means it depends whether you are applying straight from school or if you are an experienced professional.
If you are applying for an Associate or Business Analyst role from campus, the process will be exactly the same as for any Associate or Business Analyst role at McKinsey. You can expect case interviews (sorry, you can’t escape them!) and personal experience questions. The good news is that the case interview will be focused on tech implementation and digital strategy questions.
If you are an experienced professional, a McKinsey recruiter will walk you through the process in detail for the role for which you are interviewing. Generally, your interview is much more weighted towards the fit interview – so don’t neglect that prep!