McKinsey Q&A: Patricia

Patricia joined our Operations Excellence Program in London to avoid settling down. Here she shares some of her adventures.

Patricia B inline
Patricia B inline

Interviewer: What led you to McKinsey?

Patricia: After doing a traineeship in my previous company, I realized I wasn’t ready to commit to one type of job. I wanted to do many things in many places – all focused on purchasing and supply chain management. Since McKinsey has one of the largest operations practice in the world, it seemed like an easy choice.

Interviewer: What is the best part of working in operations?

Patricia: Operations is all about getting your hands dirty. It’s about continuously interacting with clients and collaborating with colleagues, who have all had invaluable work experiences. In Ops, we work on very tangible problems; we can see the results of our work almost immediately, which I find extremely rewarding.

Interviewer: What has been your most memorable engagement at the firm?

Patricia: What makes an engagement amazing is not the industry or the topic; it’s the team. One of my favorite projects was in one of the most remote parts of the UK in an industry most people would not consider exciting. But the people made it incredible. I’d never witnessed five grown men singing Justin Bieber at 7.30 in the morning, had colleagues so proactively support each other about literally anything at any time of day while also delivering what some would argue is the largest impact our firm has achieved in the UK in the last year.

Interviewer: What are you passionate about outside of work?

Patricia: Anything that involves good food. Many of my travels outside of work are to investigate local cuisines. I have recently discovered bouldering and hope to take my skills in the sport to the next level this year.

Interviewer: What advice would you give to others considering McKinsey?

Patricia: I’ve met people who worry that joining McKinsey will take a toll on their personal lives. I’ve found the opposite to be true. McKinsey is as flexible as you make it. Set your priorities and communicate them clearly and you’ll see what a great place this is.

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