Jeesun

Business Analyst

Using my McKinsey network

I think it’s great that you are actually the one who has to pursue your own opportunities at McKinsey, using the network you have built while you’re here. People are always very supportive in terms of your interests and your development needs. So after working for some time in the Seoul office, I actually e-mailed everyone I knew around the firm whom I’d worked with, asking for any opportunities that I might be able to join. And I got an answer from one of the Germans I’d worked with before. It was quite easy to actually join the team to start a new study in Europe.

One firm

I was once on a really international team. There was an engagement manager from the U.S., I was from Seoul, there was a partner and an associate from the Paris office, and an associate principal from Belgium. I was amazed by how well McKinsey people work together despite their different backgrounds. There’s a kind of McKinsey way of thinking; a professional attitude and openness and a level of collaboration that helps you all communicate in the same way when it comes to logical thinking or problem solving. So I never felt like a foreigner at all.

Thought partner to senior leaders

You would think that as a young business analyst you would not have client interactions on a very high level. But here, you’re able to talk on the same level as senior managers—as a kind of a thought partner for them—which you would never imagine happening, especially at a Korean company. At McKinsey, the way you build your credibility and your relationships with senior clients is a truly amazing experience.