Interview Q&A – meet Ewa

Ewa in office
 
Ewa in office

How did you prepare for your personal experience interview?

Interview preparation is a good moment to reflect on your experiences. Breaking down all the things I’ve done and learned allowed me to analyze my strengths and development goals and portrays them in a straightforward way.

This part of the interview should not to be taken for granted. Know you story and how to present it. Just as for every other part, practice makes a difference and helps you get a better perspective on what you want to say and how you want to be seen.

Ewa at ceremony with friends
Ewa at ceremony with friends

How did you feel prior to your interviews?

First and foremost, I felt supported. My incredible recruiters Ania and Kasia, my case coach, and my interviewers from the first round all wanted me to succeed.

Interviewing is an interesting experience because it blends in so many different emotions. On one side, I was nervous. After all, it was my one shot to join a team of very talented people. On the other side, I was excited and motivated to give the best of myself. I tried to leverage the adrenaline created from these emotions and trust the process in my first round of interviews. During my final round interviews, I applied the feedback I received from prior stages and remained focused. It is easy to lose the latter after weeks of preparation and an intense first round, so I made sure to stay on track, believe in myself and show confidence during my last round.

 

Ewa visiting the Great Wall of China
 
Ewa visiting the Great Wall of China

How did your McKinsey interview differ from what you expected?

The level of engagement of the people I met on the way was noteworthy. The interview resembled a conversation during which we solved a problem together just like an actual client-facing project. This authenticity created an enjoyable atmosphere that helped me understand whether McKinsey was a right fit for me.

What were your main drivers to join McKinsey?

My decision to join McKinsey was a very conscious one. I weighed the pros and cons of diving into a new career, moving countries for the seventh time in two-and-a-half years, and shifting gears from tech into strategy consulting. I researched the Warsaw office, talking to current and former McKinsey consultants to make sure I understood the job, knew the firm’s culture, and felt I belonged in this community.

Fast-forward a couple of months. I feel like an integral part of the firm, even during quarantine. There’s so much support, and there are so many initiatives.  I am grateful to be exactly where I am. I get to work on challenging problems with the world's brightest minds, and I feel my ideas matter and make a difference. I also get to pursue my passions and share them with colleagues, such as teaching yoga online. I’ve had whole families from McKinsey join and share their quality time with me while I push them into new yoga poses every week.

Ewa in yoga pose
Ewa in yoga pose

More about Ewa:

Ewa went to undergrad at Bocconi University in Italy. During that time, she participated in an internship in Bangkok in digital marketing for an automotive company, then joined an exchange program at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore during her last year of undergrad. She received a master's dual degree in strategic management; her one-year program started at University of Virginia, connected to a finance certificate at Lingnan University in China, and finalized at ESADE in Barcelona. Before joining McKinsey, Ewa worked at LinkedIn as a business development specialist and advisor for the Central and Eastern European market. Ewa joined McKinsey in Warsaw in February 2020 as a senior fellow business analyst.

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