A large proportion of STEM undergraduate/graduates go to work for consultancy firms. What do they do during a typical day?

Harish Soundararajan

Harish Soundararajan, McKinsey | Harvard Medical |Univ of Cambridge

Updated Jun 26, 2016

I work as an Associate in McKinsey India (Chennai) and US (NYC) offices and here is my typical day:

7.30am: Wake up, do a quick email scan to figure out if there is any fire fighting that is to be done and to check if the Visual Graphics department has made the right pages. Once everything is in order leave for a 30-45 min jog.

8.45am: Quick shower, breakfast and head to office to meet the team or to client site to start the day. While in car catch up on news, talk to wife/parents, flip through the pages from PS session yesterday and do a quick mental plan for the day ahead.

10.00am: Check-in with engagement manager on the key deliverables for the day along with any scheduled calls with experts - internal or otherwise and PS sessions with partners

10.30am: Work on the deliverables or drive towards answers for key questions under debate. Draw a few pages on a sheet of paper, click photos on iPhone and ship it to Visual Graphics to hash out the pages. Instruct R&I department on the questions for which you are seeking answers and set tight deadline for data.

1.00pm: Lunch ordered in via some delivery app or in the client site/office. Try to get healthy, filling and interesting food each day. Discuss current affairs, past engagements or sports with team when on lunch.

1.30pm: Quick check in with engagement manager, put together 4 pages for the partner PS session, send the pages to the partner and get on an expert call to discuss the cutting edge issue that you are trying to understand.

3.00pm: Partner PS, when you try to bring structure to your clients key issues, button up the analysis that helps build the financial outlook for the clients future and engage in a discussion to understand insightful ways to secure the clients financial future.

5.00pm: Implement the partner comments, send the pages to Visual Graphics for quick alignment and then send the pages to client for a discussion on this topic tomorrow. Meet some client team members, try and get more data to support your analysis, answer any top of mind questions they might have and promise them a deep discussion on the topic tomorrow from your analysis.

7.00pm: Snacks, team checkin with EM and head back to hotel if you want or continue to work from team room.

8.00pm: Hit the gym/pool for a relaxing short work out followed by dinner and some online entertainment (usually some VoD!)

9.30pm: Quick mail check, analysis completion and any problem structuring that is needed for tomorrow's work. Sent the latest deck to the manager and give the key insights upfront

10.30pm: Read a book, relax and unwind

11.30pm: Sleep

Of course, no 2 days are the same in consulting and believe me if there is some firefighting to do, then your day goes for a complete toss! I have had 20hr days and sometimes 10hr days. It all depends but the above 12hr day is most frequent.

In my McKinsey life, everyday has been fresh, interesting and a learning process! I have been enjoying every second of it.

PM if you guys want any granular details and would be more than happy to respond.

(https://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3634100&forum_id=2#33454884)

Seems like a chill day off.

(https://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3634100&forum_id=2#33454894)

Also LJL at the autism of "discuss current affairs or sports with team at lunch." I'm sure Harish is great to shoot the shit with!

(https://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3634100&forum_id=2#33454920)

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Dy7bvANSA0Q/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAACo4/93YkjFNX1TM/photo.jpg

(https://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3634100&forum_id=2#33461115)

I feel your frustration. These processes take time and nobody like to sit around waiting for answers to questions that needed answers yesterday. We've had some great interactions with your colleagues this week and and are getting closer to developing a more complete understanding of your company's situation, especially the way you've positioned yourselves in the marketplace vis-a-vis your competitors. I'll be interfacing with additional workgroups next week and gathering input. As usual, we'll circulate a revised slide deck on Friday afternoon. I think you'll be pleased to see the progress we're making!

Harish

P.S. Are you watching House of Cards on Netflix? Wow! Am I right?

(https://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3634100&forum_id=2#33455422)

i would say there'd also be at least 2 sentences purporting to be new information that have always been known, though, and of course dressed up in corporate speak

(https://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3634100&forum_id=2#33455458)

(https://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3634100&forum_id=2#33455275)

producing slides, conference calls, and other flame is just how you get that stuff done. most companies are poorly managed by boomers, which are why they are willing to spend money to get highly-qualified consultants to help them do something theyd never accomplish on their own.

(https://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3634100&forum_id=2#33461107)

lmao

(https://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3634100&forum_id=2#33518174)

BEEP BEEP BEEP

(https://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3634100&forum_id=2#33461141)