McKinsey job applicants are facing off with an AI mayor to test their wits, new twist in challenging process

Many aspiring applicants who subject themselves to McKinsey & Co.’s notoriously grueling hiring process now risk facing a demanding AI bot.A McKinsey partner told the Wall Street Journal that the consulting giant – known for recruiting young Ivy League grads to help solve problems faced by cities and companies – plans to put candidates through the ringer with an AI simulation of real world problems. Among the daunting hurdles, for example, could be a session dealing with the AI-generated mayor of a city that’s building a pricey new arena.“The mayor is going to have some very important things that matter to her, and she’s going to want to hear your recommendations,” Saleem Zafar, a partner in the company’s Dallas office who helped develop the chatbot hiring tool, told the Journal.If a city hires McKinsey to study where to place a new stadium, Zafar explained, the applicant will have to give a strategy in real time.“But as you might share your recommendations, she might bring some additional concerns or additional layers of context,” the partner said.Another portion of the pilot is allowing applicants to use AI as a problem-solving tool on a certain part of their test because the candidate will be expected to use the tech as employees.One Reddit user called the vetting process “genuinely unlike any other test in the consulting recruitment space.” McKinsey’s AI experiment is currently being used with undergrads hoping for jobs as business analysts — a position with a reported starting salary of $128,000.

McKinsey partners will observe how the high achievers do.The AI mayor doesn’t get to veto an applicant.Zafar designed the pilot to reflect 80% of the challenges future consultants might face.

The mayor scenario is based in a strong reality.McKinsey consultants are often tapped by city leaders either for leadership roles or to find cost saving measures.The hiring decision — the company has a reported 0.5% to 1.5% acceptance rate �...