Big Shift in Hiring: McKinsey Opens Consulting Roles to Liberal Arts Graduates

In an attempt to increase innovation as it integrates AI into its operations, consulting behemoth McKinsey plans to hire liberal arts candidates that it had previously deprioritised. According to Bob Sternfels, global managing partner at McKinsey & Company, the firm is beginning to identify which backgrounds tend to generate the most innovative solutions, going beyond simply the next logical step.

After deprioritising them, the company is now focusing more on liberal arts majors as possible creative sources. Sternfels' remarks add McKinsey to the list of businesses seeking to recruit graduates of liberal arts programmes. According to Fortune, Ravi Kumar S, CEO of the IT company Cognizant Technology Solutions, is also actively seeking applicants with liberal arts degrees.

McKinsey Infusing AI into its Operations

The company's most recent strategy coincides with McKinsey's integration of AI into its business processes. The management consulting firm had 40,000 employees, far more than the 3,000 AI agents it had over a year and a half ago. However, the number of AI agents is expected to rise by more than 500% in just 18 months.

When asked how many individuals work for McKinsey, Sternfels reportedly replied that the company employs 60,000 people, including 20,000 agents and 40,000 humans. The corporation employed 3,000 agents, the same number of people as a year and a half ago. In an additional 18 months, one or more agents will empower each employee. According to Sternfels, McKinsey will have to deal with a human and agentic workforce working for the brand.

McKinsey Adopts New Hiring Procedure

McKinsey is now using its AI tool to evaluate how effectively job hopefuls do during interviews. According to consultancy interview preparation firm CaseBasix, the company required applicants to take a test utilising its in-house AI tool, Lilli, as part of the recruiting process.

Internal sources told CaseBasix that during a final-round AI interview, certain candidates could have to use the company's AI technology. According to the Financial Times, which cited people with knowledge of the situation, McKinsey is using Lilli to target business school students.

The Fortune report claims that McKinsey actively encourages AI in hiring. Candidates are encouraged to utilise AI to polish resumes and practise interview questions on the company's career portal. However, it cautions against negligent utilisation, such as during evaluations, in the generation of responses.