The new AI-driven interview stage tests candidates’ ability to collaborate with its in-house AI assistant
McKinsey & Company is reportedly piloting a new component in recruitment where candidates are being asked to use the consulting firm's AI assistant as part of evaluating talent.
The Financial Times reported that McKinsey is asking job candidates to utilise its AI tool, Lilli, to replicate how it is expecting its consultants to use the technology.
The new recruitment stage is a "new dimension" to how the firm evaluates consulting talent, according to CaseBasix, an organisation helping individuals prepare for interviews at McKinsey and other consulting firms.
"The McKinsey AI interview process focuses on structured reasoning, iterative improvement, and sound decision making under time pressure, reflecting how consultants are expected to work with AI in real engagements," said Mayank Gupta, CEO of CaseBasix, on a blog post in December.
McKinsey's new AI stage
CaseBasix, citing its own internal sources, said the AI interview appears as an additional final round assessment in the United States and North America and has not been launched globally.
According to the company, the AI interview involves asking McKinsey's AI tool clear and focused questions, reviewing the AI output, refining its first response, and synthesising information into a structured answer.
"At a high level, McKinsey is evaluating whether candidates can use AI as a productive support tool while maintaining ownership of the final answer," Gupta said.
The new AI interview reflects how the consulting industry is shifting amid the introduction of AI tools in the workplace.
"Testing AI collaboration in hiring helps assess whether candidates can apply judgment, structure, and professional reasoning while working with AI tools in realistic consulting situations," Gupta said.
AI use at McKinsey
The reports of McKinsey's new AI interview component come amid the widespread utilisation of the technology in the consulting firm.
McKinsey CEO Bob Sternfels, in an interview with Harvard Business Review, revealed that the company is now employing 20,000 AI agents.
"When people ask me how many people McKinsey employs, my answer is 60,000: 40,000 humans and 20,000 agents. A year and a half ago we had the same number of humans but just 3,000 agents," Sternfels said in the interview.
"In another 18 months, I think every employee will be enabled by one or more agents."
The widespread use of AI agents comes as the CEO noted that they are "migrating away from pure advisory work."
"We're moving to more of an outcomes-based model, where we identify a joint business case with our clients, and we underwrite the outcome by tying our fees to the impact our work delivers for them," he added.
