McKinsey is making job applicants spar with a fake AI client
TL;DR
Consulting firm McKinsey & Company is going to ask some entry-level candidates to have a 10-minute conversation with an AI simulation of a client as part of the interview process, according to The Wall Street Journal. The AI simulation "aims to reflect 80% of the scenarios McKinsey consultants might encounter in their day-to-day work," the WSJ says, and it isn't designed to "mimic an unhinged client.
Nauti's Take
For applicants, the practical test is how they handle a changing conversation partner under pressure. Teams introducing similar assessments should first verify which behaviors humans are actually judging, how consistent the simulation is across candidates, and whether the AI scenarios reflect real work.
The implementation details remain limited in the current reporting, so broad claims about fairness or predictive value would be premature.
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