Working at McKinsey sparked immense personal and professional growth.
REALIZING CHILDHOOD DREAMS
I am Russian but was raised in Kazakhstan in a multicultural community. As a child, I dreamt about exploring the world—a passion I inherited from my father, who is a pilot. I followed my dreams and moved to China where I worked in a trading business, and as a translator from both Russian and English to Chinese.
In 2014, I moved to Costa Rica and earned a degree in business administration. Then I had the opportunity to join McKinsey’s global sourcing team, where I helped to optimize client sourcing strategies. Currently, as part of the global consumer team, I support our client services teams with the latest analysis and insights on recent trends, best practices, or specific products.
Working in a global firm has huge advantages. It ignites my childhood passion for interacting with people from different cultures, and I learn so much from my colleagues around the world. I collaborate with people in areas like textile production and engineering, and I learn about the latest technologies and innovations.
MAKING NEWS HEADLINES
When I look at the results of my work, I can see that I’ve made a meaningful contribution. One particular project stands out, for a retail client undertaking a far-reaching transformation. Backed by my research, the McKinsey team developed strategies to help the client respond to market trends and distinguish themselves from competitors. These ideas made headlines when the press reported on the client’s innovative new strategy!
BRINGING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF TO WORK
Capabilities and insights analysts typically focus on a specific industry or functional topic. While we work on broad research requests too, the ultimate goal is to build expertise within a specific area. In my case, I specialize in beauty products, retail, and apparel sourcing. Alongside my own research, analysis and insights, I sometimes share ideas based on my own experience and interests as a consumer. In fact, we encourage our diverse team members to bring their individual perspectives to bear on solving problems.
Working at McKinsey has sparked immense personal and professional growth. I have realized that I can work well under pressure, and be more creative too. If you are open minded and curious, I would suggest applying to join the firm: here, you can truly bring your authentic self to work.