How to Prepare for AI As Part of the Interview Process

I've been interviewing and hiring people for the past 12 years. I knew this was coming...and now it's here.

It's official: AI skills are necessary for getting hired post-grad.

Here's what you need to know...

What's happening: McKinsey is now piloting an AI interview as part of their U.S. final round hiring process.

Candidates interviewing for roles like Business Analyst (an early career role) are being asked to sit down with Lilli, McKinsey's proprietary AI platform, and use it in real time to solve a consulting-style business problem.

The interviewer watches. The clock runs. And your ability to collaborate with AI is now part of how you're evaluated.

The reality: This isn't only happening at tech companies. This is McKinsey. One of the most prestigious and traditional employers in the world, and they're testing if you can think with AI.

The mindset: Most people panic about not knowing enough about AI when they hear this. They think this is some technical skills test... like they need to know how to code or understand machine learning.

It's not.

What McKinsey is actually testing is whether you can:

Ask clear, focused questions.

Think on your feet when the answer isn't perfect.

Evaluate the output you're given critically instead of just accepting it. Synthesize what the AI gives you into a structured, useful recommendation.

That's a thinking skill. And it's one you already have or can BUILD starting today.

How to actually prepare:

1. Start using AI tools in your real work right now as a collaborator. Ask it questions. Push back on its answers.
   
   
2. Reframe the prompt when the output isn't useful. Practice fusing AI-generated information into your own structured point of view.
   
   
3. Run mock scenarios with it. Give yourself a business problem like "a retail company is losing customers, what are the key drivers?" and use AI to help you work through it. Then practice presenting your conclusions out loud, clearly, in under two minutes.
   
   
4. Think about how you'd explain your reasoning to someone watching: why you asked what you asked, how you filtered what came back, and what you actually concluded.
   
   
5. Start with free courses directly from Claude. You can find them here.

This is bigger than McKinsey. If the most traditional consulting firm in the world is piloting this, the rest of the industry is coming. AI fluency is going to show up in finance, marketing, operations, healthcare consulting, everywhere.

The job seekers who adapt now will walk into those interviews with a real edge over peers who are still treating AI like a search engine.

You don't need to be an AI expert. You need to be someone who thinks well and uses every tool in the room.

The bottom line: AI fluency is becoming table stakes the same way Excel fluency was 15 years ago. Firms aren't looking for people who built AI tools. They're looking for people who can use them confidently, critically, and fast.

Let me know...are you practicing with AI tools in your job prep yet or does this feel overwhelming? Respond to this email, I'd love to talk through it.

And most of all, trust yourself.

💜 Brianne

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