Ex-employee shares THIS company taught her what IIM Ahmedabad degree couldn't: 'I lacked...'

A former McKinsey employee recently opened up about the lessons about professionalism she learnt during her time at the company which she was totally unprepared for. Ruchi Aggarwal, who runs her own mentorship firm in Mumbai, said that her IIM Ahmedabad degree was not enough for her corporate life. 

"When I joined McKinsey, I discovered my degree from IIM Ahmedabad wasn't enough. I lacked the executive filter. During my first presentation, a partner interrupted me: 'Ruchi, tell me the one thing we should do. Just one.' I froze. I had prepared 15 recommendations, not one. I wanted to have backup recommendations -- like a menu. And I would let the partner pick the answer. But in real client meetings, top executives don't want to hear a menu. They want a curated, accurate answer", Ruchi shared. 

In a conversation with MoneyControl, she shared that the experience became an eye-opener for her. "At IIM-A, the question was always 'How much do you know?' At McKinsey, the question became 'How clear can you make it?' Aggarwal said.

At IIM Ahmedabad, she shared, she was among the top 10 students McKinsey had selected during the campus placement. "But when I joined McKinsey, I realised that there is so much learning left to do outside of academics. A degree – even the best one from IIM Ahmedabad – is not enough. You always have to build on-ground skills to make real value," Ruchi shared. 

Aggarwal worked with the company for two years until 2020. Later, she went on to launch her own consultancy firm.