Consulting giant McKinsey aims to hire liberal arts candidates whom it had previously deprioritised, in an effort to boost creativity as it incorporates AI into its operations.
In an interview with Harvard Business Review, McKinsey & Company’s global managing partner Bob Sternfels said, “We’re starting to figure out which backgrounds tend to produce the most-creative solutions, beyond just the next logical step. We’re looking more at liberal arts majors, whom we had deprioritised, as potential sources of creativity.”
With Sternfels' statement, McKinsey joins the list of companies looking to hire liberal arts graduates, including Ravi Kumar S, CEO of IT firm Cognizant Technology Solutions, who says he is actively recruiting candidates with liberal arts degrees, Fortune reported.
Growing adoption of AI
The company's latest approach comes at a time when McKinsey is adopting AI into its operations. Nearly a year and a half ago, the management consulting firm had only 3,000 AI agents, while its 40,000 employees greatly outnumbered them. However, in just 18 months, the number of AI agents is likely to increase by over 500%.
“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. In another 18 months I think every employee will be enabled by one or more agents. We’ll have a workforce that is human and agentic, and we’re going to have to navigate that,” Sternfels was quoted as saying.
AI becomes part of recruitment process
McKinsey is now assessing how well job candidates work with its AI tool during the interview process. The company requires candidates to complete a test using its internal AI tool, Lilli, as part of the hiring process, according to a report by Fortune, citing CaseBasix, a consulting interview preparation company.
CaseBasix noted that internal sources indicated some candidates might need to use the company’s AI tool during a final-round AI interview. McKinsey is targeting business school students with Lilli, the Financial Times also reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the Fortune report, McKinsey actively promotes AI in hiring. The company's career page advises candidates to use AI to refine resumes and practice interview questions. However, it warns against irresponsible use, such as during assessments, generating responses.
“We welcome those who share our curiosity about AI and its potential,” the report said citing the company’s career page.
