What is BCG Unlock? Unlock is BCG's pre-MBA summer program for incoming MBAs. Today, we're excited to bring you a conversation with Jeff Kovick, BCG's head of MBA recruiting for North America. He shares, in detail, about the BCG Unlock experience - why it exists, who it's for, and why you should apply.
In addition, Jeff shares how BCG is thinking about the recruiting process more broadly. Jeff also shares a bit about BCG Empower, the firm's diversity pre-MBA program. The registration/application deadline for both programs is May 2, 2022. Register for Unlock or apply for Empower today.
Listen here or on your favorite podcast channel, and see a full transcription below.
Transcription: What is BCG Unlock? With Jeff Kovick
MC
Jeffrey Kovick, we are so excited to have you on Strategy Simplified today. Thank you for joining us.
BCG: Jeff Kovick
Thanks for having me.
MC
Let's start off with just a few fun questions as is tradition around here. In an alternate universe where you had to go about doing a different career path, not consulting, where do you think you might have ended up?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
I think maybe in the sports world somewhere. I feel like that's where I started, I was a Duke undergrad and actually interned at the Atlantic Coast Conference for a little while. And then I sort of lost the plot a little bit and went into a different direction.
I still miss that world a little bit and really enjoy it. Maybe more on the management side. I think growing up, I very quickly realized I wasn't gonna be an athlete so I thought about sports broadcasting as a very, very young young child. So maybe there.
MC
Very fun! In terms of what you're into right now, what you're reading or watching, some type of content you're consuming, what can you share? What's a good current favorite?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
I basically have Encanto on repeat with my kids. So that's more or less where I'm at, but I will NOT sing any of the songs here. (laughs) And then at night, during the brief moments of leisure that I get, right now we're in Bridgerton season two.
MC
Yes, I love it! Final question. I see here that you may have attended the Duke Fuqua School of Business, class of 2011. Well, that's funny, so did I. Any interesting memories from business school? Maybe a favorite memory from business school that pops up?
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BCG: Jeff Kovick
Vintage class year at Fuqua, as you know, 2011. It is really hard to choose a favorite memory from business school. It's such an incredible opportunity and I'm jealous of all of your listeners who are about to embark on that journey, because it's just so much fun.
Lots of memories of things that I can't talk about, and some memories that are probably less interesting around roller skating, and then going the next day to pitch and ask for a million dollars from an investor for a startup. So lots of fun stuff like that. Lots of great trips abroad. I'm really excited, I have my 10 plus 1 year reunion coming up in a couple days to relive those memories.
MC
Oh my gosh, we do. You know what, Jeff, I came up with one. In the first week of me knowing you, you may have been driving your car with perhaps more people than there were seatbelts. And there may have been a wrong turn on a one way street at some point in time with people dressed up in short shorts and 80s gear and there was a legs competition at a Denny's or something then my memory gets foggy.
But no, I had some great times together in school, Jeff and I went to school together and he's a good friend of mine. Really excited to have you here today. And so as we transition into talking about your current professional career, and we're here to talk about BCG Unlock today, Jeff, could you just share a little bit more about your background and then up to your current role at BCG?
The Road to BCG
BCG: Jeff Kovick
Yeah, absolutely. I did my undergrad at Duke. I worked in international development for a number of years. I worked on Capitol Hill for a number of years and then worked at United Airlines for a few years as a media spokesperson before ending up at Fuqua. I'd say I randomly found my way to BCG. I couldn't have told you what BCG stood for when I was a first year entering Fuqua, and I'm not talking about philosophically, I mean, literally the letters back then, because I just didn't have any interest in consulting but was really fortunate to end up as a summer intern.
I spent three years on the consulting side in our DC office as well as our Amsterdam office. I just had my 10th anniversary at BCG, and for the last seven years, have rotated around to different recruiting and learning and development opportunities within the company, and then just recently became the head of MBA recruiting for North America.
MC
Congratulations, Jeff! That's quite an accomplishment.
BCG: Jeff Kovick
Thanks! I'm excited.
MC
Yeah, It's been really interesting for me over the past couple of weeks to look into these pre-MBA programs. These things certainly did not exist when you and I were going through recruiting. They give an opportunity for the firms to engage with incoming MBA students earlier on in the process. Could you tell us a little bit more about BCG Unlock - what the program is and who it's for?
BCG Unlock Insider Perspective
BCG: Jeff Kovick
You've hit the nail on the head. There's been a proliferation of these earlier opportunities to engage and BCG Unlock is for everyone. It's for all of our incoming MBAs who want a chance to just get to know us over the summer in a really light investment sort of way.
What I mean by that is, it's not a ton of programming. It's a couple of webinars, a couple of sessions that presumably give students a chance to get to know us when they're not in that super stressed out period of their first fall on campus of wherever they're doing their MBA. And so we have a couple of webinars. It's a registration process, not an application, so all students can sign up and enjoy that content and get to know us a little bit.
MC
So if I hear what you just said correctly, there's not a filtering process in terms of applications. All students or just all students from the eligible schools list that's up on the website?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
Yeah, I think we found that we have a couple students coming from other programs as well and why not give them the opportunity to also get to know us over the summer? So we do have that opportunity available for all of those incoming MBAs in North America.
If you think about it, at the end of the day, that recruiting cycle, everything that happens from now through January when students interview, can really be summed up in us trying to get to know the students and the students trying to get to know us.
So anything we can do to make that process a little bit easier on students is a win. That's why I would argue these pre-MBA programs are a great opportunity across the firms just to start that process in a way where there are less distractions of school, whether that's parties with short shorts, as you mentioned, or whether it's actual academics in class.
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MC
Do you feel like this is a new channel that allows maybe especially students from non-target schools to get to know BCG and you get to know them?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
I think that's right. I would say, given the huge number of students that want to get to know us over the summer, there's probably more of an opportunity for them to start to get to know us. We'd also like to try to get to know them. A lot of that obviously happens on campus once we get to more intimate settings, as well. But I think it's a sort of a great opportunity for everyone just to start to engage in that process.
BCG Unlock Content Areas
MC
And the way that you described it, a low-effort investment, a number of sessions and programs over the summer, I guess the way that that comes to mind in my head would be kind of an optional calendar of different topical things that you're going to cover, perhaps at different times during the day and during the week, hosted by different members of BCG from different offices in different levels.
What are some of the types of things that you guys talk about in BCG Unlock? What are some of the content areas that you make sure to cover?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
What we want to do is give students visibility into the most common questions that they're going to have when they get to campus and to do that earlier over the summer. And so one of the early webinars we do is "Meet BCG." It's just to get to know us. We have a couple of wonderful and funny and engaging speakers who give you that overview and a bit of a panel discussion.
We also want to give people visibility into the work that we do. And so we'll have a team, one BCGer, or maybe a case team present a case of what they worked on just to give better visibility so incoming students can start to make that real and tangible as to what the job actually is for those who maybe don't know anything about consulting and maybe they know they want to go into it, or perhaps they don't, and they're just trying to figure out if they might be interested in consulting and want to invest the time.
And then we'll also do a session on the various support networks at BCG. I think it's probably the thing that really, in my mind, differentiates BCG - the amount of support that we give at the firm. And so we'll walk through a little bit of how our career development works and how our PTO works and lots of other things that I think make BCG what it is.
MC
Absolutely. You know, I think back to my experience in my MBA, I didn't even know what management strategy consulting was until we started going through our early classes and every single case seemed to talk about well this ex-McKinsey person, this ex-BCG person, this ex-Bain person and I was like, why is this important?
So for those who may not be able to listen to this conversation now, but then fast forward to the fall and think, oh my gosh, I missed out on being a part of something like BCG Unlock, are their chances diminished in any way? Are you going to give any sort of priority to the individuals that participate in a program like this?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
No, we love people that come to the process late. Like you, I was one of them. The first time I went to a BCG event was in November of my first year. And if you look at how we recruit today, that seems really, really late. But it's not, it's great, because a lot of those people are coming to the process really organically because they've seen what their classmates are doing, have asked the hard questions of themselves as to whether this is a career that they might want to pursue. And it's totally fine. They're not disadvantaged at all.
I think actually, one of the misunderstandings of that recruiting process is that it's somehow a race to network or that you can win by having as many conversations as possible. And it's really not that, as I said earlier, it's about us getting to know you and you getting to know us, and it doesn't take a ton of conversations for that to happen.
You continue to get to know people better and better the more conversations you have, but I think a few conversations as a baseline is usually pretty sufficient for that. And so for folks that come to the process in late October or November, that's great. We're happy to see them and talk to them and help them navigate the process.
MC
So in what you said, it only usually takes a couple of conversations to get an understanding of who somebody is, and whether or not from an evaluatory perspective, quite honestly, if they might be a good fit for the role and good to have in a conversation and a broader case interview and in the longer recruiting process.
So I've seen from what it says online for BCG Unlock that you are going to kind of start that evaluation process with the application to Unlock through your candidates needing to take the Pymetrics games in short order after they apply. Now, I know that the language on the website says there's no way to really prepare for these games. But Jeff, is there a way that people can prepare for these games? Is there a way that they can get ready or even kind of get in their game face? What can they expect when they go through this type of digital assessment?
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Online Assessments
BCG: Jeff Kovick
Yeah, there really is not a way to prepare, and students should take it seriously enough in order to do it without watching TV while they're doing it, but not so seriously that they should worry about it at all. For those who don't know, it is a series of neuroscience-based games. They take about 20 to 30 minutes to play. I use the word play a little bit loosely. I did it myself and I know it stressed me out when I took it because I thought that my colleagues were gonna see my results. But I assure you, there's no way to win or lose in Pymetrics. It's just a way for us to get to know you better.
It provides you this unbiased, multi-dimensional point of view on the building blocks of cognitive and emotional functioning. And so that's a long way of saying, and maybe a dorky way of saying that it gives us visibility into some of the characteristics that our candidates might have that are also aligned with successful BCGers.
So we really use it as a tool of inclusion. There is no single data point at BCG that we use to qualify or disqualify somebody. And this is one that we use as a tool of inclusion to make sure that as we look at people who have lots of different backgrounds and work experiences, we're not missing something of some of the cognitive and emotional functioning that they have that might make them successful in their role.
MC
Jeff, in saying that, would it be fair to say that BCG is not looking for one cognitive and emotional profile? This is a tool that helps better understand people and there are various personality types and different, as you said, cognitive and emotional profiles that fit in at BCG.
BCG: Jeff Kovick
Yeah, that's absolutely right. I think you said it better than I did. (laughs) But yeah, that's precisely correct. We have people coming from all sorts of different backgrounds. I think when we say diversity, we truly mean diversity.
We have, beyond our MBAs, we hire a significant number of advanced degree consultants coming from non MBA graduate programs, whether those are PhDs, JDs MDs, etc., we obviously hire a ton of MBAs like many of the firms do. And then we hire a lot of people coming from industry. And it's trying to bring together that cognitive diversity that I think delivers real value to our clients so that we're not all thinking the same way.
MC
A question that we get around here a lot is, whether we're talking about Pymetrics, or Solve, or some other digital assessment, should I answer these questions based on who I am, or should I answer these questions based on who I think BCG wants?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
I assure you, you should answer them based on who you are, and not try to guess or make assumptions as to what we're looking for. We're looking for a real broad mix and range of people from lots of different backgrounds and experiences. And so I don't think there's any way to cheat the game of Pymetrics. I wouldn't recommend it. I'd recommend people just be who they are and, as you know from going to business, school, things tend to have a way of working themselves out for everybody.
MC
Absolutely, thank you for saying that! It layers on to our repeat chorus around that.
BCG: Jeff Kovick
Stephanie, can I make a point there, too? I think that advice holds true for all of the recruiting season. We are not looking to interact with people on campus who are pretending to be a management consultant because that's what they think they need to do. We are authentically trying to get to know people and understanding if we think they would be a good fit for management consulting and BCG specifically. And so I think the more authentic candidates can be and students can be throughout this process, the better it is for them.
What BCG is Looking For
MC
Absolutely. And Jeff, when you think more broadly about MBA recruiting, particularly in North America as per your role, and BCG's broader talent acquisition strategy, what else can you share with us about the way that you're viewing that and the type of people that you're looking for?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
I always like to say that we're looking for people that are smart, passionate and humble. And my guess is that pretty much everybody listening to this podcast is smart. And it's really looking for people that have that kind of raw horsepower, but also that analytical rigor, to help identify not just what the big problems are, but how to break them down into smaller problems where they're actually solvable. And then it's also being able to communicate in that really concise, structured way. So it's really that structured and analytical problem solving.
On the passionate side, the job can be hard at times. And I think finding people that really care about problem solving, and having impact is important. And I think everybody who listens to this would say, Yeah, that's me. But I think there's this ambiguity that you probably remember from your time in consulting, as do I, that comes with a lot of the problems we solve. Usually there's no single answer to any of the client's problems that we're solving. There is a range of answers.
And there's a, What would you have to believe to believe that answer or solution A is better than B, C, D, and E? And you have to get comfortable with that ambiguity. And you have to be really excited about solving those types of problems. I think when you talk to BCGers, if you're a BCGer, you might talk to somebody about the case they're working on. And maybe one of them is helping a client sell another cup of Starbucks coffee, and another one's helping stop climate change.
Most BCGers are going to be equally excited to talk to that case team about what they're doing. They're going to have their personal preferences as to which case they'd want to work on themselves, but I think it's that passion for problem solving with impact that really unites BCGers across the world.
And then the last piece I said was humility, and this is what I think is really core to BCG. It's when you step in on day one, it's about having the learning attitude and the learning aptitude to be successful. And I think if you believe in growth mindset, you'd believe most of us have the learning aptitude. So it's really about having that attitude.
And it's knowing that on day one, you're probably going to learn a ton from the Partner on the case and the MDP, the Managing Director, but you're also going to learn a ton from that 21 year old Associate, maybe more actually. You're going to learn a ton from your clients, who are the subject matter experts in what you're trying to help them solve. And so it's really imperative to come in with that growth mindset and that view of this being an apprenticeship model and having the humility to recognize that.
One thing I always challenge our candidates to do - and I don't think the Managing Directors would really like me to say this - is to ask those Managing Directors and Partners who you meet throughout this process what they've learned from their team that week, because I would guess that every single one of them will have an answer because learning doesn't stop when you get to a certain level. It just continues and continues and continues every day.
What Sets BCG Apart
MC
Oh, that's great, Jeff. You may feel like you've just answered this, but to the degree that you can put your finger on how BCG is different from the rest of the top-tier consulting firms, are the things that you just shared - intellectual curiosity meets growth mindset meets humility - is that it? Is it something else? What makes BCG set themselves apart?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
It's funny. I was in media relations and corporate communications. And it pains me to say this sometimes, because I think if you ask any BCGer, the answer always somehow comes back to the people. And if I go back to my United Airlines days, if I could get 25,000 employees to say the same thing without telling them to, that's pretty powerful, because it's so organic.
But I think students and candidates don't always understand why the people are so important in consulting. You do because you've lived the life of a consultant for many years, but I think it's this idea that on any given day, a lot of firms have the same structures in place for career development and evaluation to help people progress. But I think what tends to matter more are the individual decisions that BCGers make every day when it's hard for them, but they still want to invest in their team.
And so I remember being on a case where I was sat down with my Project Leader and another Associate. And the Project Leader said, Look, there's this perfect module, Jeff, that given your background, you'd be great at. Associate, there's this other perfect module that you would be great at because you've already done it. We're going to do the opposite.
Because Jeff, you need to work on learning where Excel is on your computer and how to operate it. (laughs) And so, that example, to me, is always the most poignant one because that Project Leader just made his life more difficult. He had to show me where Excel was, I had to build and rebuild that Excel model 20 times because I didn't know what I was doing, but that was an investment that he made in me even though it was harder for him.
Application Advice
MC
Absolutely. Absolutely. Jeff, we really appreciate you coming on the podcast and sharing with us today. Mostly we've been talking about BCG Unlock, we'll make sure to put a link to the application in the show notes. Do you have any words of advice for anyone who's on the fence about applying?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
Yeah, and two things. One thing that I shouldn't skip, and I do want to get back to your question. We also have our Empower program, which is part of Unlock and this is for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous candidates. That is an application, not a registration. But what I'm about to say about Unlock is more or less equally true about Empower, which is that everybody should apply and register for Unlock. There's no downside, there's only upside. If you can only join three of the four Unlock sessions over the summer, great. If you're traveling, don't worry about attending these sessions while you're traveling around the world or if you're still working in your job.
Take advantage of the opportunities if you have time and want to. But don't feel like this is going to be a big time commitment or needs to be a big time commitment. It's a nice, easy way to start getting to know us a little bit better so that your life on campus gets a little easier once you start.
MC
Absolutely. And in addition to BCG Unlock, where's the first place that you point interested individuals who want to learn more about the company and its offerings?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
Well, I'm sure my marketing team will tell me that I should say bcg.com, maybe Instagram. Look, there's a a range of great resources out there. As the company spokesperson that I am right now, I'll say that our website is a great place to get that direct information.
But to be honest, we do a lot of research after our recruiting seasons, and there is nothing like what you get on campus once you get there. So I wouldn't worry too much about it for students. I would research a little bit if you want to, but we are fairly intentional about our recruiting seasons, to start broad once they're on campus and give students the kind of broad-based information they need. And then also give them access to BCGers to ask those questions and understand the real stories that make BCG and management consulting what it is. A little bit of a hodgepodge of an answer there, but hopefully that satisfies both our marketing team and what I think the real answer is.
MC
Appreciate it. One last little question I'll tack on here which is, by engaging with students earlier through a vehicle like BCG Unlock, do you also then hope that students learn about the interview process and perhaps start case interview preparation earlier as well?
BCG: Jeff Kovick
It's a good question. Last year, more by demand from students, we did have a bit of a case overview and demo session that we did over the summer, which is pretty similar to the one that we do in October-November on most campuses. I think we did that not with the intent to get students to start preparing for case interviews over the summer.
If you really want to do that and you want to pick up one of those books that everybody reads - I won't do any free advertising here - because you're going to the beach and you have nothing else to do, I think that's fine. I wouldn't invest a lot of time doing case prep over the summer. I would wait till I'm on campus to do that. Enjoy your summers, enjoy the final days of work that you have before you get to leave the real world for a couple of years. But I wouldn't worry too much about case prep.
MC
Gotcha. Jeff, thanks so much for being here again. Really appreciate it.
BCG: Jeff Kovick
Yeah, thank you, Stephanie. Have a good one.
Conclusion
A huge thank you again to BCG and to Jeff for being here to talk about BCG Unlock and also getting to mention a little bit more about BCG Empower, it's summer diversity program. Empower is application based, but Unlock is just a registration.
Now, it does take time to build this muscle for case interviewing. While you are in the slow, soft summer before you start your MBA program, we recommend that you start to wrap your head around the construct of a case interview and get some practice before everything else hits you when you get on campus in the fall. It takes weeks if not months to build this case interviewing muscle, so if you'd like help, consider working with our expert team at Management Consulted.
We have a case prep cohort starting next month, our Black Belt program, which includes 8 hours of 1:1 coaching with one of our ex-McKinsey, Bain, or BCG coaches as well as live group training and a cohort within which you can do additional live case partner practice. We're excited to work with you!
Additional Resources:
- MBB: McKinsey, BCG, Bain; Are They Really the Best?
- Top 25 Consulting Firms
- Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
- Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide