How to Crack Interviews: Lessons from McKinsey, Questions and Framework and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Scared of interviews? Maybe you're following the wrong rulebook.

In this episode, Shantanu sits with a group of students to break down what interviews actually are. Not tests. Not interrogations. But human conversations where trust, honesty and connection matter far more than memorised answers.

Shantanu pulls apart the fear, the overthinking, the nervousness that students walk in with, and reveals the real strategy: show up as someone your interviewer will genuinely enjoy working with.

From decoding the classic McKinsey-style interview model to understanding why fun, clarity and natural communication create the strongest impression, this conversation opens up the side of interviews no one teaches in college.

What you’ll discover:

• Why interviews are built on connection, not perfection

• How trust, honesty and humility shape your first impression

• The three-part structure interviewers use to evaluate candidates

• How fun, flow and real conversation shift decisions

• The difference between trying to impress someone and working with someone

• What interviewers actually remember after you leave the room

Can staying relaxed, real and human be the biggest interview advantage?

Tune in to see Shantanu decode the mindset that helps students walk into any interview with confidence, clarity and heart.

Navigate your way through these chapters

00:00 Coming Up

00:40 Introduction

01:31 How Consulting Interviews Really Work

03:06 What Interviewers Actually Look For

11:40 Students Rank Top Interview Qualities

16:31 The Real Interview Filter

19:10 Strategy to Crack Your Dream Interview

23:07 What You Think Matters vs What Actually Matters

25:41 Stop Impressing, Start Showing You Can Work With Them

29:41 How Shantanu Interviews & What He Notices First

32:06 Lessons From Anuj Paul

33:47 Closing Thoughts