Canfield BHP junior Olivia Shumaker is right in the middle of the action as a recruiting personnel intern for Texas Football. Olivia has enjoyed working behind-the-scenes to help support the Longhorns, whether she is working with film or researching players. In addition to Texas Football, Olivia has spent two years as a summer business analyst for McKinsey & Company. Together, these positions have given her a unique opportunity to diversify her skill set while also helping her build up her human capital.
Read on to learn more about Olivia’s experience with Texas Football and McKinsey & Company.
How did you learn about McKinsey’s summer business analyst program, and what did the application process look like?
One of our Canfield BHP career coaches sent all of the students an email about the opportunity to apply for the First Year Summer Business Analyst program at McKinsey. I applied with my resume and answered a few questions late at night, thinking I would not get the opportunity to work at McKinsey. To my surprise, they emailed me back to continue with the application process after the resume screening process. Then, after a round of a game and case interviews, I was offered the internship! I actually recently signed my contract to return full-time.
What does a typical day working as a McKinsey summer business analyst involve?
Like for anyone in consulting, a typical day highly depends on the project you are working on. If you are put on a client-facing project instead of an internal project, it is a bit more fast-paced. I have had the opportunity to work on two client-facing projects and one internal. I would wake up an hour before my first meeting and then have a yummy breakfast and my much-needed coffee. From the first meeting until around 6pm, I would be working with my team either from home or colocating. After 6pm, sometimes I would have to work late, and sometimes I had a night off. It just depended on the needs of the client and the partner.
How does your work as a McKinsey summer business analyst expand upon what you’ve learned in your classes?
It has been super helpful to be in a position that I do not feel a ton of my peers have been in. A good chunk of McKinsey interns come from schools that do not offer an undergraduate business program, so I felt I had a bit of a leg up when it came to my first-year interning. However, everyone at McKinsey is so accomplished that that gap quickly closed. I feel the most transferable skill I learned from my Canfield BHP classes was being around smart, intelligent people and being able to learn from them. This was very consistent in McKinsey since it is such a close-knit firm, and I was constantly learning from my peers. I am thankful Canfield BHP has helped me refine my people skills.
How did you get involved with the Texas Longhorns football team, and what does a typical day on the job look like for you?
I have been interning with the team since October 2021, and I started out in recruiting operations. This means making all potential recruits and their families feel welcome at Texas Football and planning the events for when they visit. It is a great role, but, from the very start, I wanted to go into recruiting personnel. Since the spring semester of 2023, I have had the opportunity to work in personnel, and I have fallen in love with it. I am here around 30 hours a week at times, doing everything from cutting up film, researching recruits, to helping my boss and my team with anything we need to get done for the coaches. The workday is never the same, and I love how it keeps me on my toes.
What is your favorite memory from working with the Texas Longhorns football team?
I think just getting this opportunity to be the first girl to work in recruiting personnel at Texas Football has been a dream come true. In sports, you need to work hard and be a team player, and being given this opportunity made me feel honored that my supervisors felt I could take on this new area that had yet to be explored. I was so honored they trusted me 🙂
How do your summer internship with McKinsey and your job with Texas Longhorns football complement each other and prepare you for your future career?
Given they are somewhat on opposite sides of the working spectrum with very different technical skills needed, they have really allowed me to diversify my skills while also building upon personal skills and habits that benefit me in both jobs. For example, I have had to continue to practice my public speaking skills in both jobs, as both require confidence and proper communication. I have also had to be better at my attention to detail—which was not my strong suit.