McKinsey & Company

Do you want to work on complex and pressing challenges—the kind that bring together curious, ambitious, and determined leaders who strive to become better every day? If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place.

Your Impact

As a Recruiting Intern, you will be based in Cologne as part of our recruiting team. The recruitment of highly qualified consultants is a key success factor for McKinsey & Company. Our recruiting team is dedicated to identifying, inspiring, and selecting exceptional candidates within a dynamic international environment to create an exceptional professional environment for exceptional people.

This internship provides hands-on experience across the full recruitment life cycle, offering opportunities to develop professional relationships and strengthen your organizational, communication, and time-management skills. Your contributions will directly support our efforts to attract and secure top talent, helping us build a strong and dynamic workforce.

You will play a key role in supporting a variety of tasks and projects within our recruiting team. Your responsibilities will include managing data in the Applicant Tracking System, assisting candidates throughout the recruitment process, coordinating recruiting events, and supporting resume screening efforts. You will work closely with team members and consultants, participate in training sessions, and contribute to select team initiatives.

The deadline to apply for this role is June 30, 2025.

Your Growth

You are someone who thrives in a high-performance environment, bringing a growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle meaningful challenges that have a real impact.

In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we’ll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities to help you quickly broaden your expertise, grow into a well-rounded professional, and contribute to work that truly makes a difference.

When you join us, you will have:

• Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey.
• A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
• Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Exceptional benefits: In addition to a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, mental health, and vision coverage for you, your spouse/partner, and children.

Your qualifications and skills

• Pursuing a degree in human resources, business administration, psychology or a related field
• Initial experience in the HR environment, preferably in recruiting, gained during an internship or as a working student
• Excellent customer service skills with a strong orientation towards collaboration in a team environment
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, in German and English, with the ability to adjust your style to suit different perspectives and seniority levels
• Ability to independently manage and complete tasks with minimal supervision
• Ability to create work product-focused materials / outputs, which may include PowerPoint decks, Excel models, articles, or other written deliverables

Please review the additional requirements regarding essential job functions of McKinsey colleagues.

FOR U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

FOR NON-U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. For additional details regarding our global EEO policy and diversity initiatives, please visit our McKinsey Careers and Diversity & Inclusion sites.