Jackson Pentz

Studied at Emory University

Works at St. Louis CITY SC

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About Jackson

I recruited for MBB out of undergrad, worked at both Bain and McKinsey, and now coach college juniors and seniors through the same process. Both of my parents are teachers, and I grew up on the prep school campus where they taught. I spent my childhood around people whose whole job was explaining hard things to anxious teenagers, which turned out to be useful preparation for a lot of what I do now. My path into consulting wasn't a clean one. My first job was on an alpaca farm, and for most of college I was pointed at environmental work; I studied economics and environmental science, wrote a thesis on agricultural policy, and interned at the EPA. Consulting gave me the opportunity to continue to learn broadly while working with inspiring people. I interned at Bain in Atlanta and loved it. But by the end of the summer, my girlfriend — now my fiancée — had accepted a job in St. Louis, and I had a return offer in Atlanta. So I gave it up and re-recruited for McKinsey: one firm, one office, an acceptance rate that didn't favor me, and my relationship riding on the outcome. It was, for the record, the most stressful stretch of my life. It also worked out, and I spent the next few years at McKinsey St. Louis working across growth strategy, public sector, and supply chain before moving into strategy for St. Louis CITY SC, our MLS club. Having worked at two different MBB firms, and in both a large metro office and a small Midwestern one, I'm happy to talk about how much the firm and the office you choose actually shape the job. They're far less interchangeable than the internet suggests. Outside of work, I run marathons, play pickup soccer, cook a lot, and spend time trying to train my cockapoo puppy, Sawyer.

Why do I coach?

Recruiting is stressful and confusing, and it's a lot easier when someone's in your corner. I had that: my fiancée was going through recruiting at the same time, and having someone to think it through with mattered more than any guide I read. Case math and driving to implications came naturally, but structuring problems and telling my own story did not — I spent months grinding on both before they became strengths. Growing up around teachers left me with a pretty firm belief that the difference between a good one and a bad one isn't what they know, it's whether they can meet you where you actually are. For the past four years I've coached friends, classmates, and referrals through consulting recruiting, and most of them landed offers at MBB or Big Four firms. I also completed interviewer training for undergraduate candidates while I was at the Firm, so I've seen this process from both sides of the table. Many of my closest friends are still there, and consulting recruiting is a conversation I'm still in every week. The way I work is simple: I don't run generic mocks. I'd rather find the one or two things holding your performance back and work on those together until they're the parts you're most confident about. That looks different for everyone — sometimes it's frameworks, sometimes it's math under pressure, and very often it's the personal experience interview, which is the part most people underprepare and the part I struggled with most. Wherever you're starting from, you're in good company, and I know how to help. If you're somewhere in this process and not sure where to start, grab an intro call. No pressure and no prep needed. Tell me where you are and I'll tell you honestly what I think would help.