In this section, we have gathered the questions we receive most frequently from applicants. In case you have additional questions after browsing this site, feel free to contact us.
am-recruiting@mckinsey.com.
McKinsey & Company
Lifestyle
Career path
Personal development
Engagements
MBA
Women and diversity
Application process
McKinsey & Company
Why should I consider a career at McKinsey?
A career at McKinsey opens many doors for you to pursue your passions. We have a culture and an organization that encourage you to develop in the areas that interest you most. Because one of our values is to bring the right talent to solve our clients’ problems, our consultants get the opportunity to work in a variety of geographies, on diverse topics across all industries. We create highly personal and flexible careers to help our talented people reach their full potential.
At McKinsey you are surrounded by entrepreneurial, driven people, who do their best to help you grow, also if you decide to pursue a career outside the Firm.
How important are values within McKinsey?
McKinsey is a values-driven organization: Our values are the beliefs and operating principles that guide us in our day-to-day work. Our mission is to help our clients make distinctive, lasting and substantial improvements in their performance and to build a great firm that attracts, retains and develops exceptional people. Our values, which guide all our decisions and actions, are:
- Adhere to the highest professional standards (e.g., put client interests ahead of our own, maintain an independent perspective)
- Improve our clients’ performance significantly (e.g., build enduring relationships based on trust, use our global network to deliver the best of our firm to all clients)
- Create an unrivaled environment for exceptional people (e.g., be nonhierarchical and inclusive, uphold the obligation to dissent, develop one another through apprenticeship and mentoring).
Is McKinsey a hierarchical organization?
No. One of our values is to be nonhierarchical and inclusive. McKinsey has an open culture in which every consultant has an “obligation to dissent.” This means we expect junior consultants to speak up—and it is appreciated when they do so. Not the length of your tenure, but the quality of your contribution counts.
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Lifestyle
Will I have time for sports / other activities / my family?
McKinsey actively encourages consultants to be leaders in life, not just in work. We encourage you to take ownership of your own lifestyle and manage your energy well. The trick is to make clear agreements with the team about your lifestyle needs during the week, so that you have enough time to spend with your family, play sports or take part in any other personal activity that matters to you. We hardly ever work on weekends.
How many hours does a McKinsey consultant work in a typical week?
Our working hours typically range from 55 to 65 hours per week.
Will I have to work more at McKinsey than at other strategy firms?
We would be surprised if you worked fewer hours at other top management consulting firms: We all serve demanding clients and solve complex issues; therefore, you will most likely see consultants at other firms put it the same number of hours.
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Career path
What does a typical McKinsey career path look like?
We encourage our consultants to “make their own McKinsey,” which means you have lots of freedom to shape your own career (e.g., work abroad, start a new practice, go after a new client, pursue a new knowledge area). There are different entry roles, depending on your level of experience. You advance to the next role when you are deemed ready to take on the next level of responsibilities.
Right after graduating from university, you can start as a Fellow. After ~2 years, Fellows go on development leave (pursue an MBA or work in the banking, industry, for a non-profit, etc.). Fellows take responsibility for a discrete part of the problem solving on each client engagement. They play an important role in data gathering, actively contribute to the team's final recommendations and present their work to senior client executives. Experienced professionals usually start one level further, as a Junior Associate or Associate. Associates take charge of a more extensive work stream.
After another ~2 years, Associates become Engagement Managers, leading the day-to-day activities of a team. As soon as you have mastered managing single projects, you will become an Associate Principal, leading 2-4 projects at the same time. The step after that is to become a Partner of the Firm.
What is meant by ‘up or out’?
The majority of people either successfully proceed through the McKinsey ranks, or decide that they have ambitions outside of consultancy. Up or out does not mean that you are competing with peers for promotions. At McKinsey you are evaluated against an absolute standard of criteria, not a relative one. In principle you and your peers can all become Partner. What we do mean with up or out is that we expect you to advance to the next level roughly every 21/2 years. If it becomes clear after several attempts that your development is stagnating, we jointly look for other opportunities.
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Personal development
What training opportunities are available at McKinsey?
McKinsey consultants can choose from more than 100 training programs covering everything from basic consulting skills to coaching skills. On average, people do 4 weeks of training in their first year. This is part of our commitment to making you successful. Since personal development and training are such an integral part of the way we run our Firm, we even have a dedicated European training facility—Alpine University—in Kitzbühel, Austria.
Will I get extensive coaching?
Besides the many training programs, everybody at McKinsey has a personal mentor. Furthermore, it is always a top priority for your team to get you “up to speed” and give you feedback. Next to this “formal” coaching structure, most people have many informal mentors who support them within and outside the work environment. This intensive support is one of the things people value most about McKinsey.
How will I know if I am doing well or need improvement?
McKinsey is known for feedback! Everyone gets continual formal and informal coaching. Your Engagement Manager, fellow team members, McKinsey Partners, and other office members will all provide you with ongoing, constructive feedback. Over time, you will be expected to coach and counsel others too, and to give upward feedback to senior Firm members.
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Engagements
What types of projects do you do?
In 2011, McKinsey was involved in almost 11,000 projects in 57 countries. We work in all industries, from banking to energy to consumer products to retail. This includes not only many of the world’s largest companies, but also many governmental organizations and charities. The functional topics of the projects vary as well; from strategy, operations and organization to marketing and sales.
Is it possible to work abroad?
Definitely. With more than 100 offices in over 50 countries, McKinsey offers plenty of opportunities to work on abroad. Consultants from the Amsterdam office were involved in more than 400 projects in 32 countries in 2009. We have several mobility programs that facilitate working abroad for varying spans of time.
In addition, McKinsey has a global P&L, which fosters global sharing of talent and creates global staffing opportunities.
How do I get assigned to client engagements? Can I request work that I’m interested in?
Our Fellows are staffed on one project at a time. We don’t ask our people to split their time across multiple client situations until they’ve had a chance to master life as a consultant. Fellows usually join as generalists and try a variety of projects, typically in ~ 4 different industries per year. The staffing process is a collaborative effort that includes your Professional Development Manager, the team leaders of the particular study, and you as the Fellow giving your preferences for an industry, function or location. We encourage your entrepreneurial nature, and help you learn as much as you can.
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MBA
Will I get the opportunity to pursue an MBA?
If you start as a Fellow, McKinsey gives you the opportunity to go on development after about 2 years. The purpose of this leave is to broaden your skills. Depending on your development needs, you can choose to get your MBA, work temporarily for another company, or work as a volunteer.
If you start as Junior Associate and you have a non-business background, McKinsey lets you do a Mini-MBA, an intensive three-week program that teaches you the core skills also taught at business schools. The faculty for this off-site program consists of professors from various renowned business schools.
Will McKinsey pay for my MBA?
Yes, if you get and accept an offer to return as an Associate after your two-year fellowship. If you leave McKinsey within two years after your return, you have to repay part of these costs to McKinsey.
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Women and diversity
What is the split between men and women?
For Fellows, Associates and Engagement Managers the split is around 25% women and 75% men. We are actively focusing on increasing the retention of women, for instance through our strong women network and development programs.
Are there special initiatives to retain women at McKinsey?
Yes, we have several initiatives to retain women; for example:
- An extensive women network/community, which organizes special events, dinners, etc.
- Special women development programs such as the Centered Leadership Program and the Top Mom program.
How diverse is McKinsey?
One of our core strengths is the varied background of our people. The diversity of our experience gives McKinsey the range of expertise to tackle complex problems that don’t fit into easily defined categories. Our experience shows that diversity is a prerequisite for innovative solutions and an inspiring work environment for everyone. Next to the “expected” engineering and business majors, we for instance have medical doctors, lawyers, mathematicians, historians, political scientists and linguists working as consultants. Furthermore, our global group of consultants speak 127 languages and represent 110 nationalities.
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Application process
Can I apply to any office that interests me? How does my choice affect my chances?
In the Amsterdam office, we value fluency in the Dutch language and a strong link to the Netherlands. If you do not meet these criteria, we would recommend you apply to an office that fits your background more closely. The guidelines per office can differ; please contact the local recruiters for details.
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