Vault’s Verdict

McKinsey’s reign at the top of the consulting industry shows no sign of slowing anytime soon, even in the midst of a wave of uncertainty about macroeconomic conditions and potential pullbacks in client spending.

As such, the firm represents a highly enticing opportunity for those seeking to become future C-suite leaders. Take the firm’s prestige, which opens doors all over the business world, add in best-in-class training and client engagements, and top it all off with excellent compensation packages. Bake for a minimum of 2-3 years—or longer, if you want to build a career within the firm—and you have a recipe for long-term career success and upward mobility that very few other firms can replicate.

Firm Culture

• “The way McKinsey trusts the ability of its employees motivates them to deliver their best and provides exceptional work opportunities is what I have not seen in any other firms.”
• “A larger size than the other top tier consulting firms opens more flexibility to pursue different interests and specializations vs the classic generalist consultant.”
• “McKinsey is a great organization overall. The firm attracts and retain top talent and is good for networking.”
• “The firm is very inclusive in so many aspects. I can also personally say that we have been well supported throughout the pandemic years. A lot of mental health and well-being support was provided. New work arrangements have also been truly helpful for working parents.”
• “You might get tired of learning but there truly is so much to venture into—it's fascinating. Also among the top reasons why members (that are keen to learn and grow) find it hard to leave this organization - it has world-class trainings to offer—you just need to grab.”

Quality of Life

• “A lot of flexibility to define your own pathway, including how you choose to balance exciting client opportunities vs the travel and work intensity that some of these require.”
• “Amazing ability to take time off between projects. While we grapple with long hours like all the top firms, at least we can and do openly talk about it, and are actively trying to address it on a global scale.”
• “Firm members rather insist on cultivating a fair work - life balance. Team members are always ready to back up for you, help you, and guide you through challenges. It is a wholesome experience being a part of this organization.”
• “I really appreciate the autonomy and flexibility provided by McKinsey to our firm members, this greatly helped with my work life balance as I have to care for a baby at home.”
• “Working hours here have been pretty reasonable and there is appropriate compensation if required to work longer hours. Supervisors are very flexible when it comes to taking time off and being away from work, or flexibility in work location (work from home/office).”

Compensation

• “I am totally satisfied with the firm's compensation package.”
• “It is not one of the best in the industry but is very well thought out, keeping individual's growth and market standards in mind.”
• “I wish it was more transparent what I can earn in the future.”
• “The best is the firm pays higher than the market. The worst is salary progression.”
• “The firm is able to do benchmarking every couple of years and has a percentage increase for salary every year, though it could be higher.”

Career Development

• “Ample training and mentoring support with support from McKinsey colleagues globally.”
• “Efficient and compassionate leadership and a strong sense of community and acceptance from firm members.”
• “McKinsey's firm value is very much emphasized across the firm and colleagues, the inclusiveness and non-hierarchical structure supports my personal and professional development, and provided me a challenging yet rewarding environment to work in. “
• “Promotion is based less on merit and more about whether you are working on major client accounts, for example in banking or mining. Career progression is much slower for individuals that follow less lucrative paths like retail or public sector.”
• “There are ample opportunities within the firm to grow and excel. There are multiple roles that a particular incumbent could be playing and that is the beauty of this organization. There are opportunities to hone any and every skill - all you have to do is express your desire to learn. It is wonderful how managers are trained to play on each member's strengths first and offer projects that may best utilize them. And your performance really determines your promotion as well which is fair and straightforward.”

Diversity

• “All consultants at my firm have equal access to interesting/high-quality work and promotion opportunities.”
• “Big focus to get to 50% plus women at all levels. Close to succeeding soon. Big support for LGBTQ community.”
• “Firm has plenty of flagship programs to attract and engage diversity such Next Generation Women Leaders Award, Meet Asia Proud Leaders (GLAM), McKinsey Asia Rising Leaders Award (for early-stage career women, LGBTQ+, socioeconomic groups) etc.”
• “The values have been embedded into all firm members and the culture is great. We are all connected to each other within the office and also externally with other offices in other regions. We are all given extensive materials and opportunities to attend D&I programs in the firm.”

Outlook

• “Firm's motto has always been to consider employees and clients as 2 important pillars holding equal importance. Nowadays we are focusing a lot on sustainability and becoming more inclusive to empower every individual.”
• “Morale is very low because the work has quieted down so much. Lower cost consultancies seem to have the upper hand heading into a recession.”
• “Pretty confident with the firm's standing in the industry currently and how it is adapting to changes and continue to be innovative in growing the firm.”
• “The firm ensures its people are well informed and prepared whenever changes happen.”
• “Too many opportunities.”

Hiring Process

• “Firm looks for uniqueness. One can learn hard skills but soft skills, intrinsic ability and strong problem solving are the areas where the person should shine. We believe in providing detailed feedback to every candidate so that they can re-apply after working on their skills. We also hold case coaching sessions to prep candidates before the interviews.”
• “Need to take at least 3 interviews for all positions in the company, fast callback.”
• “Proactive and real time call back.”
• “The firm believes in potential.”
• “Well rounded, highly selective.”

Interview Questions

• “A proper case study/situation-based interview happens at different level. Each round has assessment criteria curated specifically for the role. Behavior based interview with close focus on problem solving is the important component of the interview process.”
• “Experience of challenges and how you have overcome that challenge. Experience of leadership and what was done to manage a team.”
• “Problem solving scenarios. Case interviews. Technical assessment: Hacker Rank, Quanthub. Technical interview.”
• “Share with us a time where you have experienced a significant change and dealing with it represented a major challenge for you. How did you react to it and the actions you took to adapt to the new circumstances?”
• “Very well-structured interview process to gauge employee basis all relevant competencies required for a role.”