Life as a Consultant

In day-to-day terms, BAs and Associates lead a workstream (or a part of the study). Once you’ve planned your workstream, the next step is typically collecting the necessary information or data through client and expert interviews. You will then need to design and carry out analyses, sometimes through creating models, to help derive fact-based recommendations for our client. Along the way, you will actively participate in and lead problem-solving sessions with your immediate team, and regularly with the senior members of the McKinsey or client team. Early-tenure BAs and Associates often tell stories of their experiences interviewing or presenting to senior client executives.

The final stage typically involves presenting your insights to the client and working with them to understand how they can best implement our recommendations. This often includes helping the client to build up the necessary skills to make this happen.

The bulk of your training at McKinsey will be on the job, in line with our apprenticeship model. Our strong values and formal evaluation processes are designed to motivate all our consultants to coach and mentor one another. In addition to this informal training, we also provide our consultants with a large variety of more formal learning opportunities. All consultants start their time with Embark, our intensive basic consultant readiness program. After about nine months, Business Analysts then go on FLITE, which is a program designed to build next-level problem solving, while Associates hone their leadership skills through LEAD I.

There are also equivalent 4-to 7-day in-person programs at each step along your McKinsey career helping you to prepare for the challenges ahead. These tenure-based learning programs are with colleagues from all around our firm and are typically at locations outside your home office. In addition, there are a number of local learning offerings to help build a variety of skills essential for your role, and you also have access to numerous on-demand e-learning courses that can be done anytime, anywhere.