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Requirement for Junior Associate Positions

Hi guys,

I have a question about the qualification of applicaion criteria of Junior Associate at McKinsey.

I have a 5 year Master of Engineering from a Top Univiersity in France (eligible for MBBs) and I am doing another 2 year Master in Management/Finance from a Top Business School in France (also eligible for MBBs) straight after that. I hold around 1.5 years working expeirence in serval industries (mainly internships). Does this meet the application criteria of Junior Associate at McKinsey? I would like to skip the Analyst position which I could pretend straight after my Engineering.

Second question:

Is is best to apply for a Summer Internship first or directly for a full-time position, which option maximizes chances ?

Many thanks in advance,

Javar

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Top answer
Deniz
Coach
on Oct 05, 2019
5+ Years at BCG & Kearney Dubai & Istanbul | 600+ Trainees | 1.3M YouTube Views

Hi Javar,

It may depend on the office, but based on my experience you need an MBA or 3-4 years of consulting experience to be considered as a Junior Associate in most offices. I can advise you to get in touch with HR directly to better understand their requirements.

Best,

Deniz

on Oct 05, 2019
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Javar,

unless your second master is an MBA it is unlikely you can be considered for an Associate or Junior Associate position. I would clarify with HR since as mentioned by Deniz the answer may also depend on the office.

In terms of summer internship vs full time, I would recommend a summer internship – I wrote an article on that at the following link:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/internship-first-or-direct-application-716

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Vlad
Coach
on Oct 06, 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

I doubt you can get a Junior Asc role in your case, since it requires much more full-time work experience (±4 years).

As I understand your Masters is not an MBA, thus it does not help. However, you can apply for a Senior Business Analyst role

Best

Anonymous B
edited on Oct 06, 2019

I am French myself and had at least as much experience as you have when I applied.

You will most likely be considered for an entry-level position. Virtually every applicant graduating from a target school in France has 12-24 months of internship experience like you, and they still join as entry-level BAs. Having two grande école degrees is not equivalent to having an advanced degree (MBA, PhD, M.D, etc) either.

I would also discourage you from negotiating too aggressively which level you join at, otherwise you run the risk of having your offer rescinded. The firms will assess by themselves at what exact level you should join. If they think your level of experience justifies extending you an offer for a senior BA role, they will. 

Similarly, they will convert your internship application into a full-time BA application if they think it's justified. 

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