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Can someone explain why at McKinsey some people have the title "BA, Associate, Eng Manager etc" while others have the title of "Consultant, Expert, Sr Consultant etc"?

Can someone explain why at McKinsey some people have the title "BA, Associate, Eng Manager etc" while others have the title of "Consultant, Expert, Sr Consultant etc"? 

Can you please explain what the people in the Capabilities and Insight department do and how does this function differentiate from the pure consulting one? 

Last but not least, MBB are known for being places that can open multiple exit doors. Is this also the case if you want to pursue a career in the international development field later on? 

Thanks for all the clarifications and happy xmas 

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Diana
Coach
on Dec 24, 2023
Ex McKinsey Consultant| Coached/interviewed 20+ students| France & USA

Hey, 

> Can someone explain why at McKinsey some people have the title "BA, Associate, Eng Manager etc" while others have the title of "Consultant, Expert, Sr Consultant etc"? 

Every consulting firm uses unique titles for their consultants, don't ask me why. They just decided.

At McKinsey the titles are: 

- Business Analyst (BA)

- Pre-Associate

- Associate

- Engagement Manager (EM)

- Associate Partner (AP)

- Partner

- Sr. Partner

For their LinkedIn profiles, McKinsey consultants are advised to use the titles "Consultant," "Senior Consultant," or "Manager" instead of specific internal grades.

At BCG: 

- Associate 

- Sr. Associate 

- Consultant

- Project leader (PL)

- Principal 

- Partner

Please refer to this table for other strategy consulting companies:

> Can you please explain what the people in the Capabilities and Insight department do and how does this function differentiate from the pure consulting one? 

The Capabilities and Insights department specializes in research, focusing on benchmarks, industry information, and company-specific details. Their work involves leveraging internal knowledge and online resources. Standard consultants often collaborate with them for specialized research. However, this department is typically operates with a limited team (less than 10 ppl for 300 consultants in the Paris office), so their capacity for research support is finite. They engage in project-specific work or contribute to developing internal knowledge. Occasionally, research specialists from Capabilities and Insights transition to Consultant roles, but this is rare and usually involves a reduction in their grade.

> Last but not least, MBB are known for being places that can open multiple exit doors. Is this also the case if you want to pursue a career in the international development field later on? 

Definitely, consulting at MBB firms can open doors in various fields, including international development.

As a consultant, you'll gain a range of skills. These can lead to opportunities in the private sector or with NGOs like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. However, transitioning to public institutions may involve additional exams or requirements.

To fully leverage your consulting experience, consider focusing on international development projects. These are more prevalent at McKinsey and BCG than at other consulting firms.

 

Happy Christmas! 🎄

Alberto
Coach
on Dec 26, 2023
Ex-McKinsey AP | +13 yrs hiring top talent | I help you think, speak & perform like a real consultant (95% success)

Hi there,

To your questions:

Q1: Can someone explain why at McKinsey some people have the title "BA, Associate, Eng Manager etc" while others have the title of "Consultant, Expert, Sr Consultant etc"? 

There are a lot of career paths at McKinsey (generalist, expert, business builder, product owner, data scientist, etc.). On top, some people don't follow the internal name coding for some roles (there is not such role as "consultant" at McKinsey as far as I know).

Q2: Can you please explain what the people in the Capabilities and Insight department do and how does this function differentiate from the pure consulting one? 

They are typically non client-facing roles. They support consulting teams to build very specific assets or analysis (e.g., digital applications, financial analysis, etc.).

Q3: Last but not least, MBB are known for being places that can open multiple exit doors. Is this also the case if you want to pursue a career in the international development field later on? 

It is the case for any career opportunity as long as you push for it. MBB will give the brand, the network and a very specific skillset. The rest is on you and your ability to leverage the previous list. None is guaranteeing you any career of position just by working at MBB before.

Best.

Alberto

Check out my latest case based on a real MBB interview: Sierra Springs

Nicolas
Coach
on Dec 28, 2023
30% off 1st coaching Promo | #1 Canada Coach | 10y+ Coaching & recruiting | BCG + Industry Executive | INSEAD MBA

Hello, 

The titles are different between companies but all follow the same structure. then some have “senior” sub-tiers but that really depends on geographies. Overall to simplify the “typical” consulting track you have: 
1- Post undergrad: Associate (BCG), Business Analyst (McK)
2- Post MBA/PhD: Consultant (BCG), Associate (McK)
3- Manager: Project Leader (BCG), Engagement Manager (McK)
4- “Director”: Principal (BCG), Associate Partner (McK)
5- Partner: The partner track starts with Junior, Partner, Senior… many different ways. 

Now MBB have developed a LOT of other capabilities outside of the “Typical” track that can evolve in many different ways: 
- Expert Track: If you already have many years of expertise in an industry and want to stay focused on this topic only (e.g. Ops, Org, …). Titles tend to follow the “typical” track
- Capabilities & Insights: Titles will be all over the place so focus on the actual job responsibilities. Typically you would have the same sub-tiering of junior, XX, senior for different roles. 

Cheers! 

edited on Dec 31, 2023
#1 rated McKinsey Coach

Great questions! Let me take them one by one.

1. Different names for roles. This is purely based on preference of each of firm. 

Decades ago, consulting firms used to be organised more like law firms, i.e., Associates and Partners. With time, they introduced more intermediary roles. 

The important thing to understand is what are the expectations from each role and what is necessary to learn to get to the next levle. Not enough people take this seriously when they join consulting. 

2. Capabilities and Insights tend to be non-client facing staff. They usually provide the data and analytics for consultants to form an opinion. This btw is a great networking question so don't hesitate to ask it during coffee chats with existing consultants. 

3. Yes, I've seen people transition into ID, though it usually happens the other way around (ID to strategy / management consulting). I also have an academic background in ID and have worked with quite a few people applying directly to roles within ID consulting firms. 

Best,
Cristian

Ian
Coach
on Dec 25, 2023
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Well, because some diety didn't convene all the consulting heads and say “so it shall be!”

Ultimately, every firm gets created by a different person/set of people. They setup their own norms, ways of working etc. Then, things evolve.

Just remember, there's tons of material out there that helps you understand what these roles mean for each firm. Importantly, don't really worry about a firm's roles until you interview/join them. Basically, worry about what matters when it matters!

Nikita
Coach
edited on Dec 28, 2023
MBB & Tier2 preparation | 100+ offers | 8 years coaching | 3000+ sessions

Hey!

At McKinsey:

1. BA (Intern / SBA), (Fellow) Associate, Engagement Manager - those are usually the titles that are used in the general practice;

2. Consultant - the title used in such practices as Implementation, Operations, Digital etc. This title also has grades, but those are not reflected in the its name.

Hope this helps,
Nick

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