Hello,
I wanted to know the difference between the C&I Analyst and Business Analyst position at McKinsey. Would it be possible for a C&I Analyst to transition into a Business Analyst position after some time?
Given that, would you recommend applying for the C&I Analyst position, as it is different from the client-facing consulting role?
Hi there,
Capabilities and Insight Analyst are typically part of the knowledge team that usually supports consultants remotely on specific industry or functional topics. For instance, they might be focused on Banking, supporting a consultant team serving a banking client, by providing them data on competitor loan volumes over the past years.
By comparison, Business Analysts are part of the client-facing team that is at the client site and pulling in the C&I Analyst whenever additional background data is needed.
C&I Analysts sometimes also have client-facing staffing, especially if they are Knowledge Analysts, which is another terminology that some regions are trialing (basically they are 50% client-facing, 50% internal).
Transfers are not uncommon, but also not super easy, so I suggest you decide before you apply on which one to go for.
Best,
Cristian
Both Ken and Ian are correct - the C&I analyst is not the same as it is not typically a client facing role. You may get staffed on client projects but you will not be paid or promoted or staffed in general like a traditional BA. If you want to be a BA then apply to the generalist BA role.
That being said for some people it is very difficult to get into McK as a generalist BA if for example they did not go to a target school. If getting in McK is more important than what you do at the firm then go for the C&I role but be very realistic about what you are getting into. You may have the McK brand on your resume but it will not translate to meaty roles post McKinsey the way more traditional roles do.
Based on what I heard from people who first entered the C&I track, it was rather difficult for them to switch to the consultant track afterwards (since it focuses on different skill sets).
If becoming a consultant is your primary goal, then you should only apply for consulting positions. If your primary goal is to have the name McKinsey on your resume, then you might want to go broad to increase your chances of getting in.
C&I is a back office research role that does not converge in to the consulting track. If you want to be a client facing consultant on the partner track, you’re much better off starting as a consultant elsewhere and trying to move later to MBB.
Hi there,
I would recommend to apply for the role/job you want (always). It's not worth it to do a role/job that you don't like just for the *possibility* of being able to do something else.
Here's a bit more reading on the role:
One is a research role. The other one is a consulting role.
Research is a critical skill in the consulting toolkit, but it is just one of the many. If you want to be a consulting, be sure to apply to the business analyst role.
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