What kind of process does it take, or is it possible for a McK specialist, e.g. Implementation (Not McKinsey Digital) to convert to the generalist line (BA/Associate)? Otherwise, what would be a better alternative? Will my years of experience be retained or will it be reset?
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McKinsey - From specialist group to GC?
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This is fairly common and I have seen it a lot. There is an important philosophy at McKinsey, which is “Make your own McKinsey”. This directly relates to something like a track change, which is what we're talking about here.
What you need is a good standing in the firm (high performance i.e. score 3 or higher) and support from Partners i.e. someone who will champion your undertaking. The actual process is something you discuss with the PD team but it's nothing too complicated, especially in your example from Implementation Coach to Generalist (especially Generalist in OPS, which used to be my role).
Hope this was helpful. Let me know if there's anything more you'd like to know!
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Hey there,
In the end, everything you can do to shape your journey at McKinsey comes down to two factors:
- Impressing leadership and colleagues through consistent great work (mostly analytics and client leadership)
- Networking with the right people in the firm, the more senior the better
Combine the two, and partners want to work with you, EMs want to have you on their teams and you have good leverage to switch tracks. :-)
Cheers,
Florian
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Hi there,
The short answer is you need hard/good work, networking, and patience!
Become known as someone who is really good at what they do. Make sure you're a high performer and network around the office. When you're ready to convert, start the conversations and see what their timelines look like for you.
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Is is possible. You have to have some tenure (2-3), very solid performance, and show that you have the skills / can think outside your current role.
Regarding the “retention” of your experience - expect something in the middle of the road, I don't think you would retain your full experience (also recall, this is an up or out company, you don't want a rank for which you are not ready)
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