McKinsey implementation - how hard to get into and what exits?

MBB McKinsey
New answer on Sep 26, 2020
8 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Sep 25, 2020

Is it easier to get into McKinsey implementation for MBAs?

If so,

1. What are the exits from implementation?

2. What is the work like ? I have heard it cane be all about the processes and stuff and can get boring.

Thanks!!

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Udayan
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Content Creator
replied on Sep 25, 2020
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /6 years McKinsey recruiting experience

Hi,

The answer to your questions are

1. It depends on the experience you have and where you went to B school. For example if you have a lot of practical experience on the shop floor and went to a top 10 program then yes for sure it is easier to get into implementation as all of your experience aligns well with it. If however you do not have much experience in implementation in the past then it does not really change your odds.

2. Implementation associates work on implementation work ...which definitely involves process improvement among many others. If you do not enjoy this you will not enjoy working in implementation anywhere

3. Exit opportunities- the reality its a little mixed. While you have access to the same resources, people are not very familiar with this role so there is more work you need to do to explain what you did etc. Whereas traditional associates can just rely on other people's opinions and understanding of what MBB consultants do.

Best,

Udayan

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Ken
Expert
replied on Sep 25, 2020
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

McKinsey Implementation (MI) looks more at your past work experience (i.e., experience making things happen) and so there's less focus on your MBA per se than a traditional generalist Associate role that MBAs join. As a result, the average yeras of work experience is typically higher for MI too.

Exit opportunities for MI consultants can be largely influenced by the prior experience pre McKinsey too. For example, there was a former VP Maintenance at a major airline with over 15 years of experinece who left as and EM and became the CEO of a SME. I've seen many apply to jobs without expliciting stating they were in MI.

Your studies will typically be longer and can be up to 6-12 months with the same client. The mix of work can really vary based on your office/region but the work you do will be largely around "implementation" which is heavy on coaching, tracking, ideating, etc.

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Kobi
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replied on Sep 25, 2020
McKinsey interviewer|EM @ McKinsey & Company | 100% fit interview success rate | Coached +20 candidates | Personalized interview

1. Mck impl is a bit easier to get to compare with generalist. It is more important to have real world experience in execution

2. The exit options are quite good. After Mck impl you can get to any company that is going through transformation, operation roles and of course PE Ops

3. It is more client handling and more process. Less blue sky strategy and out of the box thinking. Lifestyle thend to be a bit better just because the studies are longer.

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Anonymous replied on Sep 26, 2020

Hi A,

  1. What MBA school did you attend? If it's Tier 1 MBA school and, besides, you have relevant experience in the field then it surely will be somewhat easier to get into McK implementation.
  2. Exits are quite promising so far to get a similar job at any other company that is going through transformation/operational improvement.
  3. It depends on what is boring for you. Do you prefer the process itself or is strategy essential for you? Really, it's up yo your preferences.

Best,

André

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Robert
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replied on Sep 26, 2020
McKinsey offers w/o final round interviews - 100% risk-free - 10+ years MBB coaching experience - Multiple book author

Hi Anonymous,

1) Altogether it's neither easier nor harder - depends mainly on your background. The fit between your background/experience and requirements needs to be there.

2) I don't have data on that, but based on my observation most likely exit is into the operations area of larger enterprises, partially into C-level (typically COO), altough I personally did not see many cases jumping directly into the C-suite.

3) Boring depends on your interests and your attitude. If you don't like strategic high-level stuff and rather prefer getting down there where the rubber meets the road, it might be much more interesting.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind to give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

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Ian
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replied on Sep 25, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

1) Yes, if you're coming from a top-tier MBA school most roles are easier to get into!

2) Implement exits are what you might expect - other implementation work! So, you could do in-house consulting, work for other management consultancites (i.e. move higher level into Deloitte, PwC, etc.), etc.

3) All jobs can be boring! A lot of strategy consulting work is "death by powerpoint" .It's all about what you like! Some people prefer strategy because it's short/sharp and big thinking. Others prefer implementation because you're actually geting things done instead of pie-in-the-sky stuff. It all depends on what YOU like.

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Anonymous replied on Sep 26, 2020

Is it easier to get into McK implementation?

- Depends what you mean by "easier", McK implementation is for people with prior experience in the industry. I would say the prior experience if relevant to that office (e.g., Mining experience if McKinsey is hiring in Australia) would certainly make it easier to get shortlisted, and the competition set would be slightly lower for a generalist role

- Exists from implementation: There are good opportunities out fo McK implementation, most likely in companies going through a transformation, operational improvement, etc.- Whereas generalist consultants usually go to a corporate strategy team

- Work in McK implementation: From inside the work wouldn't be that much different, and the same rigor will apply. However, the nature of projects is likely to be different. I have also seen my colleagues from McK implementation getting on to strategy projects to try out something different, so it's not like a dead-end if you ended up in implementation and wanted to try something else

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

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Henning
Expert
replied on Sep 26, 2020
Bain | passed >15 MBB interviews as a candidate

I agree with what the other experts say. One additional point: I've also seen candidates in the past who applied for a general role and then received an interview invite with the caviat that the firm sees more fit for Implementation, so the application was diverted.

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Udayan gave the best answer

Udayan

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Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /6 years McKinsey recruiting experience
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