McKinsey & Company Associate Consultant Reviews

Pros

Good pay and benefits Good exit opportunities

Cons

Ethics - countless examples of ethically challenged behavior. From contributing to the Opioid crisis to involvement with Enron. This is really just the tip of the ice burg. Although my personal experiences aren't worthy enough to make headlines, my experiences perfectly parallel the complete lack of business ethics you can read about in the news. Here are a few specific examples: 1. I felt pressured to manipulate facts to show positive results of pilot programs 2. I believe I was involved in short sighted decision making to pad quarterly/annual earnings statements tied to McKinsey fees (think unhealthy budget cuts including people, maintenance, ect. to make short term financial performance appear stronger which presumably leads to higher McKinsey fees) 3. Inherited analytical model with clear mathematical errors and logical breakdowns which meaningfully impacted insights. Generally speaking, I felt the goal of most studies was to support a predetermined outcome with any analytics or research rather than uncover meaningful insight 4. Unethical treatment of non-executive client employees. I was often asked to report on a clients performance with limited exposure into the given employees day to day activities and conduct. I regularly witnessed what I believed to be extremely superficial judgment of employees with profound impact on those employees careers. Hierarchical structure - Despite what they will tell MBAs during recruiting it was my experience that any hire that isn't an "Integrative Consultant" is treated as a second class citizen (e.g., expect slower promotion timelines, more limited staffing opportunities, etc.). If your not being hired as an integrative consultant, go elsewhere (Bain, BCG, Deloitte, EY..) Lack of transparency - pay scales and promotion guidelines are difficult to understand. Work life balance - pretty much awful. Although, thats as to be expected in a management consulting career and is probably consistent across other consultancies For additional context, I left the firm on my own volition and achieved "accelerated" performance ratings on the majority of my bi-annual reviews.

Pros

Superb everything good perfect fantastic

Cons

Nothing till date now

Pros

Sets you up for your career, good mentorship by some senior partners, ability to take on work well ahead of others at similar tenures

Cons

Work life balance cam be tough. Some partners have unrealistic expectations, often demanded by unrealistic clients who are paying top dollar and under much pressure themselves