McKinsey Careers Guide: Your short, practical hub

Thinking about a career at McKinsey & Company? This hub gives you the essentials in one place so you can move fast. Keep it broad here. When you want details on interviews, salaries, and offices, jump to the dedicated pages linked throughout.

Choose your goal

Why McKinsey PEI Interview prep Career path Salary

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Why McKinsey

McKinsey sits inside MBB and offers unmatched training, high impact work, and brand recognition. People join to accelerate learning and exit into leadership roles across industry, startups, investing, and the public sector. For deeper motivation and story crafting, see Why McKinsey and McKinsey culture and values.

Who McKinsey hires

Students and recent graduates

Undergraduates, master’s, and MBAs.

Experienced professionals

Industry specialists, data scientists, designers, product managers, researchers, and operations leaders.

Global reach

Recruiting runs across the United States and Europe with local nuances on timing and office preferences.

Curious about job families and titles? Start with McKinsey career path.

Roles at a glance

Generalist consulting

Problem solving across industries.

Expert tracks

Analytics, implementation, digital, design, sustainability.

Support roles

Research, recruiting, operations, knowledge.

Selecting an office or practice? Compare lifestyle and focus areas using New York and San Francisco office guides (coming soon).

Recruiting timeline and applications

Most candidates follow a standard flow: online application, digital assessment where applicable, then interviews. Timelines vary.

United States

Campus heavy cycles for undergraduates and MBAs plus rolling experienced hire recruiting.

Europe

More year round recruiting with office specific schedules in the UK, Germany, and France.

When you are ready to submit, read our short checklist: resume fit to problem solving, clear impact bullets, and tailored office preferences. For specifics on timing by region and school, see McKinsey interview prep.

Interview overview

McKinsey interviews combine a case and a behavioral deep dive called the Personal Experience Interview. You will do multiple interviews and face follow up probing on both elements. Keep this page high level, then go straight to McKinsey PEI and McKinsey interview prep for techniques, sample questions, and practice plans.

Compensation and offices

Comp varies by role, level, and geography. Do not rely on anecdotes. Get the structured view in McKinsey salaries. For lifestyle, project mix, and travel expectations, office pages like New York and San Francisco are the best starting points (coming soon).

Networking that works

Networking can help you secure a first round or a preferred office. Aim for short, value adding chats with consultants and recruiters. Your goal is clarity on role and location fit, not a generic referral. Use events, alumni, and targeted outreach on LinkedIn. We cover message scripts and timelines in McKinsey interview prep.

How to get into McKinsey in five steps

Pick a target role and office using McKinsey career path and office guides.
Create a results first resume and tailored application.
Build capability in casing and behavioral stories. Use McKinsey PEI for structure.
Practice live. Simulate follow up probing and drill mental math.
Close strong by aligning on Why McKinsey and your geographic preferences.

McKinsey Careers Guide: Your short, practical hub