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clubgmat25
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MC career path 16 Sep 2008, 20:17
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For those of you who are in this industry, or know of it, how long does it take for you to become manager from associate (post mba position)?
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Oski
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MC career path 17 Sep 2008, 03:44
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Depends on the firm, but it is usually around 3-4 years
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Paradosso
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MC career path 18 Sep 2008, 04:05
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It depends on you, the career path is very merit-based. I would say that McKinsey and Oliver Wyman favor a shorter career path (you can be partner after 5 years if you are able to sell), while Bain, BCG are a bit more conservative when it comes to job titles.
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togafoot
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MC career path 20 Sep 2008, 05:10
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Couple of my classmates who I spoke to who worked in consulting (McKinsey, CapGemini and Accenture) told me that the system is brutal... Up or Out ... i.e. you perform well enough to be promoted or you leave. If you reach a point where you cannot get any better you are expected to leave.
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Paradosso
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MC career path 21 Sep 2008, 07:04
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This too depends, in my opinion.

McKinsey is famous for up-or-outting at every career step. "You are expected to leave" obviously means that you don't get any bonus and you are informally asked to explore alternative career paths (and sure you will find a decent job after McK!). No one is explicitly fired just for their performance, at least in Europe due to the regulatory framework.

Bain & Company does up-or-out at some career steps (e.g. consultant to manager) but not others, and the partners are usually fine with people who are managers and will never become partners --sometimes they do after 10 years only to become excellent partners, sometimes they never do.

CapGemini and Accenture I cannot speak of and they're not in the same business in my view.
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johncoctostan
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MC career path 23 Sep 2008, 19:11
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This is a bit off topic, but you all seem knowledgeable of the field... I have heard that management consulting firms often ask applicants for their GMAT score. What is seen as the minimum or cut-off score for top tier firms? How important is your pre-MBA work experience in the MC application process? What fields (aside from IB and MC) are looked upon highly by MC firms?
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riverripper
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MC career path 23 Sep 2008, 19:49
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Previous work experience is very important, especially leadership abilities. If your school allows grades to be shared thats also important to them. Getting into the top 3 is tougher than it looks on employment reports too. There are a fair number of sponsored MC at top schools...especially at places like HBS, Harvard, Wharton, and Kellogg (probably in that order too). There will be some at a lot of other schools like Tuck, Haas, Chicago, MIT, Columbia, etc.