Careers

Client access from day one

Coming from the university lifestyle, everything is a change! What surprised me the most was the amount of responsibility I got from day one.  I’m with clients all day, every day, sitting at a table with them, leading meetings. And they genuinely value what I have to say. Compared to the banking internship I’d done previously, this level of client access is amazing. It’s especially exciting to get good feedback: A couple of weeks ago a client asked if I could continue to work with them, which was a really satisfying feeling.

Taking initiative

One of the things young business analysts really notice here is the chance—even the need—for everyone to take initiative, from the beginning. I have to always be very aware of what’s going on, especially when it comes to looking after clients. That might mean checking in every morning to see if there is anything they need, or it could simply be just chatting about how their day was. If I see problems coming up, I go ahead and sort them out. There’s a huge amount of confidence-building in that, and I have found that I have built my “own” client relationships very quickly.

Peer support

The group of business analysts that I started with has been a brilliant source of support. We answer each others’ questions and reassure each other that we are all making the same mistakes on the same learning curve. We are a bit of an eclectic bunch, and we get on extremely well. I think that the closeness of the whole BA class is a little envied in the rest of the firm! The BA emailing list is also one of the most useful resources I’ve found at McKinsey – ask any question and someone will reply within a few minutes.

Opening doors

I find McKinsey a very refreshing place to be; not only does it open many doors and give great exposure to leaders, colleagues are also open about discussing what they might want to do next and always playing with ideas. I don’t really know what door I will open next, after my BA experience; I might get my MBA or eventually run a company. I am keen to work in sport at some stage, but then again I haven’t found an industry I wouldn’t want to work in, so we will see!

What I do in my free time

I play rugby for a team in London, and in a moment of weakness agreed to enter the Great North Run. I am finding that I increasingly value time to just catch up with friends and my BA cohort – although apparently going to the pub doesn’t count as a hobby…

Offices

Education