Join a practice
With our many industry and functional practices, you can go broad or go deep.
The firm maintains 18 industry and 7 functional practices, each with specialized knowledge, skill, and expertise dedicated to serving leaders. There are different ways to engage with practices at McKinsey, depending on your background, interests, and career goals.
- Join a practice
If you have a strong interest in a particular functional discipline, you should consider joining a practice. This path will let you develop deep expertise and establish yourself as a leader in a specific field, while still giving you many options to broaden your experience beyond your area of focus. You’ll also work with others who share your passion, which is an opportunity to accelerate your growth and develop a robust personal network.
- Affiliate with a practice
If you have strong interest in a particular industry or functional discipline, you might choose to affiliate with one of McKinsey’s practices. You’ll spend up to half your time on studies within your chosen practice, building distinct knowledge and strong industry connections.
- Work on a client study
Everyone has a chance to engage with a practice by working on a client study. It’s an opportunity to get exposed to a new field by immersing yourself in an industry or function, typically for two to three months. Most new consultants build their management consulting skills by participating in client studies across many industries.
Choose an office, choose a practice
When you apply, you’ll be asked for a preferred location and/or practice from McKinsey’s more than 80 offices in over 40 countries. Each office serves many—but not necessarily all—industries. While McKinsey consultants have great flexibility to work out of different offices around the world to pursue topic areas they are interested in, if you have a strong interest in an industry or practice, you may want to choose a geographic location where there are more of those opportunities.
Engaging with a practice
The following practices recruit candidates directly:
Consult each practice’s careers section for more information about their requirements and hiring process.