Master's or Ph.D. graduates join McKinsey Athens as business analysts, junior associates or associates, depending on background and level of work experience. The recruiting process, however, is the same for all.

No matter what your role is, you'll be working directly with clients and contributing as a full member of the team. You will also be given the opportunity to advance as soon as you are ready – we want our people to make rapid progress. Where the entry categories differ is in the learning programs you initially take and the amount of responsibility you carry.

Business Analysts
Business analysts hold a master’s or/and a bachelor degree and have some full-time work experience. They work on a client project and help solve a specific management problem.

A business analyst is dedicated full-time to a project team, solves practical problems, and works closely with the client at the client's site; therefore he/she will soon be able to acquaint himself/herself with all aspects of management and leadership .

After two years as a business analyst you are expected to earn a master’s degree, sponsored by McKinsey, should you be interested in pursuing a career as a consultant.

Junior Associates
Junior associates hold a master's degree or a Ph.D. and have some full-time work experience. They normally spend 1 or 2 years developing broader business skills before progressing to full associate role without a break in their McKinsey career.

Junior associates take responsibility for a discrete part of the problem solving for each client engagement. They play a key role in data gathering, contribute to the team's final recommendations, and present their work to senior client executives. They also have a voice in determining the team's style and pace of work.

Associates
Associates typically have significant work experience and a strong academic record with a Ph.D. or an M.B.A. Whether your background is in business or medicine, academia or engineering, many of those skills – such as leadership and interpersonal skills – are transferable to consulting. Associates need less support than junior associates and are experienced enough to work on large parts of a client study with a greater degree of independence. Within two years, they are expected to start managing teams.

Associates take an active role in all aspects of an engagement – identifying issues, forming hypotheses, planning and conducting interviews and analyses, synthesizing conclusions into recommendations, and helping to implement change. As they gain skills and confidence, they will be asked to manage bigger pieces of the problem at hand.