McKinsey & Company - Southeast Asia Complex - Application Process

How do I apply for a consulting position?
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Which position am I eligible for?
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What are the language requirements of the Southeast Asia complex?
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When can I apply?
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If I am interested in multiple Southeast Asia offices should I apply to each individually?
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If my application is not successful for one office am I able to apply to another one?
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If I do not meet your academic criteria, will you look at my application?
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I am considering studying for an M.B.A. Would this be of advantage in an application to McKinsey?
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Can I start in a more senior role?
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Can I start as a specialist?
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How many hours will I work a week?
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How much time will I spend away from home?
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What are the chances of being staffed across offices in the Southeast Asia region?
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Who needs a Work Permit?
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How do I apply for a consulting position?
If you are not a student at a university where we currently recruit, the best way to get your resume or CV in front of the right McKinsey recruiter is to use our on-line application. You can apply either for a general consulting role (such as a business analyst or associate) or for a specific position listed in our current opportunities. When your on-line application is submitted it will be routed to specialized recruiters focused on the areas matching your strengths and interests. At the same time, your application will be visible to every one of our recruiters worldwide so that we may consider you for all possible opportunities. If you prefer not to use our on-line application, you may apply in writing directly to the office or practice of your choice.

Please direct your inquiry to the manager of recruiting in the office of your choice, or to the manager of experienced hires for opportunities in a practice area.

Which position am I eligible for?
If you are currently an undergraduate student or have recently graduated with an undergraduate degree, you will be considered for a Business Analyst position.

If you are currently an MBA student or have recently graduated from a business school, you will be considered for an Associate position. If you are pursuing an advanced professional degree (eg Masters, PhD, Law or Medical degree), you will also be considered for an Associate position.
As an experienced professional, you will be considered on an individual basis, depending on your experience and achievements.

What are the language requirements of the Southeast Asia complex?
We do not have language requirements for the Southeast Asia complex. However, candidates with local language ability (Mandarin, Thai, Tagalog, Indonesian or Malay language) would be a value-added.

When can I apply?
Please see our deadlines as described in our ‘How to apply’ section.

If I am interested in multiple Southeast Asia offices should I apply to each individually?
No – as a firm worldwide we have a centralized application process, you will need to specify on your application which offices you are interested in. You are able to specify a number of offices and you should do so in order of preference with the first being your first preference.

If my application is not successful for one office am I able to apply to another one?
Your application will not be reassessed before a period of 18 months has passed since your previous application. A decision from one office is a decision from McKinsey worldwide.

If I do not meet your academic criteria, will you look at my application?
Generally we would expect you to show a good academic record. Having stated that, if your post-academic experience is truly distinctive we would consider your application

I am considering studying for an M.B.A. Would this be of advantage in an application to McKinsey?
All ‘top flight’ qualifications are of an advantage generally. Whether or not an M.B.A. would be of advantage in an application to McKinsey will depend on your current status. If you are an undergraduate, or have two years or less work experience, then we would prefer you to apply as a business analyst. If you are currently studying for a Ph.D. and successfully apply to McKinsey, you will usually be offered the opportunity to attend our ‘Mini-M.B.A. program’, a three week business program designed to provide consultants who have not had advanced business education with basic business skills, team work, client relations and problem solving skills. As an experienced hire with between two and ten years of exceptional business experience, an M.B.A. would not be essential to your application.

Can I start in a more senior role?
Apart from a few very highly experienced specialized individuals, everyone starts at business analyst or associate level.

Can I start as a specialist?
Yes. Most specialists joining McKinsey have an advanced degree and several years of work experience. They typically have deep industry knowledge or functional expertise. A specialist may serve as an active member of an engagement team, or as a source of primary knowledge support on which the team can draw. The mix of client and knowledge building work performed by our specialists varies from person to person. A few play significant full-time engagement team roles throughout their tenure. Most focus more on knowledge building and on consulting to teams rather than to clients directly.

How many hours will I work a week?
There is no typical week at McKinsey. There may occasionally be some weekend work but you can usually manage your time to avoid this. Your weekly hours will vary according to the work or engagement you are involved in and teams normally discuss working patterns at the start of an engagement to take into account individual needs and manage 'crunches'.

How much time will I spend away from home?
By working on site with our clients, we can do a much better job of understanding their situation. Given the diversity of clients we serve, many of our engagements take place 'out of town' and in such cases, consultants typically spend three nights away from home per week. However, all teams are encouraged to spend Fridays in their home office.

What are the chances of being staffed across offices in the Southeast Asia region?
As long as you are legally allowed to work in all Southeast Asia areas there is a very good chance that you will be able to work on a study in another area of the region.

Who needs a Work Permit?
If you are a nationality and passport holder of the hiring office, you will not need a work permit.
If you do not fall into the above category, you will need a work permit and your offer will be conditional on our ability to obtain one on your behalf. This process may take a number of weeks and will be done through your local office.