Starting as a BA at McKinsey in a few weeks. I am willing to dedicate as many hours/week to being the best BA/Associate I can for a few years. What does it take to be rated distinctive? Any tips / strategies?

likesmarthelpfulfunny
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Work the amount of hours you’re willing to work and add 20.

likefunnyupliftingsmarthelpful

The key is not to work 100h but to make everyone believe you're working 100h.

likefunny

Few thoughts! As others say, being rated ‘distinctive’ is often intrinsics, but a few tactical elements:
+ Be curious and total sponge at the start, take notes in every meeting on onenote, don’t need to be told something twice, apply it right away to your work. Ask for McK 101 help (1-2 session) from anyone on your team 1 year into the job (ppt basics, excel basics).
+ Read stuff about the industry and function your study is in, set up alerts, read 10Ks, etc
+ Prioritize being sharp - if that means an extra hour sleep or workout for you vs working do that. I would far rather have a BA that managed their energy throughout the week to fire on all cylinders than that 1 extra deliverable on a Tuesday that screws them over for the next day
+ Learn how to navigate the firm fast - find out who practice managers are (E.g. consumer practice manager - who can direct you to all consumer work and experts), experts in your practice, make them friends you can reach out to as needed
+ At the start - just be a pleasure to work with, even if you’re stressed and don’t feel like being nice. Be friendly & nice (even when you’re tired). Help elevate the team experience (suggest team dinners, get coffee for people, do things to set a fun tone, e.g., id get my team listening to the same playlist when we had a crunch). Offer to help others when you finish EOD (people rarely say yes, it goes a long way). All this goes so much further than you’d think.
+ Contribute in team problem solving sessions, people want your thoughts. Obviously read the room but your opinion and/or approach is valued
+ Make yourself visible in an office leadership role by about 6 months in - whether a recruitment, knowledge, BA social committee. Helps to have your face known, and partners more likely to staff you if they know of you
+ Be transparent and communicate always. Estimate how long something will take you (and X1.5) so your EM can plan. If it’s taking longer, let them know sooner. Don’t spin your wheels on anything more than 30 mins, ask for help particularly at the start
+ By about 9-12 months in, get savvy af about what roles you take. People have differing opinions on this, but if you can ‘find your people’ early vs doing too much of a random walk it will benefit you. These people more likely to have your back, more likely to give a good rating, more likely to invest in mentoring you

Good luck!

likehelpfulsmart

Thank you for this great advice! Starting as a senior analyst soon

Different people naturally have different skillsets. Different tenures and different projects naturally lean on certain of those skills more than others. If you find yourself naturally finding a match between what you're good at and what is required, you may be set up well to get distinctive. If it's not happening for you in that case (or ever) for whatever reason it's pretty hard to force since there is literally no room for error. See how you're fitting in and then assess but understand that being "average" at MBB is still a very high bar and suggests that you are likely going to crush your career.

likehelpful

Thank you for this. It is very useful advice

I think you’re underestimating what 100 hours of work a week looks like. Doing that continuously for “a few years” is a guaranteed path to burnout.

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OP, I know your statement is coming from a place of enthusiasm for your new role and determination to do well. I recommend you optimize everything else in your life. Streamline your outfits, setup a workable freeze and reheat meal plan to follow, get a maid service for cleaning your house, find an efficient but effective 30 min workout program that will keep you fit and sane. Managing long hours at work and then spending hours on cleaning, cooking, or clothing will only burn you out.

likehelpful

Thank you for this advice. I will definitely try to be as efficient as I can with the things mentioned in your post

likesmart

Thanks for your replies guys. I really appreciate it. If it turns out that I don’t need to dedicate that much time to be rated distinctive, then I won’t. Maybe that was an inflammatory statement. What I am after is some insights into what it takes to be rated distinctive.

likefunny

Clearly a bs response by PL1, you're overthinking this OP, wait till you get in so that you can learn through observation what best achievers around you do!

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As someone who recently started in consulting, I'm realizing why they say it's a marathon and not a sprint. While this doesn't really answer your question, don't underestimate the sacrifices it takes to work even a 60 hour week let alone 80 or 100. While I've rarely hit 60, any number of hours has been brutal just because of WFH/isolation.

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...100 hrs a week? Work as much as you need to work and work on yourself outside of those hours. Taking time to live your life can really help with what you do in work

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