Growth within the company is mandatory. You will not find people staying in one position for more than 3 years. This doesn't suite me that well because I prefer to move up within a company when I feel that I am ready. It is stressful because you constantly feel that you have to move up or you'll be out.

The outlook at Mckinsey is usually quite negative for business analysts. Growth is only possible if you have a MBA under your belt. Usually people are willing to accept other offers when they are giving.

The company is extremely competitive, to the point that you feel you are directly competing with your peers instead of just with yourself to do good work. This is just the way the company work and you will have to adapt or move on to some other company. This makes the office life very stressful and you always feel like your being watch and being compared to your peers.

McKinsey has a strong brand and businesses around the globe know the name. However, McKinsey is not immune to an economic slump. When the economy is not doing well, McKinsey is not a pleasant place to work at. You will be cut from the company if you are underperforming. Even though the work is always challenging and fun, you will always feel the pressure and feel the stress.

I worked as a Supporting Staff at McKinsey. I definitely felt a big difference in how we were treated and how the consultants were treated. Even though we all pretty much worked the same amount of hours, the Consultants were seen as the real "bread winners". As staff, we do receive company perks, but the actual difference in "feel" of the job (between us and the Consultants) is extremely different. We are made sure to "feel" as a supporting role only while the Consultants are made to "feel" special.

McKinsey's image is that it is a huge problem solving entity, capable of creating solutions that no one else can delivery. The truth is that I spent about 3/4 of my time build a powerpoint deck for the client meeting, while the other 1/4 of my time was spent on analyzing the client's problem and creating a real and actionable solution.

The people here are extremely smart and very ambitious; therefore, it is extremely difficult to stand out above your peers. I was top in my class and have excelled in pretty much every situation I have ever put myself into. It feels frustrating at times to not be able to stand out and show how truly valuable I am. My very best is pretty much the standard in this company.