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Some consultants begin their careers at McKinsey as specialists. As experienced professionals, they bring profound knowledge of an industry or functional area to their roles. Specialists divide their time between client and knowledge-building work, though the mix will vary from person to person.
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Shaping Your Own Career
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- We affirmed our belief that Specialists should play a major role in shaping their own careers with our decision to provide greater transparency, choice, and flexibility in engagement assignments. In early 2000, we implemented our global preference-based staffing system known internally as "VOX" (Visibility, Options, Expression of preference). The availability of the VOX system further extends the influence that our consultants have over what they do in the Firm next week, next month or next year.
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Immediate Impact
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- As a Specialist, you will be a full member of each engagement team you join, or consult to, beginning with your first assignment. You will be expected to identify issues, develop hypotheses, structure and conduct analyses, synthesize recommendations, and present results to client leaders, or assist generalist consultants in doing so.
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Advancement
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- The advancement of our Specialists to the 'Expert' role follows the pace of their knowledge development, their internal and external reputation expansion, and their ability to deliver impact to teams. Some Experts then advance to Associate Principal, and even on to Partner. Others choose to remain as Experts, focusing more on deepening and leveraging their area of expertise.
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Thrive in a Culture of Meritocracy
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- McKinsey operates as a meritocracy, a place that identifies, encourages, and rewards talent and leadership. Our advancement and compensation decisions are based on an explicit, regular, fair and open evaluation process. Criteria for formal reviews include growth in skills and demonstrated leadership in the areas of client, people, knowledge and the Firm.
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While some specialists fill full-time roles on engagement teams, others consult to client engagement teams rather than directly to clients. Many specialists go on to become Experts in their sector or functional area.
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