I am applying for the position of "Petroleum Practice Associate" in McK dubai office, i am an Egyptian experinced professional in Oil & Gas Upstream & Downstream sectors (7 yrs.), MBA holder (Regional Institute which couldnt be considered as Top school ofcourse!).What do you think my chances to be hired in such position? what are the average salaries for this position? does this a normal consultant role with lots of travelling involved or just a bcak office job ?

just spelling correction: "............or just a back-office job?"

HELP GUYS,Come on guys i need help here... no one knows anything to tell about Practice Associate positions in Mckinsey ????

Don't worry sem2. Most of the half-wits on this forum wouldn't know anything about a seriously good practice in a seriously cool firm. On the other hand, ask them about project management, change management, IT infrastructure, IT architecture and business process optimisation, they will talk ad nausem about it.Anyway, the McK practice is growing (a lot) it is just about the best oil practice in consultancy and they have access to some of the most senior people in the industry. They are doing a tonne of work in Moscow and Sanghai at the moment. What I would say is that McK academics never leave you, they need to be strong irrespective of our professional experience. That said, the process of getting into McK is hard (very) . The people who get in are usually very good. Unlike an ACN where you have a broad continuum of abilities (most being sub standard obviously) in McK the standard of employee across the board is very high. This is because the interview process is soo rigorous.If I were you, give it a go. Extol the virtues of our professional experience and MBA (McK are big on MBAs) and see what happensWord of advice I would not raise such questions on this forum: the half-wit, process mapping, IT infrastructure clan here will either meet it with silence or with befuddled amusementZB

Thankyou but I am not an idiot,I know all this. You have not answered a single of my questions!!

ZB,Thanks man, your reply was great. I am not very optimistic about my chances to join but i will give it a try anyway. Just wondering will this step in my career open up top positions in blue chip companies afterwards, or i will be considered out of the field and my experience as a "consultant" would not be appreciated?

I am so angry and surprised that there is a guy using my nickname "sem2" in responding to ZB, i will never use words like "... i am not an idiot..!"Pls. whoever is using my nickname STOP DOING THAT !

You will have difficulty returning to technical positions afterwards as it will be perceived that consulting reflects broad rather than deep expertise. At the same time, it will be more difficult to join blue chip companies outside oil & gas as the practice associate is a very narrow role - you will develop your "subject matter expert" skills but not the broader commercial and consulting skills to switch sector. Likely career paths afterwards would be project or programme manager in oil & gas. You would have more opportunities if you're prepared to switch to downstream operations after your time at McKinsey.

Your chances depend on the quality of your experience and where you have been working (company and country). Multinational experience with a head office of a large oil company is almost essential to be competitive for the role. If you have that, then you have a resonable chance for the job - the Dubai office is growing faster and is more relaxed about entry requirements than other offices due to the high turnover.Salaries will be in the region of 150-200k AED. The role is principally in the back office so only very limited travel is required.

thanks Jamil,but are u sure of that salary range ... ! it is relatively low , lower than the regular industry salaries for a guy of my profile !!is that salary (all inclusive) ? or other benefits as housing are offered?

This is the number excluding benefits. It is very similar for most consultancies for this kind of position. For the seniority of the position and calibre of staff to fill it, it is competitive.

hey Jamil,What kind of benefits are we talking about? Housing? Schooling for kids? Medical? Car?