Can you negotiate your position level at MBB?

Question

Hi,

I recently finished all my interviews with McKinsey and got an offer. I'm very grateful & excited, however the offer was for a position lower in seniority than I expected.

I have 4 years of full-time work (+1.5 as a working student) in investments. For the past 1.5 years I have been at principal in a tier 2 firm. I had a fast trajectory in my niche mainly because of the work I did during my studies.

I applied for an Associate position, but I got an offer for a Senior Business Analyst. I know that if you come from another industry, you typically cannot get an offer at par with the seniority you have there. However, taking a step back to an analyst role (incl. a sizeable pay cut), is a bit underwhelming.

Do you think it is realistic to negotiate for an Associate / Junior Associate role? Do you have any advice for such situations?

Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

Hi!

Thanks for the additional context.

Basically, within McK (I assume this is the firm you're talking about), to enter at Associate level you need at least 5 years of work experience OR an MBA or a PhD. If you don't have any of them, by default you'll go down one level.

You could try and make the argument that they should include the 1.5y of being a working student (I assume you're based in DACH based on your description), but honestly, I don't think they'll go for it. And even if they account for it, they will tell you the interview has been run for SBA not Asc, and they wouldn't be able to give you a more senior role.

In any case, I think you don't risk anything with just asking them and having a polite, constructive conversation with the recruiter about this, but I doubt your chances of success (sorry).

Best,
Cristian