Does McKinsey ask about expected salary during the interview?

Question

Should I prepare myself for the question on expected salary when preparing for McKinsey interview? In the industry from which I am coming it is normal to ask this question to the interviewee. However, I am applying for a small office and cannot find the information on average salaries there (already checked glassdoor and other internet reources)

Answer 1

No - salaries are standardised and this would not be asked.

Answer 2

McKinsey does not ask about salary expectations during interviews. Interviews only have the purpose to assess the candidates suitability for the position. The reason is that salary is pretty standardized, and also that your interviewers are normally not involved in the technicalities of the offer. Any type of negotiation/figures discussion can only happen AFTER the interviews.

Cheers, Sidi

Answer 3

Hi,

The salaries are not discussed during the interviews
Net salaries are very similar across the offices with the rare exceptions (African countries, etc. + In some expensive cities like New York you will have a slightly bigger salary)
The salaries are standardized for the particular role so in general, you are not discussing the salary
You can discuss the position itself:

It's best to have the target role in the objective of the resume from the beginning
It's good to discuss the role that you want with some friends from McKinsey so that they will give you an honest answer whether you are really qualified for it
You can discuss the role if you successfully pass the interviews
Higher role and salary are not necessarily good for you. McKinsey has the Up Or Out policy and if you are not experienced in consulting it's not bad to have less responsibility at the beginning and some capacity to make mistakes. The career growth is so fast at McK that you'll get your target salary pretty soon.

Best