Due to personal reasons, I am moving from Bain to McK - what should I expect (culture, staffing, mentoring etc.)?

Hey there,

This is a tough one to answer since not a lot of people moved from Bain to McK. I knew a few BCG consultants that switched to McKinsey but also this is rare.

I think all three MBBs have very distinct and strong cultures. They share some similarities such as

• meritocracy
• striving for excellence
• hyper left-brain thinking
• similar backgrounds

Some differences I can think of re. McKinsey are

• The support network is much more exhaustive (slide production, tech help, analytical support, research support) --> in general, every problem that takes more than 5 minutes to think about and is not directly related to your work can be delegated to support
• Staffing is more global, rather than local since McK has a global staffing model and a global PnL. However, having done a project for the Paris office, I think that for McKinsey France many consultants actually stay in France
• Mentoring and training will be excellent, however, I am sure that this was the same at Bain.

All the best with your transition!

Cheers,

Florian

I recently coached a candidate who has made the exact transition. It is quite office/location specific but generally speaking the larger size means that you will need to do a lot more "navigating" than what you might be used to at Bain. This is true across the various factors where the "culture" is more determined by the people and work you choose to pursue than the office itself as well.

Hi there,

This is hard to say, as it truly depends on the office, the leadership you're placed with etc. etc. That said, in general, you should expect a wider range of projects, a more extensive network, and a bit of a "tougher" culture in terms of intensity and feedback. Bain is known a bit more for it's "A Bainee never lets another Bainee fail" whereas McK is known for being a bit colder.

Regardless, try not to focus too much on generalizing statements on culture (like the one I just made!). Rather, make the best of where you are - you'll find there are good people everywhere!

Hi, congrats on the offer? Are you talking about McK Paris office too?

A