Offer Received!!

1. What do you value the most?

The questions you need to ask are not generic questions, but questions that will cater to what you personally value.

Location, industries, travel, learning opportunities, staffing, career progression, MBA sponsorship, office culture, compensation and benefits, alumni, etc..

2. They have a fixed value. You may however negotiate extras (sign up bonus, relocation, some benefits). You have to position this as related to something you need for some valid reason.

Please understand that you will have a stong variable and a double digit salary increase every year.

Hi there,

Congrats on the offers: you’re in a fantastic position. To make the choice clear, it helps to apply a structured framework rather than just comparing impressions.

Framework 1: 4Cs
Use this to compare McKinsey and Bain systematically:

• Career: Learning curve, reputation, exit opportunities, alignment with your long-term goals.
• Culture: How well you connected with the people, mentoring style, collaboration, support.
• Content: Strength of each firm in your target industries or practices (e.g., Bain’s Private Equity, McKinsey’s Public Sector/Healthcare).
• Compensation: Base pay, bonuses, relocation, and perks.

Score each firm 1–5 in every category. This forces you to weigh what matters most to you, not just what others say.

Framework 2: Must-haves vs Nice-to-haves

• Define 3 must-haves (e.g., strong PE exposure, global mobility, mentorship).
• Define 3 nice-to-haves (e.g., higher signing bonus, specific office perks).
• Evaluate which firm ticks the must-haves reliably. That often points to the better long-term fit.

On negotiating pay
MBB salaries are fairly standardized, so large increases are rare. Still, it’s reasonable to ask HR once if there is flexibility. Position it positively:

"I’m very excited about the offer. I noticed the compensation is in line with my current role, and I wanted to ask if there is any flexibility to reflect the transition into consulting."

If they say no, you’ve lost nothing.

Hope this helps!

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offer from McKinsey!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• First of all, I would advise you to wait for the result of your application process with Bain before you start thinking about a personal ranking. You may not end up with more than one offer, as much as I would like you to.
• Moreover, I would highly advise you to opt for the option that best aligns with your professional (and maybe even personal) mid- to long-term goals. In order to make an informed decision, I would advise you to do the following:
  • Weigh the different criteria that are meaningful to you independently of the current options (e.g., personal growth, culture, international exposure, compensation). After that, score the options based on your criteria and their weighting, resulting in discrete scores. This way, you have covered the left-brain perspective.
  • Critically assess your initial reaction to the outcome of the scores. For instance, if you feel the urge to tweak the numbers, this is a solid indicator that you do not want this decision to become reality. This way, you have covered the right-brain perspective.
  • By doing so, you will be able to integrate both parts of the brain into the decision-making, guaranteeing a higher chance that you will still be happy with it years later.
• Lastly, it is highly unlikely you will be able to negotiate a raise, and I would strongly advise you not to try.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi,

Congrats on the McKinsey offer... and potentially Bain!

First of, would suggest to wait until you have the Bain offer in hand.
Then to decide, I’d suggest:

1. Define criteria upfront (career goals, culture, industry focus, compensation)
2. Score both firms against those criteria (weighted 1–5). This brings structure and avoids bias
3. Check your gut afterwards. If the numbers say “X” but you lean “Y,” that’s a signal

On compensation: base salaries are standardized at MBB. You can politely ask once about flexibility on signing bonus, relocation, or start date, but don’t expect an increase in base.

Bottom line: focus on long-term fit and growth, not small comp differences.