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Religious beliefs and MBB

It is against my religious beliefs to work in certain industries such as Gambling, Tobacco, Alcohol brewers and the same goes for advising such companies . So is it possible to decline such engagements if I get offers at MBB and cite the reason for refusing the enagement. How flexible is MBB in understanding one's beliefs and views on certain industries. It won't even make sense to force someone to work on certain industries and devise strategies for them when already the consultant has negative views on them. Thanks a lot in advance for your advises.

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Top answer
Deleted user
on Feb 26, 2021

I have not previously worked in MBB, however, I have worked in Big 4. It may be best to lead with focusing on letting folks know what kind of projects and industries you would like to work on as a pre-empitve strategy. Perhaps show that you have a passion for specific industries. Thereafter, if the situation unfortunately arises, perhaps it would be best to let them know that the industries which you mentioned present a conflict of interest for you.

What are other folks' thoughts on this one?

22
Anonymous A
on Mar 02, 2021
Thanks
Gaurav
Coach
on Feb 28, 2021
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360° coach(Ex-McKinsey+Certified Coach+Active recruiter)

Hi there, 

you can discuss it with the staffing and they won't consider you for these projects. 

Cheers, 

GB

Anonymous A
on Mar 02, 2021
Thanks
Ian
Coach
on Feb 27, 2021
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

You're absolutely fine here. They allow for opting out of these industries without negative ramifications. Moreover, those industries are a very very small fraction of total projects - the odds that you're assigned on a project on any of these is quite low :)

Anonymous A
on Mar 02, 2021
Thanks
Ken
Coach
on Feb 27, 2021
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

Definitely not a problem at McKinsey. I also avoided those industries purely due to personal beliefs.

Anonymous A
on Mar 02, 2021
Thanks
Deleted user
on Feb 27, 2021

Absolutely yes and you must not do anything that is not in line with your values & beliefs.

16
Anonymous A
on Mar 02, 2021
Thanks
on Feb 27, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, I confirm for certain industries you can definitely ask to not be staffed into.

Best
Antonello

Anonymous A
on Mar 02, 2021
Thanks
Deleted user
on Feb 27, 2021

You can tell staffing about your objections and clarify this upfront. They will take note of this and not consider you for these type of projects. 

15
Anonymous A
on Mar 02, 2021
Thanks
Udayan
Coach
on Feb 26, 2021
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

Yes - in McKinsey you could specify not to work in the sin industries like tobacco, its not a big deal people totally get it

Anonymous A
on Mar 02, 2021
Thanks
Clara
Coach
on Feb 28, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Yes, you can totally discuss this with staffing. 

Cheers, 

Clara

Anonymous A
on Mar 02, 2021
Thanks
Raj
Coach
on Feb 28, 2021
FREE 15MIN CONSULTATION | #1 Strategy& / OW coach | >70 5* reviews |90% offers ⇨ prep-success.super.site | MENA, DE, UK

Yes absolutely, you can state you have an ethical objection to working in certain sectors such as defence or tobacco

Anonymous A
on Mar 02, 2021
Thanks
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