Transfer within my firm or recruit again

Hi there,

Q: My partner got a full time offer from one of the Bs in an US office.  Is it a good reason to transfer within McKinsey?

I think you may be able to transfer, however you may have to spend some time in Dubai first.

I would recommend to secure the offer for full-time first and then present them the situation and check which are the options.

To maximize your chances you should ideally:

• Have one or more partners in your target office favoring the transfer
• Have one or more partners in your home office favoring the transfer
• Have a strong performance
• Have or be able to get working rights in your target office

It may be easier to try to target a project in the new office being based in your current one, create relationships and then do the full transfer. However, that also depends on the company and office.

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

What a power couple! As for your wish to transfer to US, this is generally tough. McKinsey might recognize your partner's move to US but this isn't really an argument.

Here's what I would propose: 

• Assuming that you have a FT offer (which I'm not clear about), you will have to spend time in the Dubai office first, get some projects under your belt and make a name for yourself
• After a while (min. 6-12 months) start reaching out to your internal network in the US (Partners + staffers) and get yourself staffed on a project in the US (if at all possible).
• Impress people and create a strong pull, make your case to current/target office, then you might have a shot

Sounds simple enough but in reality this is much more complex of course and depends on your visa status, expertise, performance, demand for talent in different regions, etc.

Hope this helps! Best of luck!

Hello!

It´s all going to depend on your visa situation, when it comes the US. Do you have your own visa? If you just did an internship now, you wouldn´t qualify for the L visa (transfer, for which you need to have worked at least 1 year inanother country).

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hi there,

The short answer is it is going to be very hard.

All you can do is ask and present your case and wait. If they don't transfer you, you can interview at other companies or give them an ultimaetum.

Your other option is to work there FT and perform well. Network well, bide your time, and it can happen.

Hi!

What I would do:

1. Explore internal mobility options at McKinsey

2. Explore job opportunities with BCG & Bain in the US. There is NO reason to not do this!

Depending on whether 2. yields a result, you can then push pretty hard on 1. And from experience I can tell you - the Firm will most probably make it possible.

Cheers, Sidi

On Francesco's last point, I think that is fairly low probability. Dubai consultants tend to work in projects in the GCC and aren't frequently staffed in North America. 

Once you secure the full time offer, I would discuss with HR what their mobilities programs are and potential for a transfer. 

Andrea 

Hello,

Moritz said it best - transferring within McKinsey offices is doable but hard, and takes time and establishing yourself in the Dubai office first (conditional on getting a full-time offer). Visas and work permits are also going to be an important.

It might be good to continue recruiting to explore your options, and also explain your situation to McKinsey HR once you have a full-time offer.

Hello,

Yes, absolutely this is a good reason to ask for a transfer. It's not a guarantee that they will comply immediately - they may ask you to work for a bit at the local office and then transfer you.

Alternatively, if you have the bandwidth to recruit again and get other offers, it would only make your case stronger.

All the best!

Rushabh