Hi there,

“I could gaurentee others”. There's no such thing in this life, especially when it comes to MBB!

Remember, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

My strong advice is to not let the assumed possibility of “something better” distract you from the fact that you have a top 3 firm offer during a super tough recruiting environment/market.

Just the brand/network sets you up for great pay down the road.

Sure, apply to other firms in a few months and see what happens. IF you get other offers (not “when”), at that point you can re-evaluate.

Hi there,

Congratulations on the Bain offer. In terms of your question:

Q: Do you think it would be wise if I accept the offer from Bain and in a couple of months move to Mckinsey/BCG/Tier 2? Is that possible? Or will it look bad to other employers? Have you seen anyone who did this?

I would not recommend moving from Bain to a Tier 2 for the higher salary unless you are sure there won’t be an effect in terms of exit opportunities, which seems unlikely (the better exits from Bain should compensate for the difference long term).

You could opt to switch to McKinsey or BCG in the future if you prefer. Personally, I would do so only in case of better long-term opportunities (eg better exits, projects or culture) besides the salary.

If feasible, I think the best option you might have is to interview now with McKinsey and BCG. In this way, if you get another offer you could start there before the official starting date at Bain.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hello,

Congratulations on your offer! Some thoughts:

If you're excited to work at Bain but are demotivated by the pay, have you thought about negotiating? If you are coming in at the entry level (i.e., post-undergrad position like junior consultant), the salary rate itself may be fairly fixed, but you might be able to negotiate a starting bonus or other benefits. It probably won't make up the 30% difference, but might still be a nice bonus.

I definitely second the advice of others here about long-term thinking, in terms of salary growing quickly with tenure. Unless the pay is so low that it will make it difficult to sustain your lifestyle, it might be worth starting off with a slightly lower salary to work at such a highly prestigious firm, and all the networks and opportunities that will open up for you.

It is possible to start recruiting right out of the door with the goal of moving to another consulting company, but be prepared for your short stint at Bain to raise questions, and it might be more difficult to find the time to do this once you start working full-time. To avoid burning any bridges, I would recommend staying for at least a year (or 6 months at the very very least). You could still recruit now, just with an eye to a start date in a year or so (which is probably the timeline most firms would have in mind anyway). 

Hi there,

congrats to your Bain offer - getting accepted into MBB is a fantastic milestone.

Regarding your question - is it wise to accept Bain and move to other firms later?

Yes, in general, it's possible, to move. Other firms don't really mind and there can be many reasons for a desired change. I know of many examples who switched within MBB within a matter of 12 months, while it's not the most conventional move I'll say.

That said, if comparing apples to apples (i.e. same career level at different firms), Bain usually pays quite competitively, so i'd be very surprised if you see a continuous deficit of 30%+ to other firms. If that were the case, most consultants would not stay with the firm in the long run. So while there sometimes there can be deviations on entry level, the firm typically offers steep salary progression and the initial gap should not matter too much in the medium and long-term. 

In my view, it's a good idea to apply such long-term it's wise to not only take into account entry-level pay, but also the progression you can expect + other factors such as the exist opportunities, cultural fit with the firm etc - something Bain is very known in the industry for.

Feel free to share details about your exact location via DM, then I can share insights more specific to your geography.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi 

Hi there!

You have a nice problem to solve. And congrats on the offer!

First of all, I'm surprised that Bain has such a big gap to the other MBBs in your region. Typically, BCG is 10% over McK and Bain, but Bain being 30% both of them is a bit of a shocker.

I'd recommend you go for the Bain offer. 

Two considerations:

1. Compensation accelerates as you grow in tenure. The starting compensation matters little in perspective. What you should focus on is learning and growing your skills at this point, as well as developing a strong value proposition. If you enjoy the environment, that matters way more than the compensation.
2. If you do apply for McK, BCG, other firms and get an offer, you're still unlikely to start in less than a year from now (considering the application process, interviewing and then the fact that starting dates are now being postponed). So in that sense you have nothing to worry about. It won't be a switch within the space of a few months.

Best of luck with the process!

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Cristian

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