Competing Offers in Middle East - McK vs Bain vs Kearney

Hi there,

If you've already decided between Bain and Kearney, then Bain is the strongest global brand.

That said, there are a few things to consider here:

1. You may as well ask McK for the Dubai offer. Respectfully play hardball and say you would have to decline the offer unless it can be in Dubai/ME
2. Evaluate your priorities. If it's prestige/brand, then McK > Bain > Kearney. If it's culture, L&D, project type, etc. then you need to evaluate differently!

Hi there,

Well done getting those offers!

There's 3 ways to think about this (skip to 3 for my recommendation):

1. If we ignore location, McKinsey is the strongest brand and offers the most opportunities of all firms. Definitely my #1 choice (the other firms are great, too, but McKinsey does have an edge over them objectively speaking)
2. If we take location into account i.e. preference Dubai and rule out McKinsey Pakistan, I would go for Bain. It's a Tier 1 firm and certainly has an edge over Kearney. That's of course without knowing any more details such as overall package, role, personal fit, etc.
3. Let's combine the best of both worlds and find a way to work for McKinsey out of Dubai. In the short term, this may be tricky because they're currently not taking on new hires and try to distribute them across ME. Hence, you would start in Pakistan. However, in the long run (let's say 18-24 months) you can always change! In any case, you should discuss with McKinsey HR because you have nothing to loose and a great position to negotiate with strong BATNAs.

Hope this helps a bit! Best of luck!

Hi there,

I might be biased but I would start at McK Pakistan and then do an internal transfer after 6 to 12 months to Dubai.

To achieve this,

• state your preferences early on with HR and leadership
• network with partners in Dubai / Middle East
• try to get on one or two engagements in the region before doing the full move

Cheers,

Florian

Hello!

Usually I would advice McK vs. Bain, since it´s bigger and hence has more opportunities, both during and after. 

however, since you point out that location is important, I would go with Bain Dubai, for sure, vs. Kearny (no brainer)

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Honestly, McK Pakistan is a much better bet and you can transfer after a couple of years. If that is absolutely not acceptable then do Bain. It is a globally recognized brand name and you can leverage it a lot more than ATK.

Or you tell McK Karachi that you would like to start in Dubai…