MBB Application and Recently Announced Layoffs

BCG Bain McKinsey recruitment
Neue Antwort am 29. März 2023
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Anonym A fragte am 24. März 2023

Hi Experts,

I am currently considering applying to McKinsey. Should I be concerned about the recently announce layoffs in the news and delay my application? Are they still hiring or slowing/freezing recruitment across the company?

Does the layoffs predominately impact corporate functions and/or consultants? 

Are there any specific functions/industries to avoid as they are slowing down project wise?

Thanks

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Hagen
Experte
Content Creator
bearbeitete eine Antwort am 26. März 2023
Ex-Bain and interviewer for 7+ years | >95% success rate | mentor and coach for 6+ years

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

  • First of all, I think you need to put things into perspective regarding the McKinsey layoffs since they are essentially a non-event. While we do not know for certain about the root cause, from the information provided, chances are very high that they simply wanted to outsource certain consulting support functions, which is nothing surprising for strategy consulting companies.
  • As for the future, we really cannot tell. So far, to my knowledge, there have not been any layoffs besides with McKinsey and KPMG (cf. https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/kpmg-layoff-15443), but recruiting has slowed down or been frozen altogether, and start dates have been delayed.
  • Personally, I would advise you to apply nonetheless since there really isn't any way to navigate the situation either way. Make sure you have your strongest application and see about the results.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews with McKinsey, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

(editiert)

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Francesco
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Content Creator
antwortete am 26. März 2023
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there

1) I am currently considering applying to McKinsey. Should I be concerned about the recently announced layoffs in the news and delay my application? Are they still hiring or slowing/freezing recruitment across the company?

It depends on the country. In some countries McKinsey and other MBB are in a hiring freeze so it would not make sense to apply there now. 

The best way to know if you are not sure about your particular country is look for a referral and ask them, which is going to strengthen your application anyway.

You can find more on referrals below:

▶ How to Get an MBB Invitation

▶ The Exact Steps to Get a Referral

2) Does the layoffs predominately impact corporate functions and/or consultants? Are there any specific functions/industries to avoid as they are slowing down project wise?

From what they announced, the layoff should focus on support staff.

Best,

Francesco

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Ian
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 26. März 2023
MBB | 100% personal interview success rate (8/8) and 95% candidate success rate | Personalized interview prep

Hi there,

If you have a referral and if they are telling you to apply, you should apply.

This is universally true! And, it's exactly why we network.

Remember that the current market is different across geographies and that MBB still recruit even in downtowns (there is 20% churn they need to replace). 

Please make sure you're networking in order to 1) get a referral and 2) get info on whether it's the right time for you to apply at that particular office.

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Andreas
Experte
antwortete am 25. März 2023
McKinsey EM | Top MBB Coach | >70% Success Rate | Free Introductory Calls

Hi there,

I joined McKinsey during the financial crisis - and I would totally do it again. Eventually the economic climate will change which gives you the opportunity to see different types of projects - from restructuring to growth related.

Don't worry too much. They keep hiring & quality candidates get in.

Andreas

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Dennis
Experte
antwortete am 27. März 2023
Seasoned project leader with 7+ years of consulting and recruiting experience in USA and Europe

Hi there,

you won’t really be able to time the market. If you sit on the sidelines and don’t apply waiting for better times, you might end up waiting for a long time. You may as well give it a try and if it doesn’t work out, the resulting ban period would overlap with the economic downturn.

You also might want to apply to a number of consulting firms to increase your odds.

Agree with the others here that you should try to get referrals from consultants working at the respective companies. 

Also keep in mind that once the economy turns around again, consulting firms will have to be hiring on all cylinders to be able to deliver their project pipelines.

Good luck 

 

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Adam
Experte
antwortete am 25. März 2023
6 years McKinsey AP, 7 years McKinsey external coach, 500+ interviews completed

I am an ex-McKinsey consultant so am just reflecting what I know.

As announced, the layoffs are only impacting non-consulting staff.

A big part of the McKinsey model is based off ensuring the “pyramid”, which means they have to keep recruiting.  What they'll likely do is slow promotions - and this will in turn also mean that more people leave.

They won't really lay-off by sector - but obviously some sectors will be impacted more than others, and you can probably see which industries are being more impacted by the current climate (e.g,, tech).   This will mean more junior consultants naturally end up on engagements elsewhere.

All to say - I'd carry on like normally if you're applying!

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ALEXANDRE am 25. März 2023

Hi, In addition to my former McKinsey colleagues, I just would add that the information I had from my friends who are partners at McKinsey told me that they will continue to recruit but slow down and might propose postpon entry date. Lay offs are not focused on consultant population. Cheers,

(editiert)

Anonym B am 26. März 2023

By Tech you mean that McK Digital is heavily impacted?

Moritz
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 29. März 2023
ex-McKinsey | Senior Interviewer & MBA Coach @ McKinsey | Personalized key-skill coaching |Blue-chip Strategy Lead

Hi there,

You have nothing to loose.

All firms are still hiring (or hiring again) and I can tell from my coaching activity that the Q1 slowdown is slowly picking up again. It may not be last years' level but there's good activity.

As for yourself, you can always try to get an interview. At that stage, there's a position waiting for you. If unsuccessful at the application stage, you can try again in 6 months time. The famous ‘ban’ is generally for people that actually interviewed.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Moritz

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Pedro
Experte
antwortete am 28. März 2023
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Roland Berger |Former Head Recruiter | Market Sizing

If you apply you may get an interview. If you fail you can apply again one year from now (with additional interviewing experience).

If you delay for one year you don't get an interview now, only in one year.

I don't see what you gain from not applying, but it is quite evident that you are wasting one chance to be accepted.

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Emily
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 27. März 2023
Ex McKinsey EM & interviewer (5 yrs) USA & UK| Coached / interviewed 300 +|Free 15 min intro| Stanford MBA|Non-trad

MBB is still hiring - they have learnt through various recessions that if you stop hiring, you will be in a real pickle when the recession ends and you have to train everyone up again from scratch. It is more challenging then in a boom period to get a role for sure, but still entirely possible.

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Hagen

Content Creator
Ex-Bain and interviewer for 7+ years | >95% success rate | mentor and coach for 6+ years
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