In short - no & no. You should only ask for a sign-on bonus if you are prepared to walk away should they refuse. If you still choose to join after they say no- does not reflect well and the Solutions teams are smaller so it's not like people you work with will forget you among all the other analysts

However McKinsey prides itself on being a meritocracy and they have promotion cycles every 6 months so if you feel that you are performing ahead of analysts at your level then a promotion within 6 months is not uncommon

Dear A,

First of all, my congratulations to you position!

In general, McKinsey offers are non-negotiatable and highly standartized. Nevertheless, there are arguments you may use to try to get provided some additional perks.

If you need an advice regarding a negotiation tactics, drop me a lina and I'm happy to help you.

Best,

André

Hi

Congratulations on the offer!

I think some things like starting bonus are negotiable if you can definitively show how much money you are leaving on the table at your current job. I have seen them do it for management consultants, not sure about solutions roles. As for the title - there may not be as much wiggle room but you can always shoot for early promotions (which McK is very good about).

Most importantly - no harm in trying/asking. As long as you are polite and have a clear reason to do so there are no negative consequences for it.

Best,

Udayan

Hi Anonymous,

1) Sign-on bonus is one of the very few items which are negotiable. More common for senior hires but also possible if you have solid argumentation at hand. Worst case is that they will say no and don't grant it, so no down-side in trying to raise the subject in a non-confrontative way.

2) Starting position: based on your short summary no. Some candidates might be really borderline and you can discuss which role better to start with. But the main idea is to perform above average and get promoted accordingly faster.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind to give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

Hi there,

If I didn't know any better I would assume you've taken a few negotiating classes!

This is exactly the way to go about this.

Both of your points are reasonable AND are supported through clear logic.

Make sure to ask in the right way (i.e. "is there any chance") and you'll be fine. If posssible, this is best done on a phone call first.

Finally, my best guess would be they accept #1 but not #2...just setting expectations. However, it's good to have 2 asks, so then they can "compromise" and give you just 1. Well played, I approve!

Hello!

Altough it makes total sense, negotiating with MBB is close to impossible.

I know many who tried, none succeeded. Keep us posted.

Best,

Clara

Hi there,

Sorry, but in this case it’s not negotiable.

But of course you may try to ask these questions to HR in a very polite way.

Do you need any further help?

All the best,

GB