Office choice

Hi there,

It is important to understand if you are now being interviewed by the Riyadh office or not. If yes, might be better to bring upow that you would prefer to be based in Dubai.

If you are interviewing for the Middle East, would suggest to get the offer first and the negotiate for which office. The stronger your performance throughout the process, the better are your chances to get the offer for Dubai.

Good luck,

Lilit

Hi there,

This is very common, and I've helped some candidates in the same situation with McKinsey last year; they were offered KSA and managed to push successfully for Dubai.

My tip is this: If the decision is still open, focus on getting the offer first! Once you have that in the bag, you should communicate your preference clearly with HR. Don't shy back from making yourself disagreeable, but always stay friendly of course. This is textbook “Personal Impact”, one of McKinsey's PEI dimensions, which is a key consulting skill.

Please feel free to get in touch if you need more specific help!

Best,

Moritz

Hi there,

it sounds like you are in the recruiting process but you don't have an offer yet. Depending on the region and country, recruiting can happen at the office level. If that is the case for you and you'd be interviewing with people from the Riyadh office, the offer you'd get would likely be specific to the Riyadh office as well. Then it could get complicated (or impossible) to try to transfer your offer to the Dubai office. Therefore, you need to find out about that soon.

I think it is absolutely legitimate to let them know that you have social ties to Dubai and that you would like to join their Dubai office. So whatever that means in terms of the recruiting process, they should adjust. If they only have an opening for you at the Riyadh office for some reason, then you have to make a decision if this would even be an option for you. But at least you would know up front.

Best of luck

Hi there,

Q: So I'm currently in the process of OW Middle East. They would prefer me to be based in Riyadh office, but I prefer to be based in Dubai. Note that I am currently based in Dubai and don't want to relocate. How to communicate that without turning them off?

It seems you would be ready to say no to an offer for Riyadh if you get one. If that’s the case, I would call HR and be transparent about your preference.

If they say Dubai is not an option, you have to decide whether it makes sense to continue the process or not. You might have some rooms to negotiate again after the offer (I know cases when this happened) but there are no guarantees this will work.

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation by Oliver Wyman!

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

• When discussing office preference with a potential employer, it's important to be honest and clear about your preferences while also being respectful and understanding of the company's needs.
• You can communicate your preference for the Dubai office by highlighting your current location and the fact that you would prefer to stay there, but also express your understanding of the company's needs and willingness to be flexible.
• For example, you can say something like "I am currently based in Dubai and would prefer to stay here if possible, but I understand that the company may have different needs and I am willing to be flexible and consider other options."

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Reaffirm your interest in the firm overall. Tell them you think it's a fantastic place to work but that, due to personal reasons, you really can't be in Riyadh and would need to work in Dubai.

If you're not wiling to move then you need to accept the risk/chance that they might not interview you.

Hi there, 

First of all, if this is negotiable from them then try and have this discussion only once you have the offer. Then you have more leverage and explain that you have personal reasons for wanting to stay in the Dubai. 

Best,

Cristian