Accepted to top local consulting firm before my first round at McKinsey

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tier 2

Edited on Jun 29, 2019

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Anonymous A asked on Jun 29, 2019

Hey,

Luckily I got accepted to the best local consulting firm in my country, unfortunately, I need to return to them with a yes or no answer before my first round at McKinsey.

Does McKinsey have a policy to not recruit "tier 2" consultants?

if I accept the offer and work there for a year or so, will it hurt my chances of getting into MBB? (I will also have to contact the McKinsey recruiter and tell her something about why I'm not applying this round eventually)

Thanks:)

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Vlad

Expert

updated an answer on Jun 29, 2019

McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi!

Several recommendations:

Try to understand whether you are ready to have the McKinsey interview right now or you need more time to prepare.
Ask the boutique consulting company how much time you have to consider the offer. Note that It's important to demonstrate the commitment.
Ask McKinsey to expedite the process if you are sure that you are prepared. In general, McKinsey will be fine with that, unless there is a lack of capacity on their side.
Try to postpone the offer from the boutique firm if you feel that you are out of time.

Here are some strategies on how to get more time with the offer:

Be transparent - you want to finish the process with all companies (And it's not about the particular company. For example, Bain was giving me an Intern Role while McKinsey gave me a Senior Analyst)
Ask for the time without explanation and if there is an urgency ask back why is the urgency
Time to learn more from employees: Given with what I've seen so far I am happy to sign the offer but I might need some more time to talk to people, visit the office and learn more about the company
Contract - Need time to check the contract details (it's not just about salary but also you can't have equity ownership as a consultant and you need to sell your businesses)
Refer to feelings - you can say that you don't feel comfortable making a fast decision and need some time to reflect
Family reasons - Need time to discuss with the partner

Best!

(edited)

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Francesco

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replied on Jun 29, 2019

#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Anonymous,

unless you are perfectly fine with the local consulting company I would recommend not to drop from the process with McKinsey. The options that you have for that are:

Call McKinsey, mention you have an offer from another company and ask if you can accelerate the process – if feasible they are usually happy to accommodate
Ask the company who presented the offer to wait more – usually difficult to justify though
Sign the contract, continue the process with McKinsey and drop from the hiring process with the local company in case of an offer – you have to consider if this works for you from an ethical point of view.

McKinsey hires from tier 2 companies as well, thus there is no issue with that, although receiving an offer from them now would probably be better in terms of your career opportunities and save you time later on.

Best,

Francesco

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Accepted to top local consulting firm before my first round at McKinsey

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