Bain vs. McKinsey (received 2 offers)

Hello,

Here's my two cents to help cope with your ego: Tell yourself that you've already received the McKinsey offer and thus you are clearly good enough to join the brand IF YOU WISH TO. However, it is YOU who is choosing to turn them down, and not the other way around. 

Thus, you should go with your heart (Bain) and also satisfy your ego (since you received the McKinsey offer).

All the best!

Rushabh

Hey there,

First of all, congrats. An amazing achievement! :-)

For once a simple question and a simple answer: Go with your heart.

You spend so much time, effort, and energy on the job. You want to do this in the environment where you feel best.

Also, this will impact the success you have on the job in the long run as well.

All the best!

Florian

I always recommend going with your heart. They're both great firms and will open doors to you. It's better to be somewhere where you feel you'll be happy and have a great couple of years, then it is to go somewhere because there is a slight brand advantage. 

That being said, be careful if they tell you things like ‘we work less hard than McKinsey' or ‘we care more about you'. These things rarely are true!

A few things that you might want to think about which may not come up when talking to people but which will have an impact on your experience:

• How the promotion cycle works - Bain tends to promote as a class, McKinsey on your performance 
• How you get ‘staffed’ e.g., on projects - McKinsey gives you more flexibility
• What the industry mix is in your office and how much travel is involved

If you feel that you have all the information, then go with your heart!

Good luck!

Hello!

Congrats! I love the way you put it. 

The great news: you cannot make a mistake here. Both are awesome.

I would ask for a day in each company to get more insight on fit, and decide after. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hi there,

I can't tell you what to do here, but you need to decide what's most important here. Do you value your heart or your ego more?

I personally value my heart (and most people who value ego learn the hard way). That said, McKinsey is the #1.

If it makes you feel any better, with any MBB offer you are going to be just fine and have a splendid career.

Congrats on a “hard” choice! Ultimately, you can't go wrong here! (Imagine if you only had 1 offer, how happy you would be)

this is hard to say but many would say, nice problem to have :-)

It seems Bain fits you better - btw from the brand perspective, they stand equally, no worry about this! If you are still not certain, ask for a few chat with any former employees to compare. Or you just follow your intuition :-)

Good luck!

Was this answer helpful?

Congratulations!

You list many good reasons to choose Bain in your situation.

You will be more successful in an environment in which you feel a sense of belonging. While ultimately you only got a glimpse into the true culture of both firms during your recruiting process, listening to your instinct and acting on first impressions is probably a good call to make here. 

In any case, you have a luxury problem so whatever choice you make, you'll still be fine.

All the best

Go with your heart. McKinsey brand may matter more at a macro level but it really is not that big a difference. Every single company would look at Bain at the same level as McKinsey. 

You need to show up every day and be your best self. That only happens when you feel like you belong and enjoy the culture of the firm and the people you work with. This is the most important part in the long run.

Congrats on two excellent offers!

Udayan

If you want to do private equity, I think Bain is the right fit for you. From a private equity brand perspective, they beat McKinsey. Also, the fact it feels like a natural fit just strengthens that argument.

Congrats! You may want to have a quick read of this article to get a different perspective- https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-do-i-know-which-career-is-right-for-me

Good luck choosing :).