BCG London v McKinsey London

Question

I realise this topic has come up a few times on here before, but I've had the luxury of receiving offers in London from both BCG and McKinsey and I'm unsure which to go for. Solely based on the application process so far I'm leaning towards BCG as I've found the people there incredibly friendly, chill, and helpful. However, I've also had significantly more contact with people there as my final round interview was in-person (both my McK interviews were online), I had more stages of interviews, and I've gone to the offerees dinner which was really fun.

I also left all of my BCG interviews thinking they had gone well, whereas in both stages of my McKinsey interviews I thought they had gone poorly, even if I did eventually get the offer.

I've seen the sentiment from some is that unless you have a very good reason in general one should join the bigger firm due to range of projects, exit opps etc. Does this hold true?

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi there,

A luxury indeed! Congrats! You're off to some amazing experiences.

I believe it's good to follow your instincts and go for the firm that you got a better vibe from.

Realistically speaking, the experience within the firms, as well as the exit opportunities are similar within both firms.

My wife and I started at a similar time in consulting (she in BCG, me in McK), so I got to see the evolution of two consultants from entry level. BCG tends to be quicker on promotion and have slightly better compensation. McK is more international in staffing and has bigger bonuses. But at the end of the day, what will influence your experience the most is not necessarily the firm (since they are quite similar), but rather the office / practice that you land in. As long as you enjoy the people you work with, not much else matters.

The advantage of McK (and obviously I'm biased here), is that it's still bigger, both in size and as a brand. More people are likely to have heard of it and everything that is associated with it. It's a bit like the difference between Oxford and Cambridge (I'm biased here as well) - the former is just better ;)

A few tips HERE on how to be an effective consultant in your first months.

Best,

Cristian

Answer 2

Hi there,

Congratulations on the offers – that’s a great problem to have! In terms of your question:

Q: I've seen the sentiment from some is that unless you have a very good reason in general one should join the bigger firm due to range of projects, exit opps etc. Does this hold true?

Not necessarily. The bigger firm might not provide better exits in terms of your desired exits.

To choose between multiple offers, I would consider the following:

Where do you want to be in 5-10 years? Look at the company that can help you to achieve that goal faster. You can check LinkedIn for that (see below).
If you consider the average consultant/partner you talked to in each company, which one would you rather be? You will spend a lot of time with your colleagues in the next years - be sure you choose a company where the people are close to the person you want to become.
If money and prestige were not a consideration, which company would you choose? This could help you to identify additional elements to weigh you have not considered yet.

In terms of exits (for most people they are a very important factor to join a consulting company), you can check them as follows:

Look for alumni of the two companies on LinkedIn
Check how many moved to your preferred exits in your target region
Normalize for the size of the companies in the region

If you want to do extra due diligence, contact Alumni of your university (not current consultants) that worked for the two companies (bonus if they worked for both companies). You will learn more in a 30min call with them than with any online research you may do.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 3

Hello,

Here are my thoughts:

1) Exit Opps: I do not think there is much of a difference here as both firms have great brand names to get your foot in the door wherever you want to go. McKinsey has a slight advantage in terms of brand, but that advantage may not be as large when it comes to exit opps especially in a market like London where BCG is well known too.

2) People: As you said, you like the people at BCG. From my experience too, McKinsey puts less effort in their recruitment/outreach simply because they think that they don't need do. Maybe the best way here is to try reaching out to folks at McKinsey London since you have the offer. If they still don't reply back/ care to talk to you, then it shows a lot about their culture.

3) Projects: Find out via networking what projects each firm does and what excites you the most

4) WLB: Same advice as point 3

Honestly, if your heart is with BCG but you can't make a choice because the McKinsey brand is too important to you, then think about this: Is your North Star to be in Consulting in the long term or to leave in 2 years with a brand? If it's the former, then go for BCG as you need to love the people around you to stay for longer, and if it's the latter you need decide between the trade off between slightly better exit opps at McK vs much better people at BCG.

Answer 4

Hi there,

In my view you need to trust your gut here.

I will tell you, you've already “made it” in the sense that both firms are incredibly prestigious, high-paying, and literally pave the way for you professionally. No matter what, you're going to do phenomenally well now.

In my view, at that point you need to optimize where you think you will thrive most. Where do you think you'll be best supported, grow the most, make the best connections/contacts/friends, etc.? Once you're at the top, the marginally difference on prestige isn't as important as how well you're grow/progress there (in my personal opinion)

Answer 5

Hi there,

Well done and congratulations.

What you've done there is basically described your impression of one criteria, which is your personal connection to potential future colleagues. However, there's other criteria to consider when it comes to BCG vs. McKinsey where they differ:

Prestige: McKinsey is still ahead of the other MBB and I don't see this changing anytime soon. They're deeply embedded in the global private and public sector and are doing the right to stay relevant for many years to come.
Specialization: In order to stay relevant, any leading consultancy will have offer deep technical expert knowledge in key domains e.g., digital, sustainability. McKinsey is ahead of BCG in that regards and employs by far the biggest expert workforce.

Everything else is pretty much the same e.g. career paths, exit opportunities, work/life balance (or lack thereof), global mobility, compensation, etc.

All the best for your new career!

Best,

Moritz

Answer 6

Rather than give you a biased answer (I went for BCG being in your shoes), here is what I used to decide:

Sector-specific differences: Both overlap across all sectors, but there are some areas where BCG edges it over McK and vice-versa. If you are interested in a sector or functional area, ask what recent projects they have done in that area.
Project-execution differences: McKinsey has gone on an acquisition spree (i think its 20 companies bought in the last year) to develop a wide plethora of specialist tools / teams it can throw at a client problem. You will be collaborating with more internal experts and teams on McK studies than BCG projects.
Firm culture differences: McKinsey has more of a “one-firm” mindset whilst BCG tends to be more office-specific (albeit London is staffed alongside Amsterdam and Brussels). This doesn't really matter too much at junior levels, but it may mean international travel is slightly more likely at McKinsey.
Workplace offer differences: Office perks, flexi-time and training are slightly different
Gut feeling: Like you, I had a gut feeling about which one I preferred based on my interaction.

Ultimately, both are great places to work! I would reach out to HR and have them set meetings in with Partners to help you answer the questions above.

Answer 7

Hi there,

Funnily enough, this is something that I have heard from a couple of my clients in the UK, where BCG seems to give a much better recruiting experience, not just in the way candidates are treated but also in how it is structured.

Most people in these cases who I coached and who got cross-offers for both actually went with BCG because of their experience.

At the end of the day, you should always go with your gut feeling. Both are great options and from my perspective, I experienced McKinsey as the most friendly and collaborative working environment (unlike the many stories you hear) and already the recruiting process demonstrated that, whereas the BCG interviews were much less friendly and less well organized. It worked out for me as I was following my gut feeling and I am sure you will be fine if you follow yours too!

All the best!

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 8

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offers!

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for a lot of users, thus I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

First of all, it is worth considering that your current decision-making process may be influenced by the fact that you have had more in-person interactions with BCG.
Still, it is ultimately up to you to decide which firm is the right fit for you based on your own preferences and career goals. Both McKinsey and BCG are highly respected strategy consulting firms with strong reputations, so either choice would likely be a good one.
In terms of range of projects and exit opportunities, both firms offer a wide range of projects and work with a diverse set of clients across various industries. Both firms also have strong alumni networks and offer good exit opportunities, whether you are interested in pursuing a career in industry or academia.
That being said, there are some differences between the two firms in terms of culture and working style. McKinsey is known for its rigorous and intense work environment, while BCG is known for a more collaborative and flexible culture. It may be helpful to speak with current or former employees at both firms to get a better sense of the culture and working style at each firm, as well as to consider your own personal values and preferences when making your decision.
Ultimately, the most important factor is finding a firm that aligns with your career goals and values, and where you feel that you will be able to thrive and grow.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on what to do in your specific situation, please feel free to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 9

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