Defer McKinsey BA Offer for a year?

Hi there,

Congratulations on the offer! In terms of your questions:

1)  Does anyone know if people have done this at McKinsey before and if they would be receptive to a request such as this? 

Usually it is totally fine to defer the starting date and I have coached candidates who started more than one year after a McKinsey offer.

2) If I do ask them to defer my start date by 6 months to a year, how should I phrase the request to them and who should I contact?

I would recommend to organize a call and explain the situation over the phone for better clarity.

3) Is it too late to do this since I filled out the start date survey two months ago?

Given they have not confirmed yet, it is not too late to try.

4) Does anyone have any advice of what to do in this situation or what factors to consider when making this decision?

This is very personal. If you feel you need a longer break, by all means you can take one. However keep in mind you will have anyway a 6 months break from what you shared, which could be enough to recover.

You can also find below a few tips for a good start:

▶ How to Have a Great Start in Consulting

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

Congrats on the office.

Please do this!

If you are already feeling burned out and have some health issues, you should focus on that as the #1 priority.

Not only because health (mental and physical) is the most important thing, but also because you won't even make a good consultant if you're dealing with all of that.

You should look at this as doing this for you and them.

I would ask them to jump on a call and just explain your situation. Frame it as “I want to really put my best foot forward and hit the ground running when I start. I feel if I take a break and come in fresh, I will be the best verison of myself and be able to maximize my contribution to the firm”

Make sense?

Good luck!

P.S. When you do ultimately join, be smart and strategic about time. Find all the hacks/tips to be efficient and carve out routines/time savers from day one. It all adds up :)

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about this situation. 

By all means, reach out to them, honestly explain the situation and ask for a referral. 

You basically already have the offer so there's not much they can do about it. A company like McKinsey will always be there so you're not missing out on anything by choosing to take some time for yourself. 

I would also recommend that you read the following two articles to give a better understanding of what to expect from the job and how to manage for lifestyle:

• What being an entry-level consultant is like
• How is lifestyle in consulting

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offer from McKinsey!

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

• First of all, based on the experience of some of my coachees, it is generally absolutely fine with McKinsey to defer the start date, even for a longer period of time. Ultimately, since you don't have any other option either way, I would highly advise you not to worry; I am certain things will turn out how you want them to.
• Moreover, I would advise you to discuss this rather sensitive topic in a phone/video call. In case you might not be very willing to disclose your current medical situation, you could start by inquiring about the deferral and, depending on the initial reaction, disclose your current medical situation or not.
• Lastly, especially since it seems that you have not yet signed the final employment contract, I would highly advise you not to worry whether it is too late.

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,

I would say you have to do this regardless of what McK says to be honest. Sounds like you are not in the shape currently to deal with the day-to-day lifestyle and demands of a consulting firm. 

If you joined at the initially assumed date, you would not succeed at the job based on how you are describing your situation. 

Health always needs to come first. You are not doing yourself any favor for risking your health and well being for any sort of job or career. Companies won't be forever grateful for your service - everyone is replacable. So keep that in mind when you prioritize things.

Best of luck and I hope you get well

Hello,

First off, congratulations on your BA offer! However, I'm sorry to hear you're feeling burned out. I think you can definitely ask to postpone your start date, and I suspect they should be able to honor your request with no issues. One of my colleagues at McK SF actually did something similar - we were both supposed to start in the summer of 2019, but they managed to push their start date to later in 2020 and take a gap year of sorts. I would reach out to the person from HR/recruiting at your office who you have been in touch with to figure out hiring paperwork and start dates, and just ask whether it would be possible to have a later start date. I don't think you have to give them a reason, though if they ask I think it's totally fine to say you want to take some time to have a break from undergrad and make sure you are fully refreshed and ready to start your career. In my opinion, there's no harm in asking, the worst they can say is no.

Yes, the hope is that Mckinsey would accept your request to defer.