McKinsey Associate vs Deloitte Senior Consultant?

Question

Hello, I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to choose between joining Deloitte as a senior consultant vs. joining McKinsey as an associate.

Any recommendations? Salary is about the same.

experienced hire with 4 years of industry experience.

Answer 1

Hi there,

Congratulations on the 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. If you are not sure, McKinsey would be better in terms of brand.
If you consider the average consultant/partner you talked to in each company, which one would you rather be? Quoting Jim Rohn, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. 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.
What is your gut feeling telling you? Our gut feeling is able to catch elements we cannot initially rationalize. You may “feel” a company is better, but don’t know exactly why. Try to find out why you feel that way, do some research on that and try to understand if that point is valid.

If you want to do extra due diligence, contact Alumni of your university (not current consultants) that worked in that office (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 2

Hey there,

Agree with Ian. McKinsey in this case is a no-brainer.

Type of work
Impact of work
Caliber of colleagues
Career progression
Learning curve
Prestige and exit opportunities
Lifestyle potentially the same or even better (better support system, higher team budgets for travel and accommodation, etc.)
…

Congrats!

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 3

Hey,

I wrote this article specifically to answer such questions. Please have a look for tips & guidance on how to choose- https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-do-i-know-which-career-is-right-for-me

You need to look beyond brand image, $$ etc. Focus on finding a mutual FIT with a firm and then consider other factors.

Congrats and all the best choosing!

Answer 4

You can make the decision process as easy or as difficult as you want. In the end, McKinsey will out-perform any other firm (especially non-MBB) 9 out of 10 times. The brand name, as mentioned before, is impossible to beat and will help you throughout the rest of your career!

However, very important to look out for red flags i.e. deal breaker criteria! For example, if you value time-off and can´t imagine yourself working 12-14 hours every day for however long you´d to stay at McKinsey, don´t do it. If that´s not a deal breaker for you → McKinsey all the way!

Answer 5

Hello!

Congratulations, that is great news! Some gifts already before Xmas, hehe.

Although when people are doubting bewtween offers I tell them to think about where they want to be in the near and long future, among othe quetions, in this case it´s so clear that none of those are needed.

In terms of reputation, network and exposure, it´s two different worlds. 100% McKinsey.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 6

McKinsey. Brand trumps all else. (I'm assuming you're prioritizing career/professional success and advancement, not culture, work-life balance, etc.)

Answer 7

Unless there's a particular reason weighting in favor of Deloitte (e.g. specific team / type of work), this is a no-brainer. Mckinsey all the way. I am even surprised you need to ask this.

By joining MBB you are on a different career path. You are getting the same pay in a lower position, but in a path that is much steeper. You will be better off in terms of:

How much you know (training on the job and “traditional” training, type of projects and clients, the firm's culture)
Your network (the quality of your managers, peers, clients, and their own networks)
Your brand recognition and career opportunities (given the type of work you do and the MBB brand)
Career progression (much faster at MBB, even starting at a lower rank, you are still closer to Principal/Associate Partner)
How much you make (you will be making more in just one year, and much more in 3 years).

The only downsite: up or out is much harder at Mckinsey. But if you fail or just don't like Mckinsey, it won't be difficult for you to join a Big4 at that point and in a better position. The opposite doesn't apply.

Feel free to reach out if you have any doubts, but honestly I don't think this is a tough one.