McKinsey Middle East - switching from Doha to UAE office?

Hi there,

I hate the be the bearer of bad news, but it's not going to be likely/easy. The only thing you can really do is ask them for a call to explain your situation.

Ultimately, it's very hard to transfer before starting, and especially moving across countries.

Your better bet is transferring AFTER 1-2 years at the firm

I've transferred a few times within companies and have the following advice:

1) Build a stellar reputation - do good work, work hard, and be known as "the guy/gal" for xx

2) Build your network - network agressively (yes, networking doesn't end once you've gotten the job offer). Make sure you're known by and have allies in people who make decisions such as staffing managers, Partners (specifically those responsible for recruiting/resources and who are heads of industry/function verticals), etc.

2) b). When I say network "aggressively" please don't be needy/annoying :) There's nothing worse than someone who is obviously working the room or trying to please!

3) Look out for opportunities - as mentioned in this Q&A already, look for office transfers, short-term projects, ambassadorships, etc.)

4) Practice patience and be flexible - how long have you tried for? This might take a year. And you need to be ready to go at the flip of a coin.

Bide your time, keep pushing, be smart, and you'll get there!

Hi there,

Congratulations on the McKinsey offer! In terms of your question:

Q: Any suggestions on how to negotiate an office transfer to either Dubai or Abu Dhabi would be appreciated

I recently coached a candidate who got an offer from McKinsey Karachi in Pakistan and he managed to move to McKinsey Middle East before joining, so in some cases there is room for negotiation.

Having said that, most consulting firms are recruiting more in Doha and Riyadh now compared to Dubai. So might be challenging to do the move you described.

The best way to negotiate is to have an “opportunity cost” – another offer from a company in Dubai/Abu Dhabi that you would be willing to accept. With that, the company knows they might lose you and you will be able to negotiate in the best possible way. That’s what the candidate I helped did and it worked well for him (incidentally, before that they said it was impossible for him to make the move).

If they say no or you are willing to wait a bit, you may try to move once got some seniority - the likelihood will then be higher. To maximize your chances in that case, you should ideally:

• Have one or more partners in your target office favoring the transfer
• Have one or more partners in your home office favoring the transfer
• Have a strong performance
• Have or be able to get working rights in your target office

It might be easier to try to target a project in the new office while you are based in your current one, create relationships and then do the full transfer. However, that also depends on the flexibility of the office you will join.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the McKinsey offer!

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:

• If you have received an offer for the McKinsey Doha office but would prefer to work in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, it is possible to negotiate an office transfer with the firm. However, office transfers are not always guaranteed and may depend on a variety of factors, such as the availability of positions in the desired office and the business needs of the firm.
• If you would like to request an office transfer, it's a good idea to discuss this with your recruiting contact at McKinsey and explain your reasons for wanting to work in a different office. You can also inquire about the transfer process and what steps you can take to increase your chances of securing a transfer.
• It's worth noting that office transfers may not always be possible, especially if the firm has already made hiring plans and committed to filling positions in a specific office. In this case, you may need to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of accepting the offer in Doha and potentially transferring to a different office at a later date, versus declining the offer and reapplying to McKinsey in Dubai or Abu Dhabi at a later point.
• It's also worth noting that recruitment for McKinsey in Dubai may have reopened recently, but this information has not been confirmed by the firm and may be subject to change. It's a good idea to check with the McKinsey recruiting team for the most up-to-date information on recruiting plans and availability of positions in the UAE offices.

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

Hello,

Congratulations on receiving the offer.

Let me answer your 2nd question first - I do not think that recruiting for UAE has opened up as much as you think.

McKinsey is still hiring much more strongly in KSA and Doha. Thus, while recruiting might still be ‘open’ for UAE, the number of people getting in are miniscule. 

With regards to transfer - your best bet is to speak the recruiter who you are in touch with. From my experience, it is quite difficult to make this work after you receive an offer. Just try to make a request with your recruiter and see if they're open to it - but do not keep your hopes up.

All the best!

Rushabh

Hi there, 

Congrats on the offer!

It's rather difficult to transfer when you haven't even started. Most transfers usually happen after the two year mark when you already have a network and a value proposition in order to be attractive for the receiving office. 

My suggestion would be to position this as a personal situation, explain to HR that you would need to be based in the UAE and ask what are the degrees of flexibility that they have. There are higher chances of this working within the Middle East system because it works more closely together than trying to do this in Europe, so it's worth a shot. 

Best of luck!
Cristian

Hey there,

Congrats!

I have had a similar case with a coachee and it did not work out. Its a simple supple and demand problem. Given the choice to work in Dubai or Doha, 99% of people prefer the first one, hence the Doha office is struggling to find enough candidates.

You can still try 

• engaging HR as soon as possible about your desire
• networking with leadership in Dubai to pull you into the country.

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there, 

This isn't an answer but I'm actually going through the same predicament. 

I got an offer for Dubai, but due to personal reasons, need to be located in Riyadh. 

How did it go over with you? Did they allow you to transfer before joining? 

Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks.