Oliver Wyman implementation vs Arthur D. Little strategy

Question

After more than a year trying to break into consulting from industry, I received today 2 offers. One from Oliver Wyman/Dubai (implementation unit) and the other from Arthur D. Little/Beirut and Dubai (strategy).

Given that my goal is to get to McKinsey or BCG in a year (Middle East offices), what I would like to know is which one gives me better chances of getting into McK or BCG?

Now I know that most of the answers will be "it depends" (on the types of projects, networking, availability, needs ...) but I would like to know if McK or BCG value bigger brands more than the actual type of work done or vice versa (i.e lesser brand names but actual strategy work)? How is ADL's work perceived by MBB?

I appreciate quick replies because I have till friday to come back with a signed offer for either one of them :p

Answer 1

You have answered it yourself..McK/BCG won't take you in just because you work for certain brand. Your CV may get through easier if you studied in top schools and/or worked for well know brands. But after that its start from zero. Your CV & application will be looked at in totality- your education, work experience, referrals, cover letter etc all matter. I have seen people from absolutely unknown companies and very quirky backgrounds make it to MBB and they are doing very well.

So please think through this right..choose OW or ADL not because you want to end up McK/BCG in future (which you cant predict) but because one of them is a better fit, will allow you to be joyful and give your best. McK/BCG will happen if you get your moves right.

Enjoy the offers, celebrate the success and work hard.

Answer 2

Hello!

Congrats for those offers! It´s a good problem to have.

For me it would be a no brainer: I would take OW for its international prestige and exit opportunities.

Best,

Clara

Answer 3

I would take on the role that I would like the most.

Two thoughts here. One is to probe whether “strategy” in ADL is that different from “implementation” in OW. It may be the same thing…

Second, OW brand is much better at this point.

Answer 4

Hey there,

It's not easy to answer this without knowing more about you, your background, your interests, your core strengths, what you want for your career, etc etc.

At a high level, i recommend you consider the following when making a decision on choosing between these companies:

Balancing short term vs long term benefits
Alignment of your interests, motivations, experiences with the opportunities each of the companies will give you
Which one it a better fit with your values and can offer more of the lifestyle you want to have
Exit opportunities into industries or companies you want to work for. Closely linked to this could also be the brand strength difference and the impact the Firms / companies will have to YOUR profile and CV
Enjoyment of the work they actually do

So as you can see, the answer will be extremely nuanced and highly relevant to you.

Hope this helps!

All the best

Answer 5

Hi there,

Congrats on the offers.

I know people from both companies who got invitations to interview with MBB, so both could help to reach your goal. The OW brand is stronger, so if you don’t land into MBB, it could give you better backup options. Having said that, you should consider also:

Expected type of work. Which company is offering the most interesting projects and sectors to you? You are more likely to do well if you like what you are going to do
Fit with the company. Which people did you like most? It’s not a perfect proxy for the whole company - you met just a subset of the consultants - but should give you a proxy of the culture there
Long term goals. Say you don’t land into MBB. Which company would give you the best option for your long term goals? You can check alumni on LinkedIn in that area to get an idea

If everything is the same, I would go with OW for the higher prestige and exit options.

Hope this helps,
Francesco

Answer 6

Both would get you to the same place when MBB's see that you've been performing well in a decent strategy consulting firm, they will offer you a chance for an interview. ADL is good and has some amazing people with good work-life balance and really interesting projects, yet from my experience with them, they are still behind OW and have a lot of room for improvement.

Answer 7

Hi, in this case I would prioritize the brand, therefore I would go for Oliver Wyman with no doubt

Best

Antonello

Answer 8

Hello, there!

Congratulations on the offers.
Everything has already been said by my collegues, but still you are the one to decide, as it doesn't matter for McK or BCG which brand you chose, it's more important how you performed and what you achieved.

To my mind, OW would probably give you more culture and development opportunities.

Was it helpful?
GB

Answer 9

Hi there,

I recognize this question :)

Just for others reading this, I'll respond with what we talked about!

As mentioned, both are great opportunities and you should be happy with both. OW will be betetr for brand/resume, Arthur D Little will be better for building that strategy skillset. Depending on the specific office, one or the other might get you more connected with ex-MBBers

However, all the above aside, you need to pick the one where you think you'll enjoy your experience the most! Which people did you get along with best? Which work looks more appealing/interesting to you?

At the end of the day, you will progress best in your career if you go to places where you enjoy what you're doing with people you enjoy being around...nothing beats this (from both a happiness and progressing rapidly perspective).

Good luck my friend and congratulations :)