Tier 2 offer vs MBB offer

Question

Hi!

The question is very simple. I had a summer internship with Kearney last year. I just loved it. The people and the culture where something exceptional and I accepted a full time offer for next September. Now, however, I am in final round for all MBB and I think I will get an offer (more than aware of how hard that is).

Everything comes down to a simple question: is prestige that much important? I am sure (I have talked with multiple people from all MBB) that the culture is not by far as good as it is here. However I think I will accept the MBB offer. This is creating me so much anxiety because I have created very strong bonds and ties with my Kearney colleagues and I am finding it VERY emotionally difficult. Any advice or input? How can I better manage this situation?

Please help :)

Answer 1

Hi there,

Q: Any advice or input? How can I better manage this situation?

The main advantage that MBB will bring is most likely a better exit. So if you get the offer, you will have to weigh if that’s more important than other elements that you already know are good at Kearney (which might still be good in some MBB as well).

In general, I would consider the following to decide:

Where do you want to be in 5-10 years? Try to identify the company that can help you to achieve that goal faster. You can check LinkedIn for that (see below). If you are not sure, the MBB brand is probably stronger in most countries.
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, you can contact Alumni of your university (not current consultants) who worked for the possible alternatives (bonus if they worked for both Kearney and the alternative). You will learn more in a 30min call with them than with any online research you might do.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 2

Hi there,

What a fantastic position to be in!

No matter what, remember the following: You are already on an excellent path. Regardless of your decision, you are going to be more than fine.

Here's my advice:

Decide what you want now AND in the future.

What happens in 3-5 years if you stayed with Kearney? And if you took MBB? What's different about your life.

We cannot predict the future, but, here is the most likely outcome:

You are likely to be less happy at the MBB firm than at Kearney - and more likely to be burned out a stressed (this isn't “absolute”, but given you loved Kearney, this is likely)
You are likely to have more future opportunities and doors open thanks to MBB, which pays dividends for the next decade+
You are more likely to burn out and/or not reach promotion at MBB - i.e. there is slightly higher risk

I am basing 1-3 not just on KEarney vs. MBB but also on your experience here.

Figure out your priorities and decide from there.

By the way, you know there's an entire profession dedicated to helping you with this?

Get a career coach….

You have $ from your internship, money from your signing bonus….take a tiny % of that and get a professional to advise you on a very important life decision.

Answer 3

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the full time offer from Kearney and the progress in the application processes with MBB thus far!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

First of all, it's perfectly natural to feel conflicted in this situation. It's clear that you have enjoyed your time at Kearney and developed strong relationships there. These factors should indeed play a significant role in your decision-making process.
Moreover, the element of prestige related to MBB is undeniable. However, while prestige can be important for potential exit opportunities from strategy consulting, it is much more your individual performance in the interviews that will decide upon whether you will get that position or not. Therefore, if you feel that the work culture at Kearney better suits you, and you can perform at your best there, that might be the better choice for you.
Lastly, it could be beneficial to have open conversations with your mentors or people you trust both at Kearney and from MBB. Their input and advice might help you make a well-rounded decision. I would highly advise you to make your decision not purely based on the prestige of the firm but rather considering where you believe you can thrive and perform best.

You can find more on how to secure those MBB offers here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

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

Answer 4

Hi,

A good problem to have in many ways. Sharing my perspective having started consulting in Kearney and then making the switch to MBB. I will address your question on prestige first before sharing perspectives on other aspects of the consulting life in MBB vs T2

Is prestige important?

This matters but you have to consider it from both an external and internal POV.

Externally, there is generally a difference in how the market views Kearney vs MBB. A couple of anecdotes to elaborate

Client work & exposure
- I have worked with some clients who will only hire MBB, and nothing less (for certain types of projects)
Exit opportunities
- I personally received significantly more headhunter/recruiter emails after switching to MBB
- While it is not to say you -cannot- get the same exit ops as an MBB consultant - there really are firms that strongly prefer MBB as a first choice of hire for their teams
  - This sometimes has been communicated to me verbally/informally when i was interviewing at MBB

I would argue that internally i.e. whether or not you yourself care about prestige - this is actually the more important driver that will influence the decision.

When I was at Kearney (and much younger), I was doing well, but I still wasnt fully content, because I wanted to “prove myself” to see if could cut it at MBB
If being called a “T2” doesn't affect you at all, or doesnt contribute negatively to your self-identity and self-worth, then I think this would trump the external considerations

Besides prestige, there are also other factors related to your future experience to consider

Project (industry/function) exposure
- Of course very office dependent but generally MBB has a wider and deeper set of expertise and therefore client base → this affects your project exposure and learning/growth
Internal resources
- Bigger firms will have better internal resources (i.e. knowledge team, capabilities → this tends to affect your ‘quality of life’ to a larger extent, and also your learning/exposure to a lesser extent
Other internal opportunities
- In my experience, MBB had more structured and interesting internal programs (secondments, mobility programs etc) → not a must do but good to be in a place that has that options

Some final thoughts

A group of my closest friends today actually come from my Kearney days, and in many ways I developed more and stronger bonds at Kearney than at MBB (but this is also a function of several other aspects). From a career perspective, making the switch to MBB was the best decision I made and did given what I proritized and valued (whether consciously or not) at that time. Not having strong bonds and ties at BCG did not bother me as much, partly because I already had a very close group of friends even before starting work (e.g. from the military, high school).

Lastly - even if you end up going to Kearney first, you can always try and make the switch to MBB later. This is definitely a potential path to take, especially since you don't need to spend very long in consulting before realizing that all your friends have left or are leaving (unfortunate reality).

Happy to connect and share my own experiences if helpful - just reach out.

All the best!

Answer 5

Hi there!

Perhaps to begin with, just to change your emotional state, acknowledge how incredibly privileged and lucky you are that your effort actually translated into amazing work opportunities. GREAT JOB!!

Yes, brand does matter. But what matters even more is how happy and satisfied you are. If you have that with Kearney, don't let it go for MBB (and this is coming from an ex-mck guy) :)

There will always be more opportunities along the way. And you can always apply once again for MBB in a couple of years.

Sharing with you a couple of articles to make you a distinctive consultant once at Kearney:

Best,
Cristian