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Which hardware to receive from McKinsey?

BCG Bain McKinsey
New answer on Sep 30, 2023
6 Answers
19.7 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Apr 19, 2020

Hello,

what kind of gear will a consultant get on day 1 at McKinsey? I could think of a laptop, smartphone, and perhaps a tablet. Can one choose, buy it and get reimbursed? How does it work? Can this hardware be used for private purposes as well? I am asking because I am thinking of getting a new smartphone and laptop. If McKinsey provided me with those and if I were allowed to use them also for my own purposes at home, I think I would not acquire any hardware beforehand.

Best

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 19, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Hardware encompass:

  • Laptop: Lenovo. Can be a Carbon or Yoga, both really powerful and light.
  • iPhone: currently iPhone X

Worth mentioning that both:

  • Can be used also for private purposes, as long as you comply with the policy regarding tariff, consumption, etc.
  • Get renewed every 2 years, but you cannot buy the delive then
  • If the phone gets stolen, you need to pay the part that is not "amortized" yet -which can be quite some money, so be careful!-.

Best,

Clara

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Anonymous B on Jan 01, 2021

Hi! Is this generally true for other MBBs too?

Luca
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 19, 2020
BCG |NASA | SDA Bocconi & Cattolica partner | GMAT expert 780/800 score | 200+ students coached

Hello,

The first day at McKinsey you will receive:

  • Laptop, usually a Thinkpad Carbon
  • Smartphone, now Iphone XI
  • Credit card, a Gold American Express

You can use all of this both for work and provate purposes, obviously being careful not to do anything against the company policies (e.g. streaming).
Regarding the latest question, you can not choose another hardware and get reimbursed, since they are all set up in a specific way to protect your data.

Best,
Luca

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Alberto
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 30, 2023
Ex-McKinsey Associate Partner | +15 years in consulting | +200 McKinsey 1st & 2nd round interviews

Hi there,

When you join McKinsey you receive a laptop (Lenovo or Mac), an iPhone and a credit card. During certain projects, if required, you can loan big screens, iPads, mifi devices and even printers.

Best,

Alberto

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Vlad
Expert
replied on Apr 20, 2020
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

You'll get the phone and the laptop. You can use them for your own purposes

The issue with the phone is that you will not be able to update software together with apple update releases. Also, it won't be the most up to date model. You should be ok with that

Best

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Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on May 01, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Laptop and smartphone are the basic tools for every consultant and they will be your best friends from day 1. They are usually a Lenovo with the 4g available.. in order to work everywhere :) and the last model of iPhone. You can use them also for personal purposes, therefore I do not recommend buying other products in the meanwhile

Best

Antonello

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Anonymous replied on May 15, 2020

Hi,

You will get IPhone and laptop. Usually Lenovo Carbo

Best,

André

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