McKinsey vs BCG

Any perspective on the following? I have a head vs. heart decision to make.

Have a job offer from McKinsey and BCG, my perception is:

McKinsey - broader scope of practice, more opportunity for international experience, more demanding, (slightly?) greater exit opportunities, high stress and a culture that is not very connected. This firm is what my head is telling me.

BCG - relatively broad scope of practice but more supportive and inclusive culture...with phenomenal and friendly people. This firm is what my heart is telling me.

 

Plenty of people have made this call before, and I think you're thinking about it the right way. Make sure you think about office-specific opportunities (industries/size/travel), and what exactly is important to you in the long-term.

If you want to do consulting long-term/don't want to worry about finding a new job/going to b school in 2 years, BCG has an advantage.

If you want to use this as a stepping stone to PE or politics, McK has the advantage.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of Starwood Points
 

Both are great and neither will hinder your future; in terms of life opportunities there isn't much between them.

Given this, you should just go to where you think you have the best fit. Ignore the cultural points you read online; just go to the wine and dines, speak to the people, and see who you connect with best. Office to office differences can be considerable, so put your assumptions to one side for now.

 

As for energy..BCG is doing a lot in renewables (saw something in Sloan Management Review...here's a link on the BCG website: http://www.bcg.com/Media/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?id=tcm:12-8041) In upstream McK is stronger but BCG has been making strides. Short story, if energy is what you want to do you will get plenty of exposure. As someone mentioned above, if you are looking for a career, go where you like the people the most. You will do better and have a better chance of "making your own luck." If you are looking for a 2-3 year stint as a stepping stone elsewhere, hard to argue against McKinsey (more offices, larger alumni basae) - though BCG will open plenty of opportunities in most major global cities in its own right.

 

As someone who has turned down McKinsey for BCG (for similar reasons as the ones you posted), I'd say listen to your heart. Make sure that the "better fit" you're feeling is true at the partner level as well as with the associates + consultants. Making friends with partners is key to a successful couple of years.

That said, you will most likely feel a small pang in your gut whenever McKinsey report is quoted in an article, on TV, etc, :-P

 

don't worry - that goes away the first time you're on site and someone goes "Wow, that really blew the McKinsey/Bain/BCG/whatever consultant we had last study from two years back away!"

Of course, it's then replaced by the sinking feeling that MBB, Booz, Accenture, Deloitte etc etc etc are all the fucking same to the client... and all the crap we haggle about on this board is just that - crap.

 
Best Response

BCG and McKinsey actually are VERY different, but most people making this choice don't realize it because the differences are far down the line.

Of course they do the same things and generally provide the same services to the same types of client. However, the culture and processes they have built to do this are substantially different at the higher echelons. Substantially that is if you are focused on this segment - still small compared to other professional services firms.

They are very similar in business model and early track requirements and learnings (analyst, associate). McKinsey culture is very transactional, which kind of spoils you for later life if your mind bends that way; I can't comment on BCG but some people say culture is 'warmer'.

In mid-tenure (EM/PM, AP/Principal), the business mix may start diverging a bit. McKinsey feels larger because it has more functional practices, for example, a dedicated Business Technology Office, a dedicated Service Operations branch. At BCG some of these exist as well but they are much more run like normal practiced with less ring-fenced staff. And make no mistake, unless you are very circumspect you WILL be doing functional work not just strategy -- partners love functional work: lasts forever, huge billings, easy to sell,... These differences are more pronounced in some locations than others, so you might want to inquire.

In upper tenure (Partner, Senior Partner/Director) the differences really become stark. McKinsey is more of a Directorship than a partnership -- pay and some decision-making is heavily tilted to Director level. This reflects a business development that is also much more Director, 'long term relationship'-led, with many partners just tagging along for the ride. Some clients seem to comment that BCG partners spend more time on the ground with their teams, focus on fewer (some locations: one) clients in their objectives. BCG actually uses the word sales and selling, which I did not hear in 7 years at the Firm - studies are a by-product of being helpful, not of selling ;-).

 

Unless you can make a very reasoned argument around travel or industry focus being very different (which I doubt if they're both NY), it's all about where you felt you fit in better.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of Starwood Points
 

Agree with above. BCG is a awesome shop, but unless you have some strong inklings twoards BCG, I'd go with McKinsey.

Always have had the stupid "consultants are pussies" banker attitude, but had the chance to work with some folks from McKinsey a couple weeks a go and was very impressed by how smart those guys are.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 

I generally agree with the previous posts. Go with the place that you felt the best fit.

If for some reason you find the culture equally appealing, I would take McKinsey because of the brand and the ability to build a network in their head office.

Proboscis
 

If you like the people you will be working with at the two respective McK and BCG offices equally, then I would go for McKinsey for the brand and network as a tiebreaker. Otherwise, go with the firm with the culture that suits you more. Working with people you enjoy working with makes a huge difference - especially when you'll be traveling and working long hours with these people day in day out.

 

I was a cross-offer between McKinsey and BCG, chose McKinsey, and happily accepted my return offer. To me, both are great firms but there are three criteria that led me to choose McKinsey:

  1. People Fit- I want to develop my leadership and was fortunate to meet a lot of well-rounded leaders at McK. The people I met at BCG were very intellectually curious. People from both firms are smart and friendly.
  2. Practice Strength- One of the industries I'm very interested in is healthcare services and McK has a bigger presence in this space.
  3. Global Network- I want to have a global network and McK not only has a bigger global network but also seems to have a tighter connection (this is hard to be verified though) among different countries due to the one global profit pool system.

I've heard both great and not-so-great experiences from friends who interned at McK and BCG, so I think it really comes down to what you are looking for and where would be a better fit for you based on what you are looking for. Best of luck to your decision!!

 

I like how you're already conditioned to present everything in a 3 bullet summary. You'll do well at McK :)

3 is that magic psychological number. 4 might be too much for the average joe to digest quickly. 2 makes it seem like you don't have enough useful things to say about the topic. well played.

 

Depends on how long you realisically think you will stick it out. If you are 2 years and done..what some would call a "badge collector:..then you probally follow what folks on the board have said and choose McK. If you are looking long-term...BCG. BCG is now half the size of McK....not too long ago it was 1/2 the size. In the not too distant future they will be about the same size as BCG closes the gap in international offices covered and grows it's US businesses at it has the past 2-3 years. McK will continue to hance an alumni network edge just given the raw numbers...but this too will pass over time.... MBB in a sense is becoming a collective fraternity....on the margin folks will go with their own but otherwise they will take the best person they can.

 

What seekingalpha is saying is that BCG is growing faster than McKinsey, so if you want to make partner, you'll have a better shot at BCG if current trends continue. If you just want 2 years and the name on your resume, then McKinsey is a better choice, if you want to do consulting long-term BCG is better.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of Starwood Points
 

SF for the lifestyle, Atl for cost of living. The threshold for promotion is the same across the firms at a pre/post MBA level, and the commercial success of your office only starts to matter when you're closer to partner (as long as you don't mind traveling because if you can't get staffed locally, you'll be staffed somewhere else).

Moral of the story...go where you think you fit in best and where the projects seem most interesting to you, if you have the chance.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of Starwood Points
 

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