Doesn't hurt. If culture and how much you like the people matters more to you than firm prestige, you can go through the interview to compare shops.

If you already really like the people you met at McK and have no lingering doubts about it, then don't bother and that interview slot goes to someone else who may need the offer.

 
TermB:
that interview slot goes to someone else who may need the offer.
yes exactly my thoughts. I really liked the people I met at McK and feel like BCG is a somewhat distant second in terms of prestige (all else being equal). Maybe I care too much and should try to get as many offers as possible and see whats best?? I am kind of torn...
I like pickles...
 
mk2012:
TermB:
that interview slot goes to someone else who may need the offer.
yes exactly my thoughts. I really liked the people I met at McK and feel like BCG is a somewhat distant second in terms of prestige (all else being equal). Maybe I care too much and should try to get as many offers as possible and see whats best?? I am kind of torn...

I think as someone pointed out, the office also matters a lot for the MBB. Nothing wrong with checking out what is available if - as I said - 'fit' and 'culture' are big drivers for you and you're not completely sold on McK. But if it were me, I'd probably just take McK and leave it at that (unless there's a huge difference in terms of office/region) since you said got along great with the people there.

At the MBB level, while McK is the winner prestige-wise, ultimately your career will be based on what you've worked on and scope of your responsibilities - and that is also driven by if you get along with your team, find good mentors that give you opportunities to grow, etc.

 
PEsomeday:
The culture and compensation, among other things, are different, so I think it's worth interviewing. That said, I was in a similar situation (one MBB offer in hand while invited to interview for another) and didn't take the interview because I was set on the firm I chose. So it's really up to you.

Congrats on the offer, that's awesome BTW.

thank you! :)

The recruiter from BCG told me they win a lot of cross-offers from McKinsey because they have a much better culture...do you know/think this is true? In my geography comp for both is exactly the same.

I like pickles...
 

Don't underestimate the specific region - e.g. BCG Chicago is a world-class lifestyle office out of all MBB for a number of reasons (great hours, lots of local work, relatively clear path to promotion due to office growth, etc.) while McK Chicago is one of their more hardcore offices in the U.S. (in no small part because of less growth leading to more competition for promotion).

On the other hand, I have heard that Bain has a very strong presence in the West Coast and puts cross-offerees in a similar situation.

Ultimately, prestige will always go to McK, but if you can leave in 25 months after a promotion from BCG/Bain vs. leaving in 21 months from McK at a different tenure level, the exit opps will be way more impacted by your job title than the prestige of the firm. Most recruiters will view them so similarly that the prestige gap is not worth as much as people in school tend to think.

 
Best Response

Well, actually I maybe a little short sighted on this, but people I've met from McKinsey really think they/their firm is THE BEST. Hence, my opinion.

Actually there is a lot more on the table to consider besides prestige/exit opps. Compensation, for example, will be pretty much the same alongside MBB until you reach partner/director level (which then I believe it will be skewed towards McKinsey). People you work with, location, etc. But consulting recruiting is a pain and if you already have McK and liked it, sticking with it won't hurt you. If you are not sure yet, go on and finish BCG recruiting.

Just do not be convinced by recruiter BS,please, because everybody thinks that the firm they work for is the best in the world. And in recruiting everybody is a salesman.

 

Hell yah interview. If you gain nothing more than an enjoyable experience it will be worth it. Going into an interview with an offer from a firm like McK allows you to be 100% relaxed and yourself. If it was a lesser firm I would go into the interview and maybe try out some ballsy approaches just to see how they respond - Or fuck with them and turn it into an interview of them. "I have an offer from McK - why should I join your firm over them.....5 minutes.... GO" Something like that.

However, this might come back to hurt one day, so not a great idea. Any other interview with consulting? Maybe try it on Deloitte....

 
JBGH:
Hell yah interview. If you gain nothing more than an enjoyable experience it will be worth it. Going into an interview with an offer from a firm like McK allows you to be 100% relaxed and yourself. If it was a lesser firm I would go into the interview and maybe try out some ballsy approaches just to see how they respond - Or fuck with them and turn it into an interview of them. "I have an offer from McK - why should I join your firm over them.....5 minutes.... GO" Something like that.

However, this might come back to hurt one day, so not a great idea. Any other interview with consulting? Maybe try it on Deloitte....

Ouch, lol
-MBP
 

Congrats on the McK offer! All said and done, the office itself should be weighed more heavily in your decision than a firm's overall reputation because you're putting pure gold on your resume no matter which of the three you choose, and your happiness for those 2-3 years will be determined by your 'fit' with a firm, and that happiness is way more important than any difference in prestige from the 3 firms.

Congrats! I had an offer in hand from the firm I wanted to work for when I went to another MBB interview and was not, as someone else said, so relaxed that I rocked the interview... on the contrary, I didn't care and so didn't perform my best and actually regret wasting our time. If it's an easy interview to attend, obviously do it, but if you had to take a flight to get there, reconsider.

Comp will be the same at each level, but it might be nice to have the second offer for bargaining with your first firm.

 

thank you for so many responses! I decided to attend (it's tomorrow) for a few reasons, mostly what everyone said about fit and culture (never a bad idea to check them out!) and also because I'd feel like a douche canceling less than a week before the interview, there is no way they could have given the spot to someone else! I think if I had to fly over I would have canceled, I don't like causing bills for nothing and it would be a huge time/energy drain. Persimmon, I don't know how you felt after that interview experience but I just had a similar one a week ago, got called for an AM job at a BB, didn't have time/energy to prepare and totally, utterly sucked. Although I wasn't interested I felt so embarrassed for myself for not performing well...I miraculously made it through that round but it wasn't a pleasant experience, lol

I like pickles...
 

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