Likely Bain hiring freeze for full-time ADC, McKinsey and BCG?

Hi there,

Q: Are McKinsey and BCG still hiring full-time or could they potentially be freezing hiring as well? 

It depends on the country, in some they have substantially reduced hiring in the last months. 

If you are applying via referral – which is always a good idea – you can ask the person referring you if they have any information on the current situation at your target office. If they confirm that hiring is low, you might want to postpone the application by a few months, assuming there is an option for that (e.g., there are no approaching deadlines).

If you still have to find a referral, you can find some info on how to get one below:

▶ How to Get an MBB Invitation

▶ The Exact Steps to Get a Referral

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

Essentially, you're right. I'd call it very close to freeze. Some people are sneaking through across some of the firms. But it's a very tough market. You have to stand out even more so now than before.

Make sure you've got the best resume possible, have networked a ton (ideally with a referral), and shine as an interviewee.

Good luck!

Hi there, 

as some coaches mentioned, this is very country-specific. If you're talking about the US - the consulting industry is having a rough time there at the moment, as the companies mentioned are experiencing a “down year” (very unusual event over the last 2 decades). 

To answer your question more specifically - both firms have still been hiring selectively to date (McK only for specific experience needs, BCG a bit more but still way below normal years). Could they potentially freeze hiring? Noone knows, but  it's possible in the current macro environment - it's all subject to their project pipelines. Note though, that for such Up-or-Out firms such tightening of hiring will usually be very temporary, as they have continuous need to back-fill attrition to keep their pyramid in shape.

Feel free to reach out via DM for advice more specific to your location.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

I would say it is extremely unlikely to have a real hiring freeze. They will continue recruiting, as they always have people moving out of the company, and they need to hire people in order to have experienced consultants and managers 2-3 years from now.


Notwithstanding, they are recruiting close to their minimum levels.

This is highly dependent on region, office, role, and practice! MBB hiring is much slower in many geographies, but it is still happening. If you see a job opening, you should assume they are looking to fill it and feel free to apply. 

Hi there, 

Sorry to hear. But indeed, things are getting rather tight with recruitment during this period. 

The pattern you've noticed with Bain is consistent across the industry. So definitely you can expect the same from McK or BCG. 

The bigger differences however exist between regions - some are still hiring more than others. 

Realistically, though, all of this is beyond your control as a candidate. The only thing you can control are how great your application is and how smart you are about your application strategy. 

I wrote at length on this topic, outlining also several steps on how to handle the situation, in the following guide:

• Maximising your chances of getting a consulting job during an economic downturn

Hope you'll find it useful.

Best,
Cristian