I received an offer from BCG but I am not sure if I really want to accept

Question

Hello, I am a banking professional with 3 years of experience in Germany. Over the past 1.5 years, I realized that banking is not the career I want to pursue, primarily because of the environment and the people I had to work with. After some consideration and discussions with people in the industry, I decided to apply to consulting, as most people told me the environment is more pleasant.

I prepared and successfully received an offer last week from BCG here in Germany.

Honestly, I am not sure if I should accept it, for two main reasons. During the interviews, it seemed like I might have to deal with people who think they are the best in the world, are not very empathetic, and are quite judgmental. Additionally, I didn't get the impression that the stress and pressure would be much different from my current job.

Do you have any advice?

Answer 1

Congrats on the offer! I completely understand where you’re coming from—making the leap from banking to consulting is a big decision.

I’d recommend trying to connect with current BCG consultants who are at your level or have recently joined. Once you have an offer, the recruiting team and partners are often eager to help you get the clarity you need, so don’t hesitate to ask them to set up a few calls. Speaking with these folks can give you a much better sense of the day-to-day culture and whether it aligns with what you’re looking for.

Getting these candid insights directly from people who’ve been in your shoes could be really helpful in making your decision. It’s a great way to see if BCG is truly the right fit for you, beyond the impressions from your interviews.

Hope this helps, and good luck with whatever you decide!

Answer 2

Hi,

Congrats on the offer!

I think you have to consider what are important factors around the job, and then make a comparison on those factors between consulting, banking and potentially other options. You will need to speak to more people within the industry (and maybe even across firms) to build a deeper understanding of consulting.

Consulting and banking are quite distinct, and on the superficial level the key question is whether you will enjoy the work you do in consulting.

I would also suggest you think of your mid term goal, and see how consulting fits into that.

Germany is a big market - it could be the people that you spoke to may not be representative of the overall office culture.

Happy to give my thoughts on this on a free short call - just drop me a dm.

Answer 3

Hi there,

Congratulations on the successful application. The people you interviewed with are just a small sample of the organization. Obviously it would have been nicer if you immediately had good chemistry with the ones you already met but you should definitely speak to more people from the area at BCG you got the offer for.

As to your second point, if you are looking for a low-stress, little pressure and balanced working hour job, then consulting is definitely not the solution you are seeking. I’m not sure what aspects of “stress and pressure” you exactly want to get rid of in your new job, but I would assume that you didn’t apply for a consulting job thinking the actual work there would be a walk in the park.

Best

Answer 4

Hi there,

First of all, congrats on the offer!

I would recommend my book Consulting Career Secrets in these situations.

Not only does it prepare you for the job with hands-on advice on the different topics you need to understand and master but it also gives a realistic insight into the daily life of a top-tier management consultant (work hours, type of work, logistics, travel, ...). It can help you with your decision.

You can find it on Amazon.

Alternatively or complementary, you should also contact current consultants in BCG and ask for a quick chat and discuss your concerns. HR is usually happy to arrange this. From my experience, the culture and people are great!

All the best,

Florian

Answer 5

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offer from BCG!

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

I would highly advise you to opt for the option (out of staying in banking and accepting the BCG offer) that better aligns with your professional (and maybe even personal) mid- to long-term goals. In order to make an informed decision, I would advise you to do the following:

Weigh the different criteria that are meaningful to you independently of the current options (e.g., culture, work life balance, prestige, compensation). After that, score the two options based on your criteria and their weighting, resulting in two scores. This way, you have covered the left-brain perspective.
Critically assess your initial reaction to the outcome of the scores. For instance, if you feel the urge to tweak the numbers, this is a solid indicator that you do not want this decision to become reality. This way, you have covered the right-brain perspective.
By doing so, you will be able to integrate both parts of the brain into the decision-making, guaranteeing a higher chance that you will still be happy with it years later.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen