Is a sign on bonus always guarenteed for post MBA job seekers?

Hello,

Signing bonus is not always guaranteed but it's a common practice for MBB when they hire an experienced hire. Especially after the MBA, you can negotiate a signing bonus according to other job offers and eventually MBA sponsirship that you may got (if a company sponsors you, you often have a lock.in period and you have to pay to leave before).
Also smaller firms, like Oliver Wyman, gives you a signing bonus but it depends on company's policy.
Among corporate companies signing bonus is less common and it is strictly correlated with your personal story and actual work situation.

Best,
Luca 

Hi there,

No it is not always guaranteed. It depends on the location/industry/company practice. You can always ask for a sign on bonus when you negotiate your offer package, but it doesn't mean you'd neccessarily get one. It is quite fluid. And in some non-consulting companies, even when they are okay to give sign on bonus, the amount varies for each individual negotiation. 

Best,

Emily

Hi,

1. Nope, it's only guaranteed if you were hired post MBA directly. The rest you have to negotiate
2. Yes, the sign-on bonus is mostly for MBA grads, but again, you can always try to negotiate. MBA debt is a good argument

Best

Hi Anonymous!

Whether you get a sign-on bonus is primarily determined by the market in which you apply. It is very common in anglo-saxon markets like UK or US, but less common in other markets (like Germany for example).

So it is very hard to anwer your question without knowing

(a) the country in which you apply, and

(b) the origin of the firm for which you apply (which might also shape the "culture" of giving sign-on bonus).

The amount of the bonus also largely depends on the specific amrket context and varies a lot across geographies.

Cheers, Sidi

Dear A,

No sign bonus guaranteed, and during the current situation it might be even cut off

Best,

André

1. yes, MBB and tier 2 provide it but almost every other consulting firms. There is no a specific policy about it, therefore you can negotiate it during the interview process with HR (especially by leveraging multiple offers)
2. it depends

best,
Antonello

Not gauarenteed.

However, if you decide you want to negotiate for a better offer, sign-on bonus is a good way to do it. You can reference moving costs, loss of vested stocks/retirement matching, etc. etc.

Hello!

You cannot take it for granted, even for consulting. 

However, it´s something very common in MBB and other smaller consultants who try to "mirror" them. 

However, in other companies it totally depends. I would say it´s common -I had it in all my offers- but not to be taken for granted either. In any case, is one of the typical things you negotiate. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

In my experience, it is common for post-MBA or when you switch companies. However, I also learned that you need to prompt the company; asking comes a long way and they won't blame you for asking.