Mckinsey vs BCG in Latam

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offer(s)!

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

• I would highly advise you to opt for the option 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., prestige, culture, location, compensation, international exposure). 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

Hi there,

Congratulations on the BCG offer! Regarding your question:

Q: Does anyone have experience or insights into how these two firms are positioned in Latin America? Which could offer me a better learning experience and exit opportunities?

I don’t have specific insights for Latin America, but this is what I usually recommend to the candidates I coach to decide between multiple offers (I would consider this once you have secured both offers, though):

• Where do you want to be in 5-10 years? Look at the company that can help you to achieve that goal faster. You can check LinkedIn for that (see below). If you are not sure, the McKinsey brand is still stronger in most countries.
• If you consider the average consultant/partner you talked to in each company, which one would you rather be? You will spend a lot of time with your colleagues in the next years if you will join full time after the internship - be sure you choose a company where the people are close to the person you want to become.
• If money and prestige were not a consideration, which company would you choose? This could help you to identify additional elements to weigh you have not considered yet.

In terms of exits (for most people they are a very important factor in joining a consulting company), you can check them as follows:

1. Look for alumni of the two companies on LinkedIn
2. Check how many moved to your preferred exits in your target region
3. Normalize for the size of the companies in the region

If you want to do extra due diligence, you can contact alumni of your school (not current consultants) who worked for the two companies (bonus if they worked for both firms). Most likely, you will learn more in a 30-minute call with them than with any online research you might do.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

Congrats!

I believe in terms of learning and exit both are pretty much on an equal level.

I would rather focus on where you see yourself the most or where you see the best fit with their people/culture:

• How did you like the recruiting with each firm?
• Did you observe how consultants of each firm interact with each other (maybe during a recruiting event)?
• What did you learn about the culture, work environment, etc.?

Your personal experience and happiness are the biggest differentiators in the long run. The happier you are in one place, the better your performance, network, learning, exit, etc.

Cheers,

Florian

Better choice for what? Salary and benefits? Exit opportunities? Consulting career growth?

Start by defining what matters most to you. Once you’re clear on your priorities, follow the excellent advice shared by my colleagues in this thread.

Best,

Alberto