McKinsey vs T2 offer Riyadh

First congrats for your 2 offers!

From my experience:

1. McK brand is stronger than T2 and will help you get you through screening processes and you will get a bit more attention from headhunters
2. However, the brand is a small component in what will get you a strong exit, more importantly is the network you will build during your time within the firm (internally and with clients) and how you perform during interviews. Some of the best exits I saw were consultants hired by a former partner/manager or client. I worked at Kearney and Roland Berger and yet I managed to get offers against x-MBBs when I left consulting because I did better during the interviews. 
3. 30% gap in salary can seem huge but it may not be. You get promotions and salary raises very fast in consulting, so look at your total compensation over 3-4 years at least (or more if that’s your goal). OW used to give a signing bonus for entry positions in Paris - they were the only one to do it - to improve their conversion rate on offers made. But if you consider it over your entire consulting career it really doesn’t make a huge difference
4. Finally, don’t give too much importance to the fit you got with a couple of guys during an interview. There are hundreds of consultants at McK in the region (projects are often staffed across offices), it is likely that the guys you met  are not that representative…
    

Hi there,

Potentially biased but I would go with McK in your situation for two reasons:

• Connection with the people: If you mention that you enjoyed the process with them much more, that is a great indicator of how you will enjoy the work, which in turn influences performance, progression, and most importantly, your happiness and well-being. 30% more comp is not worth it if you like something less
• Lifetime comp and exit opportunities: The McKinsey brand will open many more doors in your future than a T2 brand (even though OW is a great firm). Long-term your opportunities will be better with McKinsey. If you decide to stay and make partner, the comp will be higher. If you decide to leave earler, exit opps will be better.

Congrats! :-)

Cheers,

Florian

Well done on the offers! 

I fully agree with both previous answers - even if they argue slightly different points, all the points mentioned are extremely valid and hope they help you in your decision. 

One other consideration I would add from my side: they type of work they do in the region. I don't have first hand info on either McKinsey or OW in RIyadh (I was with BCG there for a while, so could talk about that, but not representative for your situation), but this is something worth investigating before selecting an option.  

To illustrate, I know quite well the difference between McK/BCG and OW London and plenty of people that would have not thrived in one or the other environment. The type of project, the type of clients, the way teams are set-up are sufficiently different to fit someone better than another person. 

I expect these differences to be even bigger in Riyadh. 

So my advice is try to talk with folks at similar levels you would be joining (+ 1 or 2 levels up max) and ask what type of work they have been doing so far. What they like and dislike about their work. The goal is to imagine working there and add this as one of the criteria to your decision, beyond prestige and money. 

Hope this helps, 

Ariadna 

I would take the Mckinsey offer. It's a better brand, and you'll get ~20% yearly salary increases anyway. There's a chance you'll catch up in time, and any difference is merely temporary.

Also much sure you compare the variable part of the compensation. It is possible that one get's more fixed but less variable, and the difference is not as steep.

Yes, the brand name is worth it. (in addition to other advantages). 

Take it from someone who jumped from T2 to MBB :)