| Topic Name: |
McKinsey in decline? |
| Message Name: |
McK people need a better footing in reality |
| Date Posted: |
02/26/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
In response to comments/questions made by Stan and Icmcv:
1. In terms of my background, I worked for bain or bcg. Did my summer internship at that firm and signed the full-time offer letter the day I got it. Also received a summer internship offer from mck, but not from the office I wanted. My wife, however, now works for Mck -- so my perspective is not completely uninformed/biased.
2. I agree that there is greater variance in backgrounds at Deloitte. I should have been more specific -- I was mainly referring to the associates and senior associates in "strategy" consulting positions. I stand by my assertion: my pharma firm and other F500 firms I've worked closely with would hire a Deloitte SA over a Mck Associate in a second. In other words, the Mck "name" brings little or nothing to the table. As for the alumni network, the hiring managers I know (I'm one of them) don't give a sh*t what firm you worked for. They look at your past experience and job performance - period. MAYBE, everything else being equal, the Mck guy wins, but the firm name ranks somewhere between hair color and height in the hiring criteria (just like the hot blonde would win over the ugly brunette, everything else being equal). BOTTOM LINE: THE MCK NAME AND ALUMNI NETWORK ARE HIGHLY OVERRATED IN AFFECTING EXIT OPPTY'S AND SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A FACTOR IN DECIDING WHAT FIRM TO JOIN OUT OF BSCHOOL.
3. Are you freakin kidding me?? Do you really think that all Mck associates passed some "proverbial bar"?? That assertion is indicative of the arrogance that is eroding Mck's reputation. My wife tells me daily about some of the morons she works with. And I remember some real morons from Wharton who landed a job at Mck b/c they picked a low-demand office (Cleveland/Pittsburg) and/or got lucky on the case! They'll be counseled out in 2 years or earlier. AND THEY'LL BE IN FOR A RUDE AWAKENING WHEN THEY GO LOOKING FOR ANOTHER JOB AND RELY SOLEY ON THEIR "MCK EXPERIENCE"! I can't wait for one of them to apply to my company and say that I should hire them b/c they worked for freakin Mck! Even the Mck alum I work with would laugh at them.
4. Why exactly does Mck offer a better "value proposition" than Deloitte or other firms for people who have a specific career path in mind?? A buddy of mine from bschool chose Booz WCB over Bain b/c he always wanted to work in the defense industry. He now works at Carlyle. Another chose Marakon over BCG for various reasons. He's doing just fine now in Silicon Valley. Anecdotal evidence, yes, but I would love to see your proof that Mck offers a better "value prop" for aspiring bschool grads.
My bottom line is this: I hope that bschool students interested in MC go beyond the superficial name recongnition on Vault and look past the HERD BEHAVIOR -- ask a random HBS or Wharton student why he wants Mck, and if you drill him long enough, he'll eventually admit it's b/c everyone else wants Mck so they must know something! Herd behavior is a shortcut alternative to doing real research.
Mck is a great firm, but among the F500 client market, it is NOT seen as "better" or "superior" than the other 4-5 top firms. And as the original poster alluded, some have begun to see it as possibly inferior in some respects. |
| Message: |
I too would prefer hiring a Deloitte, Accenture, etc. guy / girl who's not afraid to roll up the sleeves, step into the mud and actually get things done.
Sure, smartness is important... but I could care less if a potential recruit is in top 1% or top 10%. Results are what count.
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