Case Interview Hub Blog

There are multiple reasons why consultants leave the MBB firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) voluntarily. One of the main reasons to leave is the desired lifestyle improvement. Closely linked to the work-life balance improvment is the desire to travel less. Travelling is cool at the start of the consulting journey but sitting in a plane multiple times per week becomes tedious relatively quickly. Morever, the desire to actually have P&L ownership is another big factor.

Consultants at the MBB firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) get fired for several reason. Some firing can be explained by the up-or-out principle. It means that if you don't climb the hierarchical ladder and progress in your career, you are fired. This is closely linked to bad performance. Later on as a consultant gets more senior, a reason for being fired can also be that they don't have the backing of partners. A partner is filling the project pipeline and if she doesn't bring you a

The exit opportunities at the MBB firms (McKinsey, BCG & Bain) but also at Tier 2 firms (Strategy&, Oliver Wyman, Arthur D Little) are endless. The most common exit is definitely to corporates - especially to former clients. It makes perfect sense for clients to hire a consultant they worked with in the past as they have proof of their work. Other very common exits are to Private Equity and to start-ups. But there are also uncommon routes like politics or straight into retire

McKinsey, BCG, and Bain are notorious for the up-or-out principle. So the fact that people get fired if they don't progress in the career ladder. In reality, most people leave consulting on their own terms and only a minority is getting laid-off. So the up-or-out principle is a thing but it is rarely executed.