Case Interview Hub Blog

How do you actually get staffed on projects at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain? We break down the official models, the four factors that really determine where you end up, the "staffing black market" nobody talks about, and how it all changes as you get more senior.

People often think that the lifestyle of strategy consultants at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain is glamorous. But is this really the case? The truth is that a lot of the glamorous elements of the job become tedious very soon. Flying business class and staying in 5 star hotels is nice. But doing this every week becomes tedious very soon because you spend half of your life in hotel rooms and in transit.

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.