Did anybody else see the Mckinsey ad in this forum? This must be the 'coup of the decade' for TC. What did TC do to get them on this forum? Has reality, atlast, hit those snobs or is this the reflection of the current economic climate?

You seem surprised that McKinsey has to advertise. In reality they not only advertise but also use HHs and recruiters to help them recruit.

When I worked for MBB, the senior partners there used to make a really big deal about how they were really low-key and didn't advertise or give out bags and stuff with their logo on it. They used to make a big deal about how nobody would know you were a MBB consultant unless you told them because they work in close circles only. It does seem unusual for McK to be advertising, especially during a recession when you would have thought they would be flooded with applicants! Maybe, other than fresh grads and new MBAs, they're not attracting the calibre of people they need? Possibly the older, more experienced buys can't hack the lifestyle and instead plump for industry jobs where the hours are shorter, the stress is less, the travel is less, and the pay is similar? I'd be really interested to know!

Any accurate or ballpark figures for the salary/package Junior Associates and Associates get at Mckinsey?

Not sure of exact numbers, but I imagine it will be one of the highest in the consultancy sector...

Perhaps many of the stronger candidates were either aware of their recruitment freeze, or tried to apply during it (as invited by their website) and got automatically rejected...

Hmm, sounds dubious. I have it on good authority that Consulting Point are now the exclusive Search Boutique for all McK UK external hiring initiatives. If the advert wasn't from CP, run a mile.....

When I left uni (mid 2007) graduates joining M got like 36 or 37 base plus the usual bonus, which I believe is 10-20% (sby pls confirm). Hence not the highest salary in the sector, but the brand supposedly makes up for that by far.

What's so great about the brand? Bottom line is that the ratio of (pay + prestige + exit options) / (hours x stress) looks better at many, many other firms to me.

Anon agree with you, but only if you include effort and utility of the time with the firm in your nice little formula there. You need to consider that the 'prestige' and exit options will help you a lifetime. It's not necessarily that being/having been at McK for two years will automatically help you, but it certainly puts you on career tracks (or increases the chance thereof) that you otherwise would not get to (or with lower chances thereof).Even if you ignore that (very important) fact for a moment - looking just at the ratio will give you some insights, but some people are more resistant to stress and long hours than others hence these items not being too much of a problem for those people that should be working at the firm.

It just seems to me that the price you pay for working at McK is very, very high. If I look arond my social circle, the happy ones are the ones who have decent jobs and a well-rounded lifestyle. The type A over-achievers all seem really unhappy in comparison, and are tied to a high-performance lifestyle because they know no different. Have you ever met a MBB Partner? On the whole, they're miserable buggers!

Yes the price you pay prob is quite high. A decision for everyone to make themselves. Nobody is forcing you to have a career - that said, you surely can have great careers elsewhere, MBB is probably just a "riskfree" way of becoming successful (vs. e.g. starting your own business).

That depends on your definition of success.....Stuck in an office until midnight every night fiddling around with PPT decks, earning £5K more than your friends, when it's 31C outside and everyone else is having a cool beer or playing footie?