In the world of management consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, the relentless pursuit of excellence meets the personal quest for well-being head-on. The industry, known for its high-stakes deals and rigorous schedules, often paints a picture where the scales of work and life are in perpetual imbalance. The notion of finding harmony between…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant. Updated July 14, 2026. Consultants at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain typically work 50 to 80 hours a week while staffed on a client project, and the honest average sits in the low 60s. Between projects, that drops to 30 to 60 hours. The question of how many hours…
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By Dr. Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated September 2026 Consulting firm tiers work like this: Tier 1 is McKinsey, BCG, and Bain (MBB); Tier 2 is the strategy firms just below them, such as Oliver Wyman, L.E.K., Kearney, Roland Berger, and the Big 4 strategy arms (in some cases); and the full-service Big…
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Updated July 2026. By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant. Companies hire management consultants to rent expertise, senior problem-solving capacity, and an unbiased outside view they can’t build fast enough in-house. Not because their own people aren’t smart. Why companies hire management consultants is often misunderstood. In five years at McKinsey, I never once saw…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated July 2026 Kicking off a consulting project well comes down to one thing: turning a fuzzy scope and a room of strangers into a team with a plan, in under two weeks. That is the whole job of a consulting project kickoff. Your first project is…
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Florian spent five years at McKinsey as a Senior Consultant and is a highly experienced consulting interviewer and problem-solving coach. Having conducted interviews with hundreds of candidates, he understands exactly what top-tier firms look for in successful applicants.
He founded StrategyCase.com to make top consulting careers more accessible by providing tailored, up-to-date insights into the recruiting process. Recognized as the most successful case and fit interview coach, Florian has helped his clients secure 700+ offers at MBB, Tier-2 firms, Big 4 consulting divisions, in-house consultancies, and boutique firms over the past four years.
He is the author of “The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview,” “The 1%: Case Interview Workbook,” and “Consulting Career Secrets”, all available on Amazon.
