Category: Industry discussion

the image is the cover for an article on mckinsey layoffs

McKinsey Cuts 2,000 Jobs: What It Means for Consulting

McKinsey & Co., the world’s most prestigious consulting firm, is reportedly planning to eliminate around 2,000 jobs, marking one of its biggest rounds of cuts ever. According to Bloomberg, the move is expected to focus on support staff in roles that don’t have direct contact with clients, as McKinsey looks to restructure how it organizes…
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Article cover showing a Big 4 to MBB career transition, with rising stepping stones leading from a Big 4 platform toward a glowing strategy gateway, while a crossed-out “Not a Strategist” discount label symbolizes overcoming the lateral recruiting penalty.

Big 4 to MBB: How to Switch and Beat the “Not a Strategist” Discount

By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated June 2026 Yes, you can move from the Big 4 to MBB. I have coached Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG consultants into McKinsey, BCG, and Bain, and the firms hire laterally from the Big 4 every year. The transition is real and well-trodden. But the thing…
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80/20 Rule in Consulting and how MBB uses the Pareto principle cover image

80/20 Rule in Consulting: How MBB Uses Pareto (2026)

Updated July 2026 · By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant The 80/20 rule in consulting means roughly 80% of business impact comes from 20% of the available actions, so consultants at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain deliberately concentrate their analysis, recommendations, and client effort on the highest-impact 20% rather than analyzing everything. In practice, this…
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StrategyCase.com cover for an insider’s guide to the McKinsey alumni network, featuring connected professionals against a global city backdrop.

The McKinsey Alumni Network: An Insider’s Guide (2026)

Updated July 16, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant Most of what is written about the McKinsey alumni network comes from people who have never been inside it. The same three claims circulate: it is big, it is powerful, and famous people belong to it. None of that tells you what membership…
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StrategyCase.com cover illustrating the competition for top consulting talent with business professionals, a chess piece, and a city skyline.

The War for Talent in Consulting: What It Really Means in 2026

Updated July 2026. By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant. The war for talent in consulting is the constant, high-stakes competition among firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain to attract and keep the small number of people who can actually do the work. It is a fight the consulting industry named itself in 1997, and…
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