Apply to MBB US from Europe

If I were you, I would take the offer to first learn the toolkit as a general consulting staff. Then look for opportunities to do an experience transfer for a termed exchange, to make sure you really like other aspects of being part of an MBB US office (including the life outside of work). Then apply for perm transfer if you are convinced. 

These stages progressively build up your case for a place in the US offices. Easier for staffing, HR, and your sponsors (senior partners in your practice) to be on your side - US visa is complex and expensive. 

The learning experience is also very similar across offices within the same firm. So doing this gives you a way to ease into the changes you will experience first in entering consulting full time, then adjusting to a foreign culture and way of life. 

It would also not reflect positively on you if you walk back on your offer acceptance. Firms go through great pains to pick out offerees and work hard to convert offers. If you were not forthright with them about this significant preference for US offices, this last minute surprise would not be well received. Bear in mind recruiting is a global function for most consulting firms with a shared network of databases (if not already on a single database).

Hi there,

Q: Would it be possible to apply to MBB NY/SF (to the other 2 I did not receive an offer from in the past application cycle) as a finalist? and in case, when would the potential starting dates be?

Assuming you satisfy the criteria for the 2025 cycle, you can apply. On the other hand, you will be probably at a disadvantage compared to locals due to the need for a visa.

If you are interested in working in the US, an alternative option would be to join the MBB from which you got an offer, work there for a few years, do an MBA in the US and move there after that.

If you still want to apply in the US now, I would highly recommend finding a referral to strengthen your application. You can find some tips for that below:

▶ How to Get an MBB Invitation

Good luck!

Francesco

It is very very unlikely you'll get it if you don't have work authorization and without a super-strong reason, moreover a very specific reason for those two offices (if both SF and NY work for you, it just seems you are looking to live in a cool city, but otherwise don't have a strong reason for those offices).

As a recruiter, my view would be that your priority is not joining a top strategy consulting firm, but rather have an experience working abroad in a certain cool city. I would have concerns on adjusting to the job market + adjusting to new culture + getting into a particular tough office (and possibly even a foreign language). So if there isn't anything that suggests you have been preparing for this… if there are no personal connections to those locations… if your CV is not super strong… etc., it's an immediate “No”.

And it's even worse. You had a summer intership with another firm. So they will either assume you are not getting an offer or that you are getting one but not accepting it because you want to move to another country, which reinforces my comment about wrong priorities (and hopefully they won't assume you accepted an offer and are planning to renege that same offer to move abroad). All of this sounds like trouble to a recruiting firm.

All in all, this is fairly simple: either you have a super-strong reason, or you simply don't stand a chance.

Hi there,

congratulations on your offer. 

If you don't have prior work authorization in the US, it is very unlikely that you would get hired over candidates that do not require sponsorship (especially in the current economic environment). For every visa application, the employer also needs to justify why they could not hire an American for the role and that it absolutely has to be you. It sounds like you are going to be a fresh graduate starting a generalist role. So not really an easy case to argue - aside from all the added cost and admin requirements associated with sponsorship.

If your goal is to ultimately move to the US, your best bet will be to take the European MBB offer first. Then you work there for 2 years, make sure to get good reviews on your projects, network internally and build your good standing within the firm. Once you have done that, you can approach the topic of internal transfer to the US which then becomes a viable route.

All the best

Congratulations on your offer! At this point I would not advise trying for NY or SF offices - it is an incredibly tough year to get in. You have a much better shot at transferring internally once you have worked for 2 years in your role. That is a common path for many people and is much much easier given visa and other legal considerations.

Hi there,

Nice work getting an internship at MBB - no small feat!

Yes, absolutely you can apply to those other 2 in theory. In practice, it depends on the deadlines - you need to check with your university on the exact timelines. Your university will have the exact dates and are the best source of truth here.

Also, just remember that if you work at MBB for a couple of years you'll have much more flexibility to chart your own path (in the US). Totally fair to aim for it now, but it's certainly not a bad outcome to have this full-time offer in Europe!

Hi there,

The quickest and most realistic way to do it is to start in Europe and then push for an early office relocation.

• Network with partners and practices in your target offices
• Work with them (internal projects) and try to get staffed on local projects and show your strengths
• Once you have established your peer group and support in the U.S. they can pull you over

This is not an overnight strategy but can be executed within 1 year.

If you want to learn more, check out my book Consulting Career Secrets where I discuss these strategies in more detail.

Cheers, and all the best,

Florian

That's a bit tricky. 

I can think of only one situation where somebody managed to change their office before even starting and in that case they had a very good personal reason to do so. 

Typically, they're not fond of you moving before you have 2-3 years under your belt. 

Of course, what you can do is to apply to other firms and directly at their US office. But you'd be starting the process from scratch. I'm not sure why they would fast forward you to the final round. 

Best,
Cristian