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Consulting hiring freeze

I had heard a rumor that MBB and Big 4 were having a hiring freeze as a result of the expected recession. Is this going to affect both the MBA and undergrad applicants?

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Pedro
Coach
on Jun 17, 2022
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

I strongly doubt there is a hiring freeze, but a slowdown should be expect.

The reason I doubt there is a hiring freeze is because consulting firms (as far as I know) are still overwhelmed with work, i.e., they are unable to deliver the ammount of projects they are being asked to do. A hiring freeze would strongly limit theit ability to do projects in the second half of the year, where they still think demand will be good.

You don't go from increasing wages and having a lot of concerns regarding hiring and keeping people, to stop hiring in 3 months. 

So they are more likely to reduce the intake a bit now but only start reducing capacity by the end of the year (through natural exits, come up or out, and further reduced January intake). Oh, and freelancers will be the first to be out of work, and that's a relevant part of consulting firms current capacity…

By the way, hiring freezes are a bit drastic and create significant problems in the medium/long run (i.e. 3 years from now not having enough senior consultants/managers…)

Lucie
Coach
on Jun 18, 2022
10+yrs recruiting & BCG Project leader

I definitely don't see it, actually the opposite. MBB has been growing fast YoY and they have high demand for new hires. There may be specific offices, but generally I would disagree with that. 

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on Jun 17, 2022
#1 Rated McKinsey Coach | Top MBB Coach | Verifiable success rates

Hi there,

As the saying goes, don't believe in rumours until they turn into reality :)

I honestly doubt there will be a hiring freeze. And even if there, that is not something within your area of control. If I were you, I'd go on applying, working on developing your skills and getting better, since that is something that you can have an effect on. 

Best,
Cristian

Ian
Coach
on Jun 18, 2022
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

There is no doubt there will be a slowdown in hiring. That said, you need to remember a few things:

  1. Churn at these firms is 25%+ per year…even if they're not growing they need to replace consultants
  2. Consultants are non-cyclical (firms hire their services when times are good and when they're bad)
  3. If the intake is lower, you need to be better. Your odds of success go down. So,
    1. Apply to more firms
    2. Put more time and money into interview prep
    3. If there was ever a time to maximize your odds with coaching, now is it!
Deleted user
on Jun 17, 2022

Hi There - 

It depends on the region a bit. Post MBA hiring has been quite strong. The offices have a lot of work and are stretched. There might be a slight slowdown to mitigate for some imbalances in the pyramid. 

Definitely do not see a freeze in the near term. Long term is tough to predict. However, consulting firms are known to hire and keep talent through downturns. 

Happy to chat 1v1 more if you would like more colour on specific numbers at some of the firms 

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Ashwin
Coach
on Jun 17, 2022
Bain Senior Manager , Deloitte Director| 200+ MBB Offers | INSEAD

Hi ,

It is difficult to predict what impact the current macro-economic environment would have on consulting industry. The general trend across industries seems to be to curtail new investments and that includes hiring, considering the recession forecasts / predictions from economists and industry leaders such as Jamie Dimon 

However, consulting firms are relatively more resistant to economic cycles. In a downturn demand for growth strategy services reduce while for cost optimization services increase. In other words, there is hope :) that there will not be complete hiring freezes even if a recession hits 

Florian
Coach
on Jun 17, 2022
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hey there,

There is no hiring freeze yet but definitely a slowdown. It is hard to predict how bad it will become but it does not hurt to look for alternatives should your consulting goals not work out in the first place.

All the best!

Cheers,

Florian

Clara
Coach
on Jun 21, 2022
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I haven´t heard anything as dramatic as a hiring freeze, but for sure there will be a hiring slowdown. However, this will be company by company and, even more, by geography. 

Cheers, 

Clara

Deleted user
on Jun 17, 2022

Its slowing down for sure. But I dont think there will be a blanket hiring freeze at least in the short-term.

Long-term predictions are very hard to make at this stage.

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