Contacting a partner after a networking conversation

Question

Dear PrepLounge community,

Couple days ago, I visited a small conference in a town where I leave. One of the speakers was a current partner at BCG for that area. The conference had nothing to do with consulting and I was one of the rare people who approached the parter to have a short conversation with him.

I asked him what does he love to see in candidates and how to stand out. After that we talked for a couple more minutes about him, BCG and me. He was very open and helpful. He said that I should feel free to contact him if I have any questions or if I need anything. I added him on LinkedIn and he even viewed my profile.

I plan to apply in 2 months for BCG and I don't know if I should contact him - should it be now, when I apply or never? I am afraid he might forget who I am in two months, but I don't know what to ask him now. I don't know if I should contact him at all, maybe he was just being polite.

Any advice is appreaciated :)

Answer 1

Hi,

It really depends on whether you are an experienced professional or not.

If you are experienced - you can contact him directly to have a short call and discuss your situation. I believe you have tons of questions about the career change and prep process.

If you are a fresh grad, I doubt that the partner will have a strong motivation to help you further. But you can still give it a try and write in a month or so that you decided to apply and his speech was a trigger for you. Ask him for advice on how to prepare or ask him to connect you with someone who can help.

Best!