Does A MBB Partner Referral Carry A Lot More Weight Than An Average Employee's?

Hi there,

Q: Is a referral from a partner really a lot more powerful than getting one from people who are first or second level employees?

In general, the higher the seniority, the stronger the referral, so if you have the chance, I would recommend a partner referral. If you don’t manage to get one, you can use the ones you currently have from someone more junior.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi 

Great to see networking in action :) - usually a partner referral has a bit more clout compared to junior referrals - but every bit helps! Usually if you have a strong connection / interaction with 1 partner you could ask to connect to another partner (where it makes sense) to help strengthen your case for interview. One of my mentees is doing this as we speak.

Good luck!

Hi There - good luck with you preparation. A partner is the only referral that almost guarantees an interview. SO YES if you can get one definitely prioritize Partner referrals over others. All referrals are good to have but I REPEAT a partner referral is far more valuable period.

Thanks

Nilay

Hi there,

A referral is just a door opener such that the recruiting team will look through your application more thoroughly. In order to get a referral, you need to at least develop some form of professional relationship with the person because they will not just refer someone they barely know. After all, they would be putting their name and reputation on the line. 

Depending on the seniority, tenure and advocacy of the person referring you, you have a better chance of getting a first round interview. The more senior the person referring you is, the better. The longer the tenure of that person with the firm is, the better.

The reason is that such voices carry more weight than referrals coming from super junior or brand new people. They typically know the HR folks better and have been involved in recruiting activities for a while so it is usually assumed that they have a good grasp of what types of candidates with which sets of qualifications the firm needs. However, any referral is ultimately better than no referral. 

Ideally, you get a referral from someone from the same office (or same country) you are applying to. But again, a referral from someone within the same firm but different office or country organization is still better than no referral.

A direct rejection after the CV screening stage can still happen - even with a referral. In that case the recruiting team usually provides some feedback to the person having given the referral. So you should follow up with them to better understand the rationale in case that happens. On the flipside, you can still get an interview invite when you just apply online without a referral - the probability might just be lower - unless your CV is “stellar” on a standalone basis.

And as always, factors such as economic conditions and headcount/budget planning of the individual firm also matter significantly in these decisions - but they are not within your control.

Best

Hi there,

In the current market, I'd take every advantage you can get across all parts of the recruiting funnel. 

It's no guarantee but it CAN move the needle more than a normal consultant's referral.

Cheers,

Florian