How can I get into consulting with my profile?

Question

Hi guys,

I am currently looking for a start in consulting.

My profile:

- Bachelor at a non prestigous university (Business Administration, Grade 2.1 out of 6 - 1 being best)

- Master at a Tier 1 German university (Accounting & Taxation, Grade 2.2 out of 6 - 1 being best)

- Very bad high school grades

- 5 years of working experience in Audit and M&A at a big four

- Fluent in English, Arabic, German

- Genuine teamplayer and experienced with client & project work

- No solid network to consulting firms

Reasons for my bad grades:

- I lived abroad till the age of 9. I had to learn the language from start when my family decided to move back to Germany. I also had to change school for 3 times in the first 2 years.

- My father died when I was 16 after several years of being severely ill, me being responsible for the family and my dads treatment/health.

- Big financial issues after losing my dad.

- Worked in winter and studied in summer during my masters, with both high pressure in work and in my studies. I also gradually disliked my studies since they were higly focused on accounting/taxes.

- Many other issues in my private life.

I have done about 30 cases so far (also with many mbb candidates) and I feel really confident that I am able to get through the interview process. I genuinely enjoyed solving cases.

Does anybody have an idea on how I could get an interview from a consulting firm (doesn't need to be MBB)?

Much appreciated!

Answer 1

Hi there,

Since you have already graduated from a tier 1 university (for your master degree) and worked for 5 years, I don't think there is any need to mentioned about your high school grades. Most likely nobody would ask about that unless you bring it up first. Leave it out of the resume, and focus on getting the work experiences stand out and also the case interviews prepared well. :)

Cheers,

Emily

Answer 2

Hi,
after 5 years of experience, almost nobody will be interested in your grades. Therefore I would omit these in your CV. If helpful I can give you a quick feedback if you send it via PM.

Best,
Antonello

Answer 3

Hello!

To your points:

Grades: don´t worry for a second about it, after +5 years of PE none is going to care about this. Leave it out.

How to get an interview: on top of the classical cold calling via sending emails to the HR pages, you could attend recruiting events from the different firms, where you will get to know HR and consultants and build the network that now you lack.

Good luck!

Cheers,

Clara