How to communicate with recruiters to ask about the right time and position to apply?

Question

Hello amazing very helpful coaches,

I'm currently in the process of preparing for my application for the Associate/Consultant (Post-MBA) position. I have multiple advanced degrees (PhD & MScs) and a few years of work experience. I wonder what is the best way to ask for the perfect timing/position to apply? Should I email the official recruiter email of each office or network with them and other consultants on LinkedIn? Within this email/networking, is it a good idea to go beyond just asking for the time and position by requesting an informational interview session or would that give an impression that I don't know much about the office?. I feel an informational session will tremendously help me rank my office preference but I also want to play it safe and don't put a dent on my application by requesting such a thing.

Another question: I come from a non-target school, so do you think that applying for a slightly lower position ( ex: Junior Associate-McK) will put me an advantage and make it easier for me to get my feet in the door or will I be selling myself short and unnecessarily lose time and money by doing so?

Thanks a ton for all your great work!

Answer 1

Hello there!

1. You can check the website for the desired positions as you’re an experienced hire, meaning recruiting happens as spots open. Feel free to reach out to HR to know if there are official coffee chats / informational sessions scheduled that you can participate to get to know more about the company.

2. You can cold message consultants via LinkedIn and ask them to have a conversation about their experience in this industry. It helps if these people have something in common with you: same university/background/etc. feel free to ask for a referral at the end of the session - but prepare for it so it sounds like a natural thing to do.

3. If you have work experience and is a PhD, it is unlikely that you’ll be considered for a lower position, regardless of your school. The key thing here is to have a great CV that showcase the good things you have achieved.

If you need help to prepare a strong consulting-like CV, let me know. Most candidates get it wrong and is the most important thing at this stage. I can share some success stories that may help you understand the importance of this step.

Best,

Mari

Answer 2

Hi,

HR does not impact your application and can help you to give a first indication of the starting position and application window. During the interviews, they will further refine the starting position. Starting at a bit lower level can help you to get up to speed and get used to the specific way of working at consulting; and will help you on the longer term.

Feel free to reach out for further questions.

Mattijs

Answer 3

Hi there!

It's great that you want to have these conversations, to begin with. Lots of people just send the applications directly.

In short, have a 10-minute call with the recruiter. Clarify with them what role you should apply for, whether they are actively recruiting and what is the deadline for that role.

That's about it.

Then they know you, and you know that you can apply being certain that the application will be actively reviewed.

You might find this guide useful in terms of how to build a comprehensive application strategy:

Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy
Best,
Cristian