I’m currently trying to break into consulting, specifically MBB, because it’s genuinely where I see myself starting my career.
I don’t really have any connections at these firms, though, so I’m curious to hear from current or former MBB consultants: if someone like me reached out to you cold on LinkedIn, what would actually make you respond?
I’m talking about someone you have no obvious connection with — different university, no mutual connections, never worked at the same company, etc.
My goal would eventually be to secure a referral, but I don’t want to pretend I’m just interested in hearing about someone’s experience, have a few messages back and forth, and then suddenly ask for one. To me, that feels a bit forced and transactional when the intention was there from the beginning.
So for consultants who actually receive these kinds of messages: how would you prefer someone approach you?
Would you rather they be upfront from the beginning that they’re interested in applying to your firm? What kind of cold message would make you genuinely want to respond? And if the conversation goes well, when/how would you feel comfortable with them bringing up a referral?
Would really appreciate hearing the perspective from the other side!
