I graduated (completed BTech) from top university in India (one of the IIT) and right now working in a global FMCG brand (P&G) as a Line manager - my experience is entirely shop floor experience, do you think i am eligible for MBB, i have 2.5+YoE and will it be difficult for me?

It might be a big jump if you cannot demonstrate MBB relevant experience. 

So I would recommend that you adjust your goal to entering the consulting industry, to begin with, and then, later, to transition into MBB. 

That doesn't mean you shouldn't apply to MBB now, but that you shouldn't have the expectations that you'll get in on the first go. 

Apply broadly instead ot at least a dozen relevant firms and aim to join the industry. Gain experience and then reapply in 2 years or so to move into MBB. 

You might find this guide useful:

• Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

Best,
Cristian
 

Hi there,

With an IIT background and leadership experience at P&G, you’re certainly eligible for MBB. They do hire candidates from engineering and shop-floor roles when they can show strong problem-solving and leadership skills.

Switching without an MBA is possible, though more competitive. The key will be framing your operational experience in terms of business impact and demonstrating the capabilities MBB values, supported by strong networking and case preparation.

In short: yes, it’s feasible, but it will take targeted effort. Happy to chat more if you’d like help shaping your story or next steps.

Best,

Evelina

This is a fantastic execution focused profile, and I want to start by confirming that the direct entry path is absolutely feasible (although challenging). IIT and P&G at the 2.5-year mark places you squarely in the competitive ops lateral hire pool that all MBB firms are aggressively pursuing.

The difficulty you might face is not getting the interview—your brand names and proven competence will likely clear the initial HR screen—but translating your operational experience into the language of strategic consulting. As a line manager, your skills are likely heavily focused on execution, process optimization, and specific functional expertise. MBB hires screeners are looking for evidence that you can diagnose a strategic problem, manage C-suite ambiguity, and quantify impact across a broad industry, not just manage a shop floor efficiently. You need to shift your narrative from "I implemented X" to "I analyzed root cause Y, designed solution Z, and quantified the multi-million dollar impact."

To make the switch successfully, focus your immediate efforts on two things. First, deeply refine your resume and cover letter to emphasize the analytic and financial components of your P&G tenure. Every bullet point about operational improvement must include the metric—cost savings, cycle time reduction, inventory optimization—and the strategic why. Second, begin networking specifically into the firm's Operations Practices or Implementation teams. Getting a referral from someone who understands the value of deep operational expertise signals to the recruiting team exactly where you fit and helps bypass some of the generalist screening filters.

All the best with the pivot. You have a highly valuable foundation.

You’re asking the right question, and you’re asking it early enough.

Short answer: yes, you are eligible, and yes, the switch is feasible without an MBA. It is not easy, but it is very far from unrealistic.

Let me break it down cleanly.

1. Eligibility: you clear the bar on paper

An IIT undergraduate degree (top class and preferred school for Indian MBB offices)plus around 3 years at P&G (again, a company known to make future leaders)as a line manager (Line manager role in 2-3 years means I am assuming an above average performance)already puts you in a credible bucket for MBB.

MBB firms routinely hire:

• Engineers without MBAs
• Candidates from FMCG, manufacturing, and operations-heavy roles
• People with strong execution and leadership exposure early in their careers

So this is not about eligibility. You will not be rejected because you “don’t fit the profile.”

2. Where the real difficulty lies (and it’s not what most people think)

The main challenge is not getting interviews. With your background, interviews are very achievable.

The real challenge is translation.

Your experience today is likely described in terms of:

• Execution
• Process discipline
• People and shift management
• Operational firefighting

MBB, however, evaluates candidates on:

• Problem diagnosis under ambiguity
• Structuring unstructured business problems
• Quantifying impact and trade-offs
• Communicating decisions in a top-down, CEO-ready way

You already do parts of this implicitly on the shop floor. The problem is that your story probably doesn’t surface it explicitly yet.

3. What needs to change in your positioning

To be competitive, you must reframe your experience from what you ran to how you thought.

Instead of:

• “Managed a production line and improved efficiency”

You need:

• “Diagnosed root causes of throughput loss, evaluated multiple levers, and drove a prioritized solution that delivered X% cost reduction / Y% output uplift”

Every strong MBB resume bullet answers three questions:

1. What was the problem?
2. How did you analyze or structure it?
3. What was the quantified outcome?

This is fixable. But it requires intentional work.

4. Should you apply only to MBB or go broader?

Be pragmatic and strategic at the same time.

You should apply to MBB directly. There is no downside to trying now.

At the same time:

• Apply to strong Tier-2 strategy firms and MBB-aligned boutiques
• Target roles connected to operations, implementation, or transformation practices

Why?
Because once you are inside consulting, moving laterally into MBB becomes significantly easier than breaking in cold.

Think of this as maximizing probability, not lowering ambition.

5. MBA vs direct switch

An MBA is a convenience, not a requirement.

MBAs help by:

• Resetting the recruiting funnel
• Providing a structured entry point

But for profiles like yours, a direct switch is often faster and more capital-efficient if done well. Many consultants at MBB have made this move exactly from roles like yours.

Bottom line

• You are absolutely a viable candidate
• The switch is feasible without an MBA
• The gap is narrative, not capability
• With the right positioning, prep, and networking, this is a realistic next step

If you approach this deliberately rather than casually, your background is an asset, not a handicap.

Hi there,

Quick answer is yes it's possible but could be more tough as it's not the traditional route and you'd be an experienced hire, this is from the perspective of a generalist role. If you want to target being hired for your expertise in FMCG, then it could be easier, but this depends on office needs.