Ideas on how to obtain referrals for strategic consulting

Hi there,

Cold messages to random consultants rarely work because there is nothing for them to say yes to. What worked better when I was recruiting, and what I later saw from the other side on Kearney's recruiting team in Dubai, is narrowing the list and making the ask small.

Start with people who share something with you, the same university, previous employer or home country. Ask for 15 minutes on what their office looks for, not for a referral. If the call goes well, most people offer to pass your CV on themselves.

Also check each firm's careers page for events and virtual open days. Recruiters remember names from those, and that often counts as much as a referral.

If it helps, I am happy to run a free case with you. Just reach out through PrepLounge.

Best,
Nikola

Hi Filippo,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, cold messages work much better when you share something with the other person, for example the same university, a former employer or the same home country. I would advise you to ask for a short call about their experience at the consulting firm first, and not for the referral right away.
• Moreover, I would advise you to use the recruiting events of the consulting firms and the alumni network of your university. These are by far the easiest ways to get to know consultants who are actually open to talk to candidates.
• Lastly, please keep in mind that a referral is helpful, but not a must. Many candidates get invited without one, so I would not delay your applications only because of a missing referral, and rather make sure that your application files are really sharp.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files, for your upcoming pre-interview assessments and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

you're doing it wrong. You don't need a good support network. There's right ways to do it and wrong ways. For example, I have a full google drive of messages I've received that I've labelled as "good - I responded" and "bad - I didn't respond". This comes with my course of course. Now, some high level tips:

a) Reach out to people in your network

b) Reach out to people once removed from your network

c) Reach out to people with a similar backgorund to you (i.e. same alma mater, same historically underrepresented demographic i.e. gender, orientation, ethnicity, etc., same career switch, etc.)

d) Tailor a message to them specifically both showing interest in them and their journey and demonstrating that you have done your research and could be a valuable hire

e) Play "tag" across calls you get so that you can work your way towards the company/office/role you want

f) Never directly ask for a referral, but "hint" at needing one (this is nuanced and important...happy to talk through wording)

We're literally just covering the surface now. I highly recommend my Applications Course, which dives into networking, outreach, informational calls and referrals.