Is experience hire usually identified as an "industry expert" instead of "generalist"?

Question

I am curious about the skill set requirement/expectation of "experienced hire" vs. "MBA hire". I have already graduated from MBA and I am currently working in another tier 2 consulting firm (for 1 year). I am planning to apply for "experienced hire" this year.

I have heard that experienced hire usually target candidates with 5-7 years of experience in a specific industry. Companies expect them to have specific industry knowledge, and the experienced hire vacancies are based on project needs. If this is true, does it mean that an experienced hire will not be considered for a generalist role like MBA hires? On the other hand, skill set requirement for MBA hires seem to be quite flexible (i.e. not seeking for specific industry / function expertise). As my work experience is has covered quite a wide range, my skill set is more "multi-dimensional" instead of possessing one specific skill. Will this make my profile not attractive, given that I can only apply as an experience hire? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Hi there,

You're essentially asking about expert/specialist track. You would not come in as a specialist/expert but rather a generalist hire.

This is not a problem!

I can assure you that most experienced hires actually come in as generalists, and they still do quite well. specialists/experts only happen if you're coming in at the manager/project lead level and/or you have many many years of industry experience.

Source 1: All of my candidates

Source 2: Myself (I was in IT Consulting for 4 years, did my MBA, and aced all 8 of my interviews for all but 2 generalist roles)

Answer 2

Hi there,

The term “experienced hire” is generic and could mean different things, also depending on the firm. Usually:

You did an MBA and worked 1-2 years (your case), or
You have several years of work experience in a particular industry (5+)

In the first case, you can join without problems with a generalist position. In the second, you normally join as an expert in a specific industry.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi there,

Experienced hire just means that you are not directly hired after graduation but have several years of work experience under your belt (e.g., for McK Germany this usually is >3 years of full-time work experience).

You can join as an experienced hire both as a

generalist
expert

depending on your experience and the available positions.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 4

Depending on the firm and role you can come in as a specialist/expert or generalist. Both are fine and depends on fit both ways- you and the firm.

I joined as an experienced hire after MBA as a generalist and then moved to more specialised roles over the years.

Answer 5

Hi, I confirm if you are not joining a specific practice you can join as a generalist even if you are an MBA hire

Best,
Antonello