Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some guidance because I just received a third rejection from BCG. I had posted about a very similar rejection at Bain last week and this one a quite similar.
BCG opened their Experienced Hire Associate role last week at my target office after almost a year of no openings. I applied immediately, this time with a Partner referral, and my application was still rejected within two days without an interview.
To give some background:
I come from a non-target school and I’ve been in touch with the Associate recruiter of that office for almost two years now. A local Partner introduced us and I have been in constant touch with the recruiter. I had a formal call with her, and she told me that “I have your background and interest on my radar. If and when an Experienced Hire opportunity arises, I will reach out directly.” Last week when the Associate position opened, I emailed her again and she encouraged me to apply, so I applied immediately with a Partner referral.
Despite all of this, my application was rejected again within 48 hours. I don't even know if his referral was tied to my application given the turn around time.
This was particularly discouraging because I genuinely thought I had improved my chances this time. I’ve gained two years of work experience, graduated with a specialized business master’s degree last summer, and an ex-Bain Manager had help me to refine my resume and cover letter.
When I reached out to thank the recruiter and ask for guidance, she unexpectedly looped in a different recruiter who sits in different office but this team reviews experienced hire applications, saying that their team had reviewed my application. The new recruiter responded with a generic rejection message. After almost two years of speaking to the original recruiter, this felt surprising and honestly a bit surprising.
What makes this even harder is the job market right now.
I am on a visa, and early career roles in boutiqu consulting firms usually don' sponsor so I don't have a chance there as I keep getting rejected. I've also been trying outside consulting but sane story and most companies aren’t sponsoring either. I’ve applied to over 1,000+ jobs in the last few years, and I feel like I’m constantly running into walls. Feeling bad since this is my third attempt with BCG and I have put a lot of time and effort over the last 3 years.
I still want to pursue consulting, especially with BCG, but I’m not sure what more I need to do to even secure an interview opportunity and I feel like I've lost a connection with that recruiter as well.
I would really appreciate if you happen to have and advice for me because I think I'm genuinely lost with my job search right now.
Thank you so much!!
