MBA at a top 15 US business school: from summer internship at MBB Southeast Asia to full-time consulting in the US

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the MBB internship offer!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• Gaining experience with a top-tier strategy consulting company, even if in a different region, is highly valuable as it demonstrates your ability to perform at a high level and adapt to different environments. To maximize the value of your MBB internship, I would advise you to inhale the whole experience and carefully reflect on how you like the type of work, the clients, and the culture of the firm. This will help you better understand what you are looking for in a full-time role.
• Without more detailed information like a resume, it is hard to say anything specific about the top concerns of consulting firms in the US when considering your application. However, it is likely that they will be looking for a combination of crucial factors, such as English fluency, work visa for the US, and US work experience.
• When it comes to strategy consulting companies in the US, I would advise you to reach out to several companies where you feel, after your own research, would fit with you, and see how it feels in the interviews. As for non-consulting companies, it would depend on the specific industry and company. It's hard to give a general advice without more detailed information like a resume.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Congrats on the offer - that's fantastic!

(1) How does the summer internship experience at an MBB firm in Southeast Asia help if I eventually decide to recruit for consulting in the US for a full-time position? Any advice to maximize the value of the summer internship in SEA?

Any job helps your resume. A summer internship w/ MBB anywhere makes your resume stronger (brand).

When you recruit they will see MBB which improves your chances of being invited to interview.

For this summer internship, learn as much as you can, build up the network, and aim for a full time offer!

(2) What might be the top concerns of consulting firms in the US in deciding whether to proceed with my application and how to address those concerns? (might they be English fluency, US work experience, networking ability, client readiness, etc.?)

Address them in your resume. Put your languages clearly (english first), put down your citizenship/working rights (if you have US ones), and network extensively!

(3) Any advice for consulting firms in the US that I should strategically target (MBB/Big 4/Boutique firms)? Any ideas about the non-consulting companies which appreciate my background?

Network a ton, have a great resume, and apply to as many roles as possible.

Hi there,

Congratulations on the offer! In terms of your question:

1) How does the summer internship experience at an MBB firm in Southeast Asia help if I eventually decide to recruit for consulting in the US for a full-time position? Any advice to maximize the value of the summer internship in SEA?

It will make your CV stronger for sure for the full-time application. Whether it is possible to make a transition within the firm depends on the firm/office.

2) What might be the top concerns of consulting firms in the US in deciding whether to proceed with my application and how to address those concerns? (might they be English fluency, US work experience, networking ability, client readiness, etc.?)

Normally you need 3 things to apply to a foreign office:

1. Local language knowledge, unless otherwise stated
2. Visa
3. Connection with the country

I would recommend to find a referral for your application. You can find more on referrals here:

▶ How to Find an MBB Referral

▶ The Exact Steps to Get a Referral

3) Any advice for consulting firms in the US that I should strategically target (MBB/Big 4/Boutique firms)? Any ideas about the non-consulting companies which appreciate my background?

I would not limit the choice in terms of consulting – just apply to all those interesting to you (ideally with a referral). In terms of non-consulting companies, most will appreciate the non-MBB experience, would be good if you could give an indication of your interests for a more targeted answer.

Best,

Francesco

Congrats on your offer!

(1) How does the summer internship experience at an MBB firm in Southeast Asia help if I eventually decide to recruit for consulting in the US for a full-time position? Any advice to maximize the value of the summer internship in SEA?

→ Internship is absolutely the easiest way to get the offer if you do well. Though the offer would unlikely be in the USA but in the office where it is easy to get visa (e.g. your home country or Dubai). You could think about moving to the USA, but you would need to work with a full time position for the firm at least 1 yr. 

(2) What might be the top concerns of consulting firms in the US in deciding whether to proceed with my application and how to address those concerns? (might they be English fluency, US work experience, networking ability, client readiness, etc.?)

→ it is the same process as anywhere else & you need have work visa unless you have higher rank higher, eg. Partner above

(3) Any advice for consulting firms in the US that I should strategically target (MBB/Big 4/Boutique firms)? Any ideas about the non-consulting companies which appreciate my background?

→ Any you like, but definitely MBB, just visa will be mandatory

Good luck!

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Hi there, 

Congrats!

Let me take your questions one by one. 

(1) How does the summer internship experience at an MBB firm in Southeast Asia help if I eventually decide to recruit for consulting in the US for a full-time position? Any advice to maximize the value of the summer internship in SEA?

It helps in the sense that they know you can do the job already and you've already been vetted by one of them. It increases your chances significantly for converting it to a full-time position. The complex part is around the visa issue if you want to apply for US roles and the fact that the competition is arguably more intense. Alternatively you could consider staying in the SEA system for 1-2 years and then transfer.

(2) What might be the top concerns of consulting firms in the US in deciding whether to proceed with my application and how to address those concerns? (might they be English fluency, US work experience, networking ability, client readiness, etc.?)

Once you did an internship at MBB, they won't be concerned about english fluency or skills or any of this. Visa complexity remains an issue, plus the fact that you're competing with more people for a role. I would suggest you start the process early and really work on demonstrating in your cover letter and personal fit that you have a strong reason for wanting to be based in the US (i.e., show there's an intrinsic motivation so your location choice doesn't appear random). Having done your MBA in the US is a great hook. 

(3) Any advice for consulting firms in the US that I should strategically target (MBB/Big 4/Boutique firms)? Any ideas about the non-consulting companies which appreciate my background?

I would target all of them at this point. The market isn't great, so it's not an amazing time to be picky. Develop a proper application strategy (get support from a coach on this to do it well), and then apply in sequential waves, using the interviews as a form of free coaching to sharpen your skills for your preferred firms. 

Best,

Cristian
 

Some quick answers below

1. You can ask the SE Asia office to transfer your offer to the US office if that is something they will consider. Although that is usually very rare. That being said having an internship already puts you ahead of your peers when applying for consulting roles in the US
2. US offices would care about the same thing as other offices - which school you go to, GPA, work experience and how it is relevant to their clients etc. The one other factor unfortunately is also if they need to sponsor you. US offices sponsor but it is getting very hard these days
3. I would stick to larger companies and known brands such as Deloitte, Strategy&, Accenture etc as they are more likely to sponsor internationals.

Best,

Udayan

Usually the major concern for the US consulting firms is “how long will this person stay”. Of course they know most people will only stay for 2-3 years. Nevertheless, they'd rather hire people who they believe will want to stay in the long run vs. people who are already thinking about leaving a few years down the road.

Hello,

Congrats on getting the internship offer :)

I will just add one further point to what has been said by other coaches:

• In terms of applying for US offices, it is rare that you will be allowed to do an internship in SEA, get offered the full-time role by SEA and then automatically convert that to a US office
• This is because SEA and US are different systems with different P&Ls etc
• I have known of individuals who have gotten a full-time offer in one system, and then because of exceptional circumstances have needed to start/relocate urgently. They were still made to complete the case interview with the new offices they applied to.

Lastly, if you ever need to chat / discuss more about consulting in SEA, or consulting in SEA vs US, I'm happy to share my POV, experiences and tips anytime.