MBB Application process across multiple countries in the DACH region (Germany/Switzerland)

Question

Hi, I have a question regarding the application process at MBB when applying to different countries within the DACH region for a full-time consultant job (Germany/Austria and Switzerland).

For example, if I indicate Zurich (Switzerland) as my first preference and Munich (Germany) as my second preference : Are the application documents first reviewed exclusively by the Swiss recruiting team and in case of a rejection only then forwarded to the German/Austrian recruiting team? In other words, if the Swiss recruiting team rejects an application, does this constitute a final rejection overall, or can the application still be considered by the Germany/Austria offices?

Or are the application documents reviewed in parallel by both offices, meaning that one could theoretically receive invitations to assessments and interviews from both and participate in two independent processes?

And how does it work in the reverse case: If Munich is the first preference and Zurich the second - does the process work analogously (i.e., first review by Germany/Austria and only then, if applicable, forwarding to Switzerland), or are there differences?

Answer 1

Hi,

First of all, recruiting is often centralized across multiple offices. In many cases, a single recruiting team covers several offices;This means your application is typically screened once, not separately by each office.

If your profile is strong enough, you’re “in the system” and can be routed to different offices. At that point, they may invite you to interview in your preferred office or redirect you to another one depending on hiring needs and fit.

On the other hand, if your application doesn’t pass the initial screening, that’s usually a rejection across all offices. They don’t re-evaluate the same CV multiple times office by office.

In setups where recruiting is less centralized, your first-choice office will still do the main screening. If you pass, they may either keep you or pass your application to another office. If you don’t pass, you’re typically out; it doesn’t restart with your second choice.

So in practice, it’s not parallel processes across offices, but one main screening decision.

Hope this helps; if you want to go deeper, feel free to DM me.
Franco

Answer 2

Hi, it depends on the firm, but there are some common patterns.

In many cases (especially in MBB), DACH is treated as a cluster of offices with fairly centralized recruiting, but not fully unified.

What typically happens:

Your first choice office usually leads the process
They do the initial screening and decide whether to move forward
If they reject, your application can still be considered by your second choice, but it’s not automatic

So it’s not always:
“Switzerland rejects → process ends”

But it’s also not a fully parallel process where both offices independently assess you from day one.

In some cases, profiles are shared across offices, especially if:

your profile is strong
there is demand in another office
you explicitly indicated flexibility

On the flip side, it’s quite rare to run two completely separate processes in parallel (e.g., interviewing with Zurich and Munich at the same time), unless there’s a specific reason.

On the reverse case (Munich first, Zurich second), the logic is usually the same:

first office leads
second office may step in if relevant

That said, there are exceptions depending on:

the firm
the year / hiring needs
how flexible you are on location

Practical takeaway:
Choose your first preference carefully, but don’t overthink it too much. If your profile is strong, firms will usually try to find a place for you within the region.

If you’re open geographically, it can help to make that clear during the process.

Answer 3

Hi there,

Generally, you can only submit one application per year. Period.

This means when you apply, you're applying for both offices at once (if they allow you to indicate two preferences). The internal routing... whether they review in parallel or sequentially... is something you need to check directly with each firm through networking.

Don't assume. Reach out to recruiters and consultants at the relevant offices and ask. They'll tell you.

Worth going deep on office selection and applications strategy: The Complete MBB Applications Course.

And search The Consulting Offer Blueprint on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for the broader recruiting approach.