Hello there,
Last year, I managed to get to the last round of McKinsey and BCG Dubai aided by partners' referrals. I am re-applying this year and trying to bridge my shortcomings to finally transition to strategy consulting.
I am a non-traditional candidate (Bachelors in Econ + Master in Public Policy Management from an elite school in Europe, but not a top business school). I have 4+ years of experience, including few gigs with a boutique strategy consulting firm, 2 years at the United Nations, and 2+ years as a sustainability consultant for large accounts in a rising tech company.
I am struggling to get interviews:
- I got in touch with an Oliver Wyman Principal but HR told them that they were focusing on Arabic speakers and more traditional candidates.
- I reached out again to BCG, but the HR has changed and basically told me to wait for new openings. They said there would be openings in January but nothing so far on the website. Yet I know there are internal postings... Maybe I should reach out again to the partner who referred me.
- I have reached out again to the partner who referred me at McKinsey. No response so far.
- Another strategy consulting firm in my locality this time (not in the GCC) is not hiring anymore.
- I have reached out to partners on LinkedIn, notably Bain in he GCC, but no luck so far.
I feel like I am getting not opportunity to prove my worth. It is already very difficult in my country as they overly prefer business schools candidates but I did not expect the same in the GCC. It is quite frustrating.
What can I do differently?
Thank you for your responses!
