Preparing for entry-level strategy consulting roles. Would love quick tips on which firms to target, key skills to build, and best outreach tactics. Thanks in advance!

Hi there,

Thanks a lot for sharing your question.

Just a quick note upfront: I’d recommend removing your CV link from this public thread. The Q&A forum is accessible to everyone, and your CV contains personal information that’s better kept private.

Of course, the community can absolutely share tips here, but if you’d like more in‑depth and tailored feedback on your CV or application, it’s usually worth booking a dedicated CV review with a coach. Many coaches on PrepLounge offer this service and can give you very concrete improvements in a short time.

You can find all coaches who offer CV reviews here.
 

Wishing you the best of luck with your preparation – and feel free to keep asking questions here, the community will be happy to help! 

Best, 
Charlotte PrepLounge Team

Hey,

Thanks for the thoughtful and well-structured message — plus one for clarity already 👏

Let me respond point by point, based on both my own experience and helping others break into consulting across continents:

1️⃣ 

Target Roles & Firms
 

Without knowing your full background, let me say this first:

Don’t self-select out of MBB or top-tier firms.

If you’re still early in your career and have a solid academic and leadership track record, go ahead and aim high — MBB, Tier 2 (OW, Kearney, RB), and top boutiques.

Yes, in-house strategy teams and smaller consultancies are great options too, but start at the top — firms will calibrate you based on fit, and not applying only guarantees you don’t get in.
 

If there’s a specific reason you’re holding back (e.g., geography, GPA, background), feel free to share — happy to offer more targeted advice.

2️⃣ 

Skill-Building Priorities

No need to stress over advanced Excel at this stage — basic comfort is enough for interviews.

The two most valuable skills you can focus on:
 

• Structured communication – This is huge in consulting. Practice speaking in a top-down way, synthesizing clearly, and being concise under time pressure. Case prep helps here, as do debates, mock presentations, or even Toastmasters.
• Problem structuring + mental math – You don’t need to be a math genius, but you do need to break down problems logically, estimate quickly, and be confident doing it live in interviews.
   

Slide structuring is helpful, but comes later in the job. Don’t let that slow your prep now.

3️⃣ 

Networking & Outreach
 

All the strategies you mentioned are valid — but cold LinkedIn networking with a personalized message has worked best for me and many others I’ve coached.

Here’s what I recommend:
 

• Reach out to recent grads or analysts/associates at your target firms (they’re most likely to respond)
• Keep your message short, respectful, and specific — mention something about their background or office that stood out to you
• Build relationships, not just referrals
   

I’ve used this strategy to land interviews across three continents, and I’d be happy to help you craft a messaging plan if you want.
 

Happy to chat more if you’d like feedback on your CV or help mapping out your prep strategy. You’re asking the right questions — just don’t forget to stay in the game at the top level while you work on all this.

Best,

Pallav

In addition to all of the great points above, I would also try to use this time to get more familiar with the industry landscape and start to get a sense of your preferences and what your personal story is that you can bring to these organizations alongside of the case prep.

Super exciting times ahead for you so please feel free to reach out for an intro chat if you want to chat through some more specifics. 

Hi there, 

Happy to take these one by one. But indeed, as the PrepLounge comment below mentions, you'd benefit more from working with a coach methodically through these areas. This is typically what I would discuss with the candidates as part of the first session. 

Re your first Q - take a look at the following guide that will answer this question and other related ones you might have:

• Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

Re skills - none of the ones you mentioned are critical for the interview, since almost no consulting interviews require slide-making (aside from some written case formats that some firms use). What matters instead are structured thinking, first principles thinking, top down communication, creativity, business acumen, among others. 

Re networking and outreach. I wrote two guides on this you can use as a starting point:

• Expert Guide: How To Handle Networking Calls and Get Referrals
• Expert Guide: How To Get Referrals Via LinkedIn?

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out directly. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi Nanam, 

You've received excellent advice from other coaches so far, and I'll add a few incremental tips that've helped many of my coaching clients secure offers. 

• When it comes to firm targeting, think of it as a portfolio: apply broadly, but prioritize firms where you can tell a strong why us story. This should link your background/interests to the firm's strengths.
• From a networking perspective, don’t just ask for coffee chats—create micro-hooks that stand out (what's differentiating about you, how does your background connect to the person's) and make clear and time-bounded asks (15-20min in the next 2 weeks on )
• Lastly, the resume could be strengthened for the consulting firm reviewer by (1) quantifying impact and/or scope of problems more consistently, (2) pulling key action words to the front of each bullet, and (3) doing a bit of clean-up on formatting for a more professional look. 

I'd be happy to set up a session with you to strategize, polish your resume, and prepare you to break into consulting!