Referral from MBB

Hi there,

A referral is just a door opener such that the recruiting team will look through your application more thoroughly. Depending on the seniority, tenure and advocacy of the person referring you, you have a better chance of getting a first round interview. The more senior (manager level and above) the person referring you is, the better. The longer the tenure of that person with the firm is, the better. 

The reason is that such voices carry more weight than referrals coming from super junior or brand new people. They typically know the HR folks better and have been involved in recruiting activities for a while so it is usually assumed that they have a good grasp of what types of candidates with which sets of qualifications the firm needs. But any referral is better than no referral.

Ideally, you get a referral from someone from the same office (or same country) you are applying to. But again, a referral from someone within the same firm but different country organization is still better than no referral.

A direct rejection after the CV screening stage can still happen - even with a referral. In that case the HR team usually provides some feedback to the person having given the referral. So you should follow up with them to better understand the rationale in case that happens. On the flipside, you can still get an interview invite when you just apply online without a referral - the probability is just lower on average, especially when your CV is not stellar.

And as always, factors such as economic conditions and headcount/budget planning of the individual firm also matter significantly in these decisions - but they are not within your control.

Best

Hello!

Indeed, since what the referral ensures is your CV being reviewed by HR, and not tossed before that. As a BA I made several of friends of mine who were strong fits, and two got offers. 

Good luck!

Clara

Hi! Yes, anybody can give a referral. However, I usually guide my mentees to only use partner or junior partner referrals - because the effectiveness is much much higher.

Interestingly most people are afraid of reaching out to partners. And this is an advantage for thoughtful candidates. Because if done in the right way, it is almost as good as a guaranteed interview slot.

Cheers, Sidi

Hi,

Yes, any employee can do a referral. Feel free to ask your friend

Best

Hi Anonymous,

yes they can, however their referral would not be very strong; I would recommend to target managers or principals if possible, as their referral would be stronger (partners referral would of course be even better but it is unlikely they will bother with a referral, unless you know one personally).

Best,

Francesco

Hi,
yes, even junior BA can present referrals.

Best,
Antonello

Hello there,

Yes, of course! All consultants within the firms are allowed to make referrals, this includes BAs, even pre-BAs.

Kind regards,
Nathan

As others mentioned, anyone can submit a referral. To boost your chance though, a referral from a senior person would carry a lot mor weight than a junior one.

Best,

Emily