Strategy company with no Experience

very common...  keep in mind that majority of analyst coming out of school or mba programs have no prior consulting experience. firms don't hire them for what they know, but for how they think.

1. the "fresh start" model

mbb and tier 2 firms are designed to be "teaching firms." they have massive training budgets because they expect to teach you their specific methodology from day one. as long as you have a strong academic record, they assume you are coachable.

2. what actually matters

if you don't have experience, firms look at three things:

• academics: high gpa or test scores to prove you can handle the workload.

• leadership: being a lead in a club, sport, or volunteer group to show you can take initiative.

• the case interview: this is where you prove you have the "consulting brain." if you can crush a case, your lack of experience doesn't matter.

3. networking is the bridge

since you don't have a consulting resume, you need a referral to get past the initial screening. talk to alumni from your school who are already at these firms. they know the "zero experience" path because they likely took it themselves.

Hi there,

Yes — it is absolutely possible to get into MBB, Tier-2, or boutique consulting firms with no full-time work experience, but how you do it matters.

This typically happens through entry-level or graduate pipelines, where firms are explicitly hiring for potential rather than experience. In those cases, they look for:

• Strong academics (or clear upward trajectory)
• Structured thinking and problem-solving ability
• Leadership or initiative (student orgs, research, startups, case competitions, internships)
• Clear motivation for consulting

What matters less is whether you’ve had a “consulting job” before, and more whether you can demonstrate:

• How you approach ambiguous problems
• How you communicate clearly and logically
• That you’ve taken ownership or driven impact somewhere, even outside work

For boutiques especially, people often break in from non-traditional backgrounds if they show strong thinking and fit. MBB is more competitive, but many analysts and associates join straight from university with no prior experience beyond internships or extracurriculars.

If you’re applying outside graduate pipelines (experienced hire roles), then lack of experience is usually a blocker. But for entry-level roles, it’s very much doable.

In short: no experience doesn’t disqualify you — but you need to compensate with strong signals elsewhere and be targeting the right roles.

Best,
Evelina

That’s a question everyone asks, and the simple answer is yes, it is possible—but only if you correctly understand how the firms define "experience."

For entry-level roles (Analyst or Associate), the firms are primarily recruiting for raw potential and structured thinking, not specialized industry background. If you are coming directly from undergrad or a Masters program, your "experience" is measured by proxies. Your "experience" must be demonstrated through outstanding academic achievement, verifiable leadership roles (club presidencies, competitive sports, non-profit impact), and quantifiable results in previous internships or side projects, even if they aren't traditionally "business" focused. The core skill they seek is the ability to break down complex problems, which you can show from research or high-level intellectual pursuits.

Where this gets significantly harder is outside of the standard, structured campus recruiting funnel. If you are applying mid-career with a non-traditional background and no clear, established transferable skills, you face a black box resume screen built to filter quickly. The automated systems are designed to reject applications that lack certain established professional keywords or recognized employer names.

The only way to overcome a lack of relevant work history is through aggressive, targeted networking to secure a referral. A referral doesn't guarantee a job, but it forces a human review of your application, bypassing the initial automated filters that will instantly ding an otherwise strong profile. Focus less on the label "experience" and more on demonstrating the core consulting competencies—intellectual curiosity, leadership, and communication—using whatever high-impact achievements you have available.

Hope this helps frame your application strategy!

Yes, absolutely. In fact, most consulting firms hire people straight out of university with no work experience at all.

MBB, tier 2 firms, and boutiques all have graduate hiring programs. They are designed for people who have just finished their degree and have never worked full time. So if you are a student or recent graduate, you are exactly who they are looking for in those roles.

What matters when you have no experience

Your academic background. Strong grades from a good university help. It is not the only thing, but it opens doors.

Problem solving ability. This is what the case interview tests. Can you break down a messy problem and think through it logically? You don't need work experience to do this well.

Leadership and impact outside of work. Internships, university clubs, sports teams, volunteer work, personal projects. Anything where you took initiative, led something, or made an impact. This is what they ask about in behavioral interviews.

Communication skills. Can you explain your thinking clearly? Can you hold a structured conversation? This matters a lot.

Some other things worth knowing

The bar is high even for no-experience roles. These firms get thousands of applications. You need to stand out through your academics, your activities, or your story.

Networking helps. A referral from someone inside the firm makes a real difference, especially at smaller boutiques.

Internships are the easiest path in. If you can get a summer internship at a consulting firm, that often converts to a full time offer. It is much easier than applying cold after graduation.

If you are not from a target university, it is harder but not impossible. You just need to work harder on networking and making sure your application stands out.

So yes, it is very possible. The whole entry level consulting model is built around hiring smart people with no experience and training them.

It would be helpful to have more context about your background. But generally it is possible. You would be looking at Business Analyst or Junior Associate roles at McKinsey.

That's virtually how most graduates get into consulting. 

They don't expect you to have business experience or knowledge since you're at the very start of your career. 

What they are interested in is:

1 do you have the sort of skills that are valuable in consulting

2 are you genuinely interested in consulting and can you prove that from previous internships or participation in societies

3 do you have a strong common sense which you exhibit in the case

4 are you coachable

These are 80% of what matters.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

It is definitely possible. MBB hires plenty of fresh grads with no experience. It will then be a matter of whether or not you can land an interview - if you're from a feeder school, then this is more possible. After landing the interview, you'll have to ace it.