Hi all, I’m planning to apply for MBB and Tier 2 consulting full-time roles for 2026 in the US. I'm an international candidate with around 1 year of full-time experience at another consulting firm. I’m currently based overseas, so most of my networking has been through LinkedIn.
Does anyone know the best way to secure interviews as an international applicant?
Is the process primarily referral-based?
Great question. Networking in your case is definitely key to ensure that your profile is considered by the recruitment teams.
Depending on your actual degree (i.e., familiarity of US recruiters with your school and home market competitiveness), another option might be to focus on landing an offer in hour home market and transferring to a US offer once you’ve been with the firm for sufficient time. I have actually worked a lot with the inverse of this profile too (i.e., people with American degrees trying to land European jobs) and very happy to share learnings from this during a one-on-one.
Hey,
I wouldn't say the process is 'primarily' referral-based, but referrals can help with securing an interview.
Regardless of whether or not you get a referral, your CV and online assessment performance both need to be impressive, and so do your case and fit interviews.
My advice would be to speak with recruiters and consultants at the firms/offices you are interested in. Try to understand the current hiring situation. Through this networking, you may find someone who is also willing to refer you.
If this doesn't work out - as another coach has mentioned, you could join a local office and then seek to move globally. It will take time to achieve this, and international mobility among top firms is less ubiquitous than it once was.
Best of luck, and happy to take a look at your application if helpful.
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