Apply now or wait?

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about the rejections!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, and contrary to what other coaches said, nobody knows for certain when the best moment will be for you to apply. While there is a possibility that we will reach the economic low soon, this might as well take another 6-12 months, about which I feel you would not be willing to wait for obvious reasons.
• Moreover, it still seems like your application might not have been your strongest. Therefore, I would highly advise you to ensure you submit the best possible application, including polished application files and a strong referral, and apply whenever you feel ready for the interviews.
• Lastly, to my knowledge, most strategy consulting companies in Switzerland have either applied a hiring slowdown or freeze. Still, as I mentioned before, nobody knows for certain whether the situation will improve over the next 6-12 months.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

1. Usually “ban” is 12 months.

2. You can apply now and again in a year. If you only apply by the end of '23, you are basically wasting one opportunity

3. Consulting firms tend to prefer inexperienced candidates. The more experience you have, the more difficult it becomes to get in.

4. The economy is not going to be better 6 months from now

5. If they reject you because they have a hiring freeze, I doubt they will enforce ban period, as in this case it wasn't your specific CV that was rejected.

Hi there,

You should not make a decision based on what we say here.

You should make a data-based decision based on your networking.

Speak to the people at the office.

If they recommend you apply. Apply. Even better if those chats lead to a referral.

If they recommend you wait…wait.

It's truly that simple!

I would highly recommend reaching out to people in the office to see what the situation is like. Personally I would recommend waiting as the hiring situation does not look good right now.

Hi,

You might as well try and apply to the consulting firms you are interested in. 
 

Yes, hiring has slowed down and the competition for the remaining slots is even higher. But this situation might very well last for the next year or so. So even if you get rejected, your ban period would overlap with the economic downturn. Not sure if holding back with your application trying to time for better market conditions is a safer bet at this point. 
 

Good luck