BCG referral

Hi Chris,

1) I'm asking around for a referral to BCG. Would someone like to reach out to me? 

You should connect with current consultants to get a referral.

I wrote down some tips below on referrals, hope can be useful.

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To find a referral, you should follow three main steps:

1. Identify the people that can help you
2. Write to them a customized email
3. Have a call and indirectly ask for a referral

As general tips:

• Don’t use LinkedIn for your communication – emails work better. You should target 30% conversion for your messages; if you are not achieving that, there is space for improvement
• When sending emails, your goal should be to organize a call, not to ask questions – you can then use the call for the questions
• You need to close the call with an indirect request for a referral – don’t leave that to chances. There are specific ways to phrase it

You should prepare three main things before the call:

• Your own pitch. 3-4 lines should be enough
• 3-4 questions on the personal experiences of the person. Avoid to ask questions about the company
• A closing question for the referral. It should be an indirect request to avoid being too pushy

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You can find more on how to get referrals here:

▶ How to Get an MBB Referral

If you need more help, I also do a session with scripts to use, access to my network and every other info to land one. Please feel free to PM me for more info.

2) Do the referrers get paid?

If a consultant refers someone, they can get a bonus in some cases if the person is hired. Additionally, if a headhunter finds and recommends you and you are hired, the headhunter gets paid.

Best,

Francesco

Hi Chris,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• While, contrary to what other coaches have said, securing a referral is not such a difficult task, I think you are asking for one in the wrong forum.
• I would highly advise you to reach out to current consulting staff of your target companies and offices, e.g., via LinkedIn, have a (virtual) coffee chat, and see how things develop.

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

Hi there,

I wish you success but don't see this as a viable strategy.

Instead, you should pursue real connections through your network, including school alumni. A quick linkedin search will show you how you're connected to MBB and you'll take it from there.

A referral is usually the outcome of a genuine connection between two people, and not the leading question when casting such a wide net in a somewhat anonymous forum.

Please let me know if you'd like to discuss deeper. Best of luck!

Moritz

Hi there,

not exactly sure what you’re trying ti achieve with this post, but if you’d like to score a referral from any firm, suggest you take a less transactional approach but invest into generally building relationship.

Wish you good luck.

Regards, Andi

Hi Chris,

My strong recommendation is to get networking!

Yes referrers get paid but a recommendation is the individual saying “I think this person will be good”. 

As such, they won't just hand out random referrers (at least, “good” consultants won't).

Additionally, for the higher level referrers (project leads, principals, partners), you need to “earn” it from a call.

Reach out to people on linkedin with a tailored but concise message and aim for calls. 

Hello,

It's a great idea to get a referral for BCG! I recommend trying to be a bit more proactive about it: reach out directly to people in the office/practice you are interested in applying in on LinkedIn, send cold emails, go to recruiting events if there are any in your area. People will rarely reach out to you upfront to refer you unless you do the work of reaching out. Referrers do not get paid, so it really is all about developing a connection with someone. Best of luck!

Idk what these people are talking about, referrals are easy to get. Go on Fishbowl to ask for one though, everyone here is trying to sell you something.

There's a difference between giving a referral and a recommendation. A recommendation is something you'd need to network for, a referral takes about 1 minute to do and the referrer gets a bonus if you're hired.

Hi,

as a consultant at a firm, you take a reputational risk if you refer people whose profiles don‘t meet the standards or who end up bombing the first interviews. You can get away with it once or twice but if you keep referring random people who message you on e.g. fishbowl without properly vetting their general suitability first, your standing with HR and subsequently with the management team is going to take a hit. 

Maybe not everyone is considering it like that but I never gave a referral unless I was convinced that a candidate’s profile matched with what the firm could use and that there was a decent chance that the candidate would handle themselves well in the first round interview at least. 
 

Hope that gives you some perspective.

Best of luck
 

Sorry, doesn't work that way. You have to earn it. 

No one in their mind will give out a recommendation for someone they don't know (as it will hurt their own reputation, and it's probably going to be the last recommendation someone accepts from them). 

You are going to have to network for this one. And using a different approach. You have to be the one reaching out to people - the other way around simply won't happen.

Hello,

It's great to hear that you're interested in BCG and that you have a diverse background in both science and business! However, I just want to clarify that asking for a referral is not the same as reaching out to a staffing firm. Referrals are usually given by people who know you well and can vouch for your skills and experience.

Regarding your question about whether referrers get paid, the answer is generally no. Referrals are made based on personal connections and a desire to help someone else succeed, not for financial gain.

If you're interested in pursuing a career at BCG, I would recommend networking with current employees and attending recruiting events. These are great opportunities to learn more about the firm and to make connections with people who can refer you in the future.

Best of luck with your job search!