Werde aktiv in unserer Community aus über 448.000 Gleichgesinnten!

Verabrede dich zum Casen über das Meeting-Board, nimm an Diskussionen in unserem Consulting Q&A teil und finde gleichgesinnte Case-Partner, um dich auszutauschen und gemeinsam zu üben!

Haven't heard back from McKinsey and Bain in US (applied 2 months ago) . Should I apply to Singapore/London/India/Dubai?

COVID location MBB
Neue Antwort am 22. Jan. 2021
6 Antworten
1,4 T. Views
Anonym A fragte am 20. Jan. 2021

Please note I am also actively looking for case coaches. ( I am in EST)

Hello Guys,

Context :

I am a recent MBA graduate and couple of my potential interviews at Tier-2 Consulting firms fell through during the pandemic. As I am an international student in the US it is getting very tough for me to get interviews given the current social unrest and COVID-19. I have researched more than 250 consulting firms and applied to the ones that fit my interest and skills. I applied to MBB with referrals from Managers-Directors. But haven't heard back from McKinsey and Bain and got rejected from BCG after I took the first round-Pymetrics test. I am still a fresh a MBA graduate and not an Industry hire and it's getting tough for me to explain this situation to recruiters. I am committed to consulting and have done more than 70 cases. I have now given up on a future with MBB in the US and I am willing to work in pre-dominantly english speaking countries such as Singapore/ London /Dubai and India (Native). I have experince as a Venture Capital fellow, worked in a Multi-Family Office ( $10-$15 B AUM) , Consulitng ( FMCG + Insurance) and Chemical Manufacturing Industry. I am tired of the H1B sponsorship based rejections, bias towards US citizens vs International students in the US and other irrelevant nationality based factors that HR professionals in some firms use to sort out candidates.

Questions -

I'll like to know from you

1) Which countries I should target for MBB + (Tier 2) except USA ?

2) Should I change my location preference in my active existing application at McKinsey and Bain to the aforementioned Countries ? ( Pros vs Cons)

3) Should I re-apply to BCG in Non-US countries ?

4) I also have referrals from Roland Berger (EM) , ZS (Consultant), Strategy& (Alum), Deloitte (M.D), EY-Parthenon (M.D) all in the US. But no interview luck so far as the hiring is very low. I am not sure how long can I wait ? Clock is ticking as the H1B sponsorship date is coming close and I am committed to consulting. Has anyone had luck with these firms in the US recently through the Industry hire route in the US ?

Thanky you in advance.

(editiert)

Übersicht der Antworten

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Datum aufsteigend
  • Datum absteigend
Beste Antwort
Ken
Experte
antwortete am 20. Jan. 2021
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

Sorry to hear you've been experiencing a hard time... It's hard to comment without knowing your full profile and so feel free to DM me but a few thoughts below based on your questions:

1. Starting with your home country is a no brainer. If that is India then there is a large contingency of Indian consultants based in Dubai. Slightly dependent on how competitive your profile is (e.g., MBA school) but I would probably avoid London unless you personally feel strongly about it. Singapore will be challenging assuming you require a visa

2. If you have a dialogue going with the recruitment team then it's worth raising that you are geographically mobile. At the same time, if you have a strong profile, recruiters will usually try to propose alternatives as MBBs don't easily let talent walk out of the front door!

3. If you have already been rejected by a specific office then you will not be able to apply for another 12-18 months to any BCG office

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Anonym B am 15. Juli 2021

Hello if i didnt pass the McKinsey PSG, is it possible next year to ask the same referral to pass my resume ? Given i have gained new experience

Ken am 15. Juli 2021

Doesn't hurt to ask but I'm not sure it will make a meaningful difference

Francesco
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 21. Jan. 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Sorry to hear you found challenging to get interviews so far. In terms of your questions:

1. You should consider countries where:

  • You have easy working rights
  • You speak the local language
  • Someone can refer you there / you have a local connection

India and Dubai on paper should be the easiest.

Singapore is quite tough at the moment due to higher restrictions on foreigners.

2. Unless you have local referrals in the new country it won’t probably make a difference

3. In theory you have the ban for at least 12 months. In practice I know people who managed to do so with a referral within the ban. This rarely works though. If you try to apply again with a referral, I would be transparent with the person referring you on the fact you already applied in the past

Best,
Francesco

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Gaurav
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 22. Jan. 2021
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Hi there,

sorry to hear it's been tough for you. The pandemic didn't make it easier..

1. Countries where you are allowed to work. Where in India are you rn?

2. That could be an option. However, it depends on when you've applied. If you were rejected, it is possible that you are still in the ban period

3. See #2

4. It might be due to the fact that you require a visa to legally work there (as fas as I understood from your message)

I'd be happy to help you further - also with cases. Hit me up if you need any further help!

Cheers,

GB

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Clara
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 20. Jan. 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

To quickly add on top of what has been shared before, the first thing that I would do is follow up with the school recruiters, to see what is going on with those applications. With that input, I would then decide.

Cheers,

Clara

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Anonym A am 20. Jan. 2021

Hi Clara, my school is a non-target school in Boston and recruiters don't show up at our school. When the pandemic hit in the US in March, I stopped applying to Consulting firms as I feared that I will be rejected immediately as there was not going to be a need for Consultants. Hence, I applied in September and by that time I had graduated. I am still a Fresh MBA graduate but had to apply through the student pipeline, which is tough. Hope this helps.

Ian
Experte
Content Creator
antwortete am 20. Jan. 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

A lot to unpack here!

First, you seem to approaching this all exactly the right way. You have a solid background and are networking/researching well.

Second, hold off on MBB for the moment...you need to let the application process play out. Reach out to HR and/or your referees to get an update.

1) You need to target places where it "makes sense". So, where, on your resume, that country is listed! I.e. you have citizenship, working rights, speak the language (English doesn't count here), have worked, have studied, etc.

2) Probably not. A bit late. But, this can be an "excuse" to reach out to HR

3) Yes, but you need to wait at least a year. See point 1 above

4) Hmmm. This is odd that you can't get interviews even with referrals. I have two thoughts: 1) Your non-US nationality may be something companies don't want to deal with 2) You resume may not be very good. Send me through your resume so I can tell you if it needs work!

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Denis
Experte
antwortete am 20. Jan. 2021
Goldman Sachs Investment Banker NYC | Ex-Bain 5 yrs| MBA Chicago Booth | Passed > 13 MBB > 20 IB interviews

Hi,

I feel you and agree that the US labor market is heavily biased at the moment (for probably good reasons on their side).

I see 2 options:

  • pursue consulting MBB, tier-2 in Canada, London (wanted to name Switzerland as for example the Bain office in Zurich is the most diverse I ve ever seen and there are plenty of ppl who do not speak German or French, just English)
  • find the best possible corporate position (ideally corporate dev, corporate strategy) at a super well known big company to basically wait out Covid and then re-apply to consulting firms

You can push hard to get into any consulting firm now - and I think that Tier-2 firms are more likely for you at this point given you are not in the bucket MBA cycle candidate. Tier-2 would of course be preferred over corporate positions, but if consulting does not work out, dont wait too long to have a gap on your resume - go for the big corporate firms (GE, Bayer, Automotive, Unilever, Johnson&Johnson, Google, Apple etc) to get a nice consulting-related position. If you then re-apply to MBB in around 18-24 months, there will be a nice chance you get the interviews.

Many candidates still blindly believe that now is a good time to get into consulting. And yes, I know all the stories / news / propaganda from MBB that they are still growing and super successful, but I doubt that. I have a feeling for the development (hiring, firing) for MBB in the DACH region, for example, since COVID started (based on friends still working there) and the development (and also the intention) seems pretty clear to me (and obv much more risky vs pre-COVID times). My point is, dont force it, avoid getting blacklisted for no reason, go for corporate or tier-2 consulting and re-apply after COVID is done.

Feel free to DM me with more specific follow-up questions.

Best,
Denis

War diese Antwort hilfreich?
Wie wahrscheinlich ist es, dass du uns einem Freund oder Kommilitonen empfiehlst?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 = Nicht wahrscheinlich
10 = Sehr wahrscheinlich