Hi there,

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for a lot of users, thus I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• In general, strategy consulting firms tend to hire a mix of specialists and generalists. Specialists are consultants who have deep expertise in a particular industry, function, or area, while generalists are consultants who have broad skills and experience across multiple domains.
• In terms of your background in social impact, this can be a valuable asset in the strategy consulting industry, as many firms are increasingly focusing on sustainability and social responsibility. You may be able to leverage your experience and skills to work with social and public sector clients, as well as corporate clients. However, it's important to keep in mind that the specific projects and clients you work with will ultimately depend on the needs of the firm and the demand for your skills and expertise.
• When applying for MBA programs, it's a good idea to highlight your experience and passion for social impact, as well as your interests and goals in the consulting industry. You can also use your application and interviews to explore the opportunities and programs offered by the schools that interest you, such as consulting clubs, internships, and networking events. These can help you learn more about the industry and build your skills and connections.
• Overall, it's important to be flexible and open to different opportunities in the consulting industry. By focusing on your strengths and interests, and building a strong network and skillset, you will be well-positioned to succeed in a consulting career.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on what to do in your specific situation, please feel free to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hello,

Great to hear about your social impact background.

Here are my thoughts:

1) MBAs typically join in as a generalist (no alignment to any industry or capability)

2) An exception to this is that if you have 10+ years of experience all in one industry, then you might do a couple of interviews with the Partner of that practice area. I'm assuming this does not apply to you

3) You can for sure mention your interests and background in social impact and this could also be a differentiator to highlight in the interview e.g. Why BCG? Because they have terrific social impact clients as opposed to another firm

4) Upon joining the firm, you can highlight your past experiences and future interests to the staffing team. They will try their best to put you in the pipeline for social impact projects, but in the first couple of years, you must keep your mind a bit open to exploring different areas

5) After about 2 years, depending on the firm, you can align yourself to a specific practice area.

Hope this gives you some clarity. Feel free to reach out to me via chat if you have any further questions, and I will be happy to help :)

All the best!

Rushabh

Hi there,

The answer is 'either or' since MBB and Tier 2 firms offer both generalist and expert tracks, within or outside of specific functions:

• Expert Track (in certain practice): Whether or not you're better suited for this track depends on your current degree of specialization. At McKinsey for example, experts typically have PhDs and/or many years of experience in a highly specialized role. Experts are less client facing and often work across multiple teams on the same topic. There's a path to Partner level and if you consider yourself an expert in a given field and also have the will to become even more specialized and work exclusively in this area for the coming years, this may be for you. You'll automatically be part of a given function e.g. operations, M&A, public sector, sustainability etc. (depends a bit on the firm).
• Generalist Track (no certain practice): This track is suited for most people, including those with a reasonable degree of specialization. This role is client facing and for those that would like to expand their horizon with regards to industries and functions, and continue on an integrator path. 
• Generalist (in certain practice): You could be a generalist in a practice e.g. operations, M&A, public sector, sustainability etc. This is a bit of a mix between expert and true generalist and may be the right thing if you're unsure as to what suits you best. In my case, I was a generalist consultant in McKinsey's operations practice and it was great!

Whatever you think is for you, MBB will always let you know what they think and guide you towards the right role if they believe you're generally a good fit.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Moritz

Hi there,

sounds like you already have a good 5-year plan laid out for yourself.

The answers to your questions may vary based on the geography and the consulting firm you are applying for. So in broad strokes, below are a few comments:

• The larger consulting firms (Tier 1/ Tier 2) usually take a generalist approach when hiring out of undergrad or MBA - meaning the new joiners don't have to have a specialization right from the get-go but get exposure to a variety of areas, industries and topics first to then develop a specialization over time
• With a background like yours, you'd obviously be interesting for whomever sells public sector projects in the firm and you can make a case for the overall immediate value-add of your candidacy - while it wouldn't be surprising if you naturally got linked with that particular group (if the firm was active in that space), you would typically not be limited to only working on public sector projects
• If you are a lateral hire coming from industry (not directly from business school), hiring based on special industry or functional know-how is pretty common (especially if you are more senior) - same goes for boutique consulting firms that are specialized in specific fields and need people with corresponding knowledge

I hope this was directionally helpful

Hi there,

Out of an MBA program MBB typically hire generalists. That said, PwC and others do hire specialists. Additionally, this changes by region and you can often find alternative options through networking - and, it's a great excuse for networking as well!

You tend to start as a generalist post MBA but, to get promoted, you will need to align to a functional area within 2-3 years.

Assuming you want to stay on your current social impact path, this is something you can definitely do at MBB. However, you may be staffed on any kind of client and sector at the start, so you will need to network your way internally.

Generally, the big consultancies tend to work more with corporate clients than with public sector ones, mostly because there are so many more large firms than government agencies.…