Unsolicited Application for Strategy& Middle East

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, I would highly advise you to be respectful and not try to trick your way into this consulting firm. If they do not have an open role for an Associate or Senior Associate, it would certainly not be well received to violate their open position for a Manager.
• However, you can still reach out to the Strategy& recruiter to gain insights into potentially unlisted roles or upcoming opportunities that may be a better fit for your tenure.

You can find more on this topic here: How to deal with a rejection from a consulting company.

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

Best,

Hagen

Hey there, 

In general, if there is only an opening advertised for Manager and no other positions, I wouldn't recommend you apply for Manager but ask for a lower one in your cover letter.

Strategy& would have met their quotas and numbers for Associate and Senior Associate in this case, so you may just be putting an automatic rejection on your profile 

What would be better to do is to contact recruiting and ask them when Senior Associate openings are next going to be open and how you can apply for that, or even ask if there was capacity to apply now

All the best

Hi There,

Based on your profile, you definitely seem like an attractive candidate for them to consider,

However, the demand for more junior positions (below manager level) in the Middle East is rather low these days due to market conditions, so that's probably why they don't have an opening on their website. 

What I would do in your case is not apply to the manager opening, as you take the risk of your application being filtered out by the system, but rather, try to reach out to recruitment, and more ideally, try to secure a referral through your network,

Feel free to reach out for support on this, or on any Middle East recruiting-related topics,

Best,
Fady

Hey there! 

From my experience, 3 years of experience corresponds to a Senior Associate level. This being said, I recommend you to reach out to the recruiting contact from S& to check with them how to apply. They will usually point you in the right direction or give you hints whether your experience is in the current market environment relevant for them. 

If you need support prepping for the application process, feel free to DM me.

Hope it helps & all the best,

Maximiliane 

I would not apply to that position, hoping they route you to a more junior role. I would recommend you network with consultants in your target office to understand hiring needs (they can ask recruiting on your behalf) and secure a referral (if there are openings in Jan/Feb 2025). Let's chat if you need guidance on the networking, application strategy and interview prep front.  

1. Ask their office HR, and try to apply directly to the right role.

2. If that doesn't work, I don't see a negative with moving forward as you suggested.

Hi there,

Q: Would it be acceptable to apply to the Manager position and specify in my cover letter that I am seeking a lower-level role? Would my application be taken into consideration, or could it reflect negatively ? 

Rather than applying for the Manager position, in your case, I would recommend the following:

1. Look for someone who can refer you
2. Indirectly ask for a referral
3. Let the person check with HR if there is an opening available for your seniority

You can find some tips on how to get referrals below:

▶ How to Get an MBB Invitation

▶ The Exact Steps to Get a Referral

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

Unfortunately, Middle East hiring is extremely slow, esp. on the lower levels.

There is no benefit in applying for a position you are not qualified for. This will only lead to a rejection and to a recruiting ban for a while

Best way to approach this would be through networking efforts to test the waters and if something opens up in the future, you should get a referral out of it

All the best,

Florian