After 25 yr in industry: can one move to consulting?

Hello!

A priori yes, for sure, there are many cases of industry experts who join in high tenures.

However, totally depends on which area of expretise and the areas covered by each of the offices, since this is a much one-to-one recruiting for specific profiles/knowledge areas.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hey there,

Short answer YES. I have seen industry veterans and ex-armed forces join across various functions- strategy, operations & even technology.

The interview process will be largely similar- HR interview, case, FIT etc as this is the standard protocol consulting firms follow. My advice will be to try and bend this a little by asking for couple of informal chats with Directors/Partners to assess mutual FIT given your seniority. If there is strong mutual liking, the interview process could become a bit more relaxed. Try and get in through a referral at best or reach out the HR directly requesting a 15mins informal chat to discuss your CV.

As other coaches have said, make sure you understand what you will be signign up for in terms of expectations, culture & ways of working, sales targets etc. Consulting could get overwhelming at this stage of your career. But barring that, I dont see any reasons why you will face problems.

Good luck!

Hey there,

MBB is definitely open to very senior hires as long as you bring the necessary

• leadership experience
• network
• expertise

You really need to show that you peak in all of those dimensions to add value at a later stage of your career.

The best way to approach this would be to talk to senior leaders in the MBB you would be interested to work for. You might know them from previous engagements at your company, from your network, university, etc. Talk to them about your expectations, get their input, and then decide how you would like to proceed.

However, be prepared to encounter a huge cultural shock. I have seen this with several senior people that joined later in their career and had difficulties adjusting to the way of working, the pace, and the culture of an MBB, which is all quite different from what they were used to. It is generally easier for juniors since they have little work experience and more easily adjust in that regard.

All the best,

Florian

Hi there,

100%. In fact, I literally just got called by a coachee who received an experienced hire (10 years working experience) offer for the Energy Sector practice!

That said, think long and hard about whether this is what you want. Consulting is no joke. If you understand long hours, client management/demands, etc. etc. from your current job, great. If you don't, I can't imagine it would be easy to transition to consulting after 25 years in a reasonable work-life balance job!

Hi,

You can join as an expert to some of one of the practices depending on your expertise (e.g. energy, ops, etc)

You should search MBB websites for the openings that suit your profile

I don't think it's possible to join as a generalist at this point

Best

Hi there,

Yes it is possible. A few months ago I helped a 40+ industry executive to land an offer from McKinsey in the Middle East – he also had a background in Energy.

Besides industry experience and leadership skills, you should be able to bring contacts that allow to sell projects. If you have that and the company is looking to grow the particular practice you have experience with, you would have a very interesting profile for a consulting company.

Best,
Francesco

Hi there,

You have good chances if you can sell you experience and industry expertise and can enter as a 'lateral' in senior positions.

Otherwise, there is a possibility you'll be working under people younger than you and not everyone is okay with that.

Same applies to work culture, work-life balance, travelling etc. It's all definetely easier when you're 25.

Whatever is your decision, good luck!

Cheers,

GB

Hi,

Short anwer is Yes.

Although it will depends on matching what you want and bring to the table to your target office required.

This can easily investigated through networking and discussion with people from the target office.

Best,
Iman

Hi,

Yes, absolutely.

Have you applied yet?

If not, try to reach out to the HR of the company you're interested in. They're here to help.

Best,

Antonello