Applying to a company where my ex-boss works?

Hi there, 

Complex situation indeed. 

I wouldn't mention him in the cover letter before speaking with him. HR might reach out to him to ask about you and if he didn't even know you were applying, then it might be awkward. 

Have a short chat with him to understand better the firm that you're applying to. You can use the following guide to understand how to handle this convo better:

Your Guide to Consulting Coffee Chats  https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/coffee-chat-questions-consulting

Lastly, I would also recommend that you apply broadly. In the current economic climate, it's critical to apply to multiple firms since most of them have become increasingly tough on recruiting. Here's a more detailed guide on how to do that:

Maximizing your chances of getting a consulting job during an economic downturn  https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-get-a-job-in-consulting-during-an-economic-downturn

Hope you'll find this useful!
Best,
Cristian 

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about your negative experience with your former employer!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, given that you and your boss did not have a positive relationship and you do not feel comfortable reaching out to him directly, I would highly advise you not to include him in your cover letter either since chances are high someone at your target company would reach out to him to inquire about your relationship.
• Moreover, I would advise you not to worry about someone at your target company associating your former employer with your former boss. It is absolutely normal that the longer you are in the workforce, the more connected you are with people, and while it is rather early for you, this is nothing to feel ashamed about.
• Lastly, I would highly advise you to consider reaching out to an experienced coach to have your resume reviewed and to be advised about how to add meaningful experience. Please also consider reaching out to current consulting staff of your target company to receive a strong referral.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Q: My relationship with my boss wasn't the best but it wasn't bad either. I don't like the idea of reaching out to him. Would it be good to mention him in a cover letter regardless? 

If you are not comfortable reaching out to your old boss I would not recommend to mention him in the cover. Ideally you want to mention someone who can support your application and if you are not fine reaching out I would expect that's not the case. 

Instead, I would look for another referral and mention that person in the cover. This will also strengthen your whole application, as it would be a proper referral and not just a mention in the application material.

You can find more on referrals at the links below:

▶ How to Get an MBB Invitation

▶ The Exact Steps to Get a Referral

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

I recommend the following:

1. Aim to fill this gap in your resume as much as possible (get into pro bono consulting programs like Impact Consulting, etc.)
2. I would mention him. I don't see a world where they read his name in the cover letter and take the time to followup with him
3. If you think your boss will say good things about you, and potentially refer you to HR (positively), then yes! If you don't think he will, then no. 

Good luck to you!

I think this depends on your relationship with your former boss and what you think they might say about you (provided you worked together in some capacity such that he would recognize your name).

If you mention him in a cover letter, there's a higher likelihood that someone will ask him about your performance at your previous job. If he has good things to say, this will help you, and vice versa if not. 

If you don't mention him in the cover letter, the likelihood that the consultancy will recognize the firm from your CV and make the inference is much, much lower (for big consulting firms like MBB, I don't think they'd make the extra effort of connecting the dots and reaching out to your former boss, for instance - they have too many applicants to get through). I don't think you lose or gain much either way from omitting this information.

An alternative route for you could be to try to reach out and network with other people in the consulting companies you are applying to, perhaps in the office/department you are applying for. That way you could have an additional point of contact to mention in your cover letter who is not your former boss.

“I'm not sure how to leverage my relationship”. “I don't like the idea of reaching out to him.”

I don't know why you don't like the idea of reaching out. Maybe you are thinking about asking him to recommend you, but that's not how you should approach it.

You should reach out to ask what he thinks about the new firm, and if he thinks you would be a good fit, or on how to present yourself at the best possible light. 

Based on this conversation you'll know what to do - in one scenario he supports you, in another one he doesn't care.