Can you pick and choose references from previous employers for MBB?

Of course you can pick references. My advice would be to give some choices, e.g. if they ask for 2 refs, you give a list à 3 or 4 refs.

Also prepare an answer to the question : why don't you have any reference with your previous company ? Here try to be honest and not finger pointing, something more like “It was not a good fit because of …”

Hi there,

suggest you distinguish references from employment proofs here. 

In terms of references, yes, you can pick and choose to help you optimize positioning.

In terms of employment proof, this can usually be standard HR records that just confirm during which period you worked for a given firm. Here, be prepared to submit documentation for any jobs you put on your CV.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

Yes you can - usually they ask for a supervisory or above so it might be tricky to give only references of people at the same level as you.

That being said usually MBB does not really check in with people apart from verifying employment status and dates

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, while it might still happen, it is very uncommon to ask for references in strategy consulting. Most strategy consulting companies have signed contracts with firms that conduct background checks, making actual reference calls unnecessary.
• Regarding whether you can choose the companies to provide references for, I am pretty certain your potential future employer will choose the companies, unless they solely look for general references, in which case you might even pick someone like a professor with whom you've worked extensively.

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

Best,

Hagen

Just a reference point for EU - might not be relevant for your geo (e.g. US).

In a big fraction of EU countries 

1) MBBs do not ask/check references but only employment dates

2) to my knowledge they do not massively use background check specialized agencies 

Hope it helps 

Hi there, 

Yes, you can choose your references. Unless they specifically ask for a reference from each firm, in which case it becomes a bit more complicated.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

If they are looking for general references (i.e. of character) then yes of course you can pick whomever you choose!