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Hiring an engineering grad with 10+ year non-consulting exp

Engineering and Management Consulting hiring oil & gas
New answer on Mar 01, 2022
9 Answers
689 Views
Anonymous A asked on Feb 24, 2022

Hi, Any info on consulting companies hiring experienced professionals (10+) with engineering degree? i specifically have work experience in O&G and having a hard time passing the initial selection stage. i am based in the ME

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 25, 2022
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

You need to network!

Not only will networking help you find companies that are hiring at this level, but also dramatically improve your odds of getting past that initial selection stage.

Secondly, it's likely your resume isn't properly done. You need to tailor your resume based on the consulting role. Your resume should be sharp, professional, with a good layout, and worded in a way that emphasizes consulting skills/exposure (client management, teamwork, leadership, problem solving, strategic thinking, etc.)

I see no reason why someone with extensive O&G experience could not be brought in as an experienced hire (I've seen plenty)

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Francesco
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Content Creator
replied on Feb 25, 2022
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Just from what you shared, you can definitely have a chance.

If you are not getting invitations, possible improvements may be on CV, Cover and/or referrals.

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1) CV

The key elements they will look for and that you can optimize are:

  • University brand
  • Major
  • GPA
  • Work experience
  • Experience abroad
  • Extracurriculars and volunteer experience

For you, work experience will be a lot more relevant given you are an experienced hire.

Red flags include:

  • Low GPA
  • Lack of any kind of work experience
  • Bad formatting / typos
  • 3-4 pages length
  • Lack of clear action --> results structure for the bullets of the experiences
  • Long paragraphs (3-4 lines) for the bullets of the experiences with irrelevant details
  • Long time gaps without any explanation

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2) COVER

You can structure a cover in 4 parts:

  1. Introduction, mentioning the position you are interested in and a specific element you find attractive for that company
  2. Why you are qualified for the job, where you can report 3 skills/stories from your CV, ideally related to leadership, impact, drive and teamwork
  3. Why you are interested in that particular firm, with additional 1-2 specific reasons
  4. Final remarks, mentioning again your interest and contacts

In part 2 you can write about experiences that show skills useful in consulting such as drive, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and convincing others.

It is important that in part 3 you make your cover specific to a particular firm – the rule of thumb is, can you send the exact same cover to another consulting company if you change the name? If that’s the case, your cover is too generic.

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3) REFERRALS

To find a referral, you should follow three steps:

  1. Identify the people that can help you
  2. Write to them a customized email
  3. Have a call and indirectly ask for a referral

You can find more information on networking and referrals here:

▶ https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/networking-as-part-of-the-management-consulting-preparation-process

If you need help to be invited please feel free to PM me, I do a session where we can optimize everything you need for an invitation (referrals included).

Best,

Francesco

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Moritz
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 24, 2022
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | 90min sessions with FREE exercises & videos

Hey there, 

This is something I am very familiar with. I worked 7+ years in O&G as a Geoscientist before transitioning and joining McKinsey as an MBA/Experienced Hire (to work on non-O&G projects).

There's absolutely a way but it's not always easy nor obvious. Let me know if you'd like to discuss!

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Charlotte
Expert
replied on Feb 24, 2022
Empathic coach, former McKinsey Engagement Manager |Secure offers from top consulting firms

Dear candidate, 

yes it is possible. In such cases it always helps to storyline perfectly and polish your application. Some things you could do in addition:

- widen your firm selection, so consider also firms that are of a lower tier than what you are applying to

- networking via LinkedIn

- seeing whether you could work on projects with clients in the same industry that you were working in

- gain some consulting experience next to your work (if you can)

Best regards,

Charlotte

 

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Lucie
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 24, 2022
10+yrs recruiting & BCG Project leader

Hi there, 

most of the consulting company hire candidates with your profile as long as you fit their specific need and pass the recruiting process. I would suggest you to check what role for experienced hires are available, or reach out to some of the MBB directly to ask where your profile may fit. 

I am myself lateral hire with 13 years of non-consulting experience prior joining BCG. 

If you want to find out more, please feel free to reach out directly. 

Lucie

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Adi
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 24, 2022
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

Please clarify if you meant that you are not getting past the 1st round interview stage?

If you are not getting past CV screening stage, then either your CV is not compelling enough and/or you are applying for the wrong type roles. I suggest, spend some time & effort to get your CV refined if you havent already done it. Many coaches here offer CV review service or you can post in Q&A forum to get some quick high level comments.

Regarding finding the right role & getting a referral, this will require networking + your own research. Please search the Q&A forum for threads on Networking and getting referrals. There is tons of advice already.

Also, FYI..Big 4 companies are investing massively in their engineering services & O&G specific offerings. Read up about this online.

All the best.

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Anonymous B replied on Feb 24, 2022

Hi there,

May I know which company you are applying for?
I myself is an engineer with 5 years of experience (currently attending business school) and would like to shift to consulting. This would be very helpful. Also if you can share at what level I can enter with such experience? 

Best of luck

 

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Sara
Expert
replied on Feb 25, 2022
Ex-McKinsey |Former McKinsey Interviewer|Tailored Interview Prep| 7 years Teaching Experience

Hi there, 

I also have an engineering background in the O&G industry and worked as a consultant at McKinsey. I will be happy to help you, message me and we can talk about it.

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 01, 2022
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Depending on how your CV looks like, you could perfectly be a fit for multiple consulting firms. 

Cheers, 

Clara

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