Hi,
I will be shortly applying for entry-level jobs at different consulting practices in Europe. I networked a lot to get referrals and now have at least one contact at each of my target firms ready to support my application. I am still doubtful about the procedure, though.
1) In most cases, the person offers to send an e-mail to HR before or after I submit my application online. In contrast to that, when a friend referred me to Deloitte I received a link from the recruiter to upload my documents to their portal.
One person even mentioned that there are two ways to make a referral: soft (e-mail) and hard, which bypasses the CV screening and a consultant can only use it once per year. Is this real?
I would like to know about it and perhaps network more to get stronger referrals.
2) I will be selecting 3 office preferences for each firm. What is the etiquette regarding referrals here? My thinking was to indicate 33% preference for each office (if applicable) and have my contacts send the referral e-mail at each of the 3 offices. I'm not sure whether it's acceptable.
Any ideas about this and further thoughts are welcome. Cheers