How to break into MBB with a PT MBA

Hi there, 

Great question - thanks for sharing!

1. Should I be looking at campus or experienced hire recruitment? 

Suggest you check with the school to what extend the PT MBA actually offers access to campus recruitment. If there is such channel, would suggest you prioritize that, as it makes it easier to get funneled into the interview process. If not, experienced hire recruiting is perfectly fine. When your profile is strong, you will be attractive to MBB firms no matter what - just takes a bit more networking to get the attention / optimize your odds of getting an interview.

2. Timing - should I join MBB during the MBA?

No, I would not recommend doing that. While it's definitely a good idea to start recruiting during the (tail end) of the PT MBA, joining an MBB firm while you're studying, is a big challenge and would be hard to handle for anyone - the demands of MBB consulting are just too high to juggle both. Also, a (close-to) completed MBA will significantly increase your leverage to secure a post-MBA roles + to negotiate your package (sign-on bonus!). Hence, would not rush.

Hope this helps. 

Regards, Andi

Hi there,

1) We all know FT MBA has the “internship” advantage, but should I be looking at campus receruitment or experience hire? 

You should look at campus recruiting first. In any case, you should look for a referral (you can check the link below to see how).

2) Also, the timing is very important. Should I apply and join MBB during my MBA in the entry level role or should I get MBA and apply and join in the higher rank?

You cannot realistically do an MBA and work in MBB at the same time. So you will have to apply after the MBA. That also makes more sense as you could leverage it for a post-MBA position.

You can find more on how to get a referral and new consulting trends (useful to discuss during referral calls as well) below:

▶ How to Get an MBB Interview

▶ 11 New Consulting Trends You Must Know 

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

First of all, you seem to have a good background with a good mix of engineering & business, including top grades. That's a big check right there!

As for your question, here's some advice for a sequence to follow:

• Networking: Your best next step would be to start networking. Do a linkedin search for alumni from the same program who are now MBB and try and connect. Alternatively, get in touch with career services who should keep track of this and can facilitate contact via an introduction email. Networking can start before the program starts and will continue throughout the program, of course.
• Referral: The objective of networking is to learn about MBB, get yourself on the radar, and ultimately get a referral. The latter will increase your chances of landing an interview x-fold. However, don't approach a stranger directly with that, but rather build a 2-way relationship with the people and make it worth their while.
• Application: With your background, you would likely start as a Business Analysist pre-MBA (using McK terminology). Post-MBA, you would either work as Junior Associate or Associate. My advice would be to start applying as early as possible, once you have your first referral, because the seniority of the role doesn't really matter. What matters is to get in - moving up the ranks happens naturally and very quickly.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Hi there,

I have a short answer for you: Network, network, network.

Get on LinkedIn and message people! Get on the phone and speak with people. Play “tag” across calls to keep threads alive and make sure you're putting your best foot forward.

Not only will this lead to referrals (if you do it right), but it will also help you figure out exactly what timing makes sense, which offices/roles to apply for etc.

I just received an email today from a PT MBA I support who got a Bain offer - PT doesn't mean anything if you put in the work and navigate the waters the right way.

Feel free to reach out for support here!

Hi there, 

the more working experience you have the less your education matters. Hence if your consulting experience is sound, have some great extra-CV activities you want to share, you can give a try. Other option and probably safer is to try internship position, as all the strong performances get the permanent offer. 

Good luck
Lucie

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