I joined consulting post MBA for a few months and asked out...Where is my exit?

Hi there,

Sorry to hear that.

If the period was really short (2-3 months) I think you are better off not including it at all in your CV.

If the period is longer (6+ months), you need to prepare an answer for why you quitted, thus:

1. Create a clear explanation of why you understood consulting is not for you. Don’t mention the long hours, as this will be a red flag for most employers
2. Never talk negatively about your previous employer (even if you had a bad experience)

Ideally, you can negotiate your own termination with your employer, so that it is not formally a layoff.

Between 3 and 6 months it is up to you to decide.

Best,

Francesco

Sorry to hear about this. I agree with what others have said- you can always explain your reasons well- You took a risk, tried consulting but it wasnt for you. So you are cutting your loses early and moving on.  

I also know of some others who had a similar experience and chose to not put that short experience in the CV. In the long run no one will ask or care if there is a gap of 3-6 months on CV. On the flip side, use this experience to learn and grow. Navigate your career & life in the right direction. We learn the most when faced with tough situations.   

All the best.

Hello!

Sorry to hear about it. 

I know that it seems like a bad drama now but believe me, in only a few months you are not going to see it this way. 

There will be plenty of options here, leverage the partners in the firm, they will be most helpful with their networks. Furthermore, you need to construct a good pitch to explain how it was not a good fit with you and the company. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Sorry to hear you had an unpleasant experience.

It's all about the good story you can spin around why you left and how you realized that MBB was not the right choice for you. So you will need to spend the time thinking through what the insight was - that fits into your overall career story - that let you make that decision.

Regarding the background checks - not sure if you were actually fired or asked to leave. If the latter, all should be good. If you were formally fired, not just asked to leave - you probably should address this more aggressive and develop a spin around the fact and what didn't work between you and the firm.

Hard to tell without knowing at least what country we are talking about. Many EU countries have very protective employee laws, i.e. firms cannot just fire you, including MBB. If MBB wants you out, they tell you to go, but you owe nothing to those firms and can hence create your way out as comfortable as possible. Friends of mine who were confronted with this situation took months and months (easily 6-9) to interview for next role etc while still getting full pay. Also, by law, they are required to write a positive review anyhow. If you work in a less progressive country in that regard, e.g. US, will be way tougher for sure.

Hi there,

Don't worry!

Trust me, you have plenty of exists.

All you need to do is leverage your network, reach out to people to chat, etc. People will allow you to tell your story and give an explanation, don't worry! Especially given we're ina  pandemic people understand this sort of thing.

Hello A,

This is absolutely not the end of the world. Apply to other jobs confidently and focus on your MBA and pre-MBA experience. Don't wait until the interviewer asks you why you left consulting but you address it before it's asked. Say the hours where not acceptable to me and I want to maintain a work-life balance. No one will know you were managed out trust me. It's all about how you position it in confidence. 

Best of luck!

Like the others mentioned if the period was less than 3-6mos, leave it off and talk about something else you may have done in that period

Otherwise have a good story present for why you left. There are many legitimate reasons for this. However, don't lie, and don't criticise the company as that unfortunately will reflect more badly on yourself than the your old firm