Is 45 too old to join MBB or tier 2 consulting?

Hi there, thanks for the question! 

I have absolutely seen more mature consultants join and prosper at MBB. Typically not as generalist consultants, but instead: 

1. Expert track - when you come to join a particular practice with a particular, often unique business expertise. I think digital in general is a bit too broad, but if you have a sub-specialization - agile coach/scrum master? DevOps? IT infrastructure? etc. Essentially, if you can position yourself as: I can come to any project on the particular X topic, bring relevant and unique expertise and make it fly

2. Technical track - if you happen to be a system architect, UI/UX designer… these are very much in high demand! 

3. Leadership roles. From a senior enough position in the industry you can join directly as an Associate Partner or even a Partner. However, this is less likely from a senior manager position at another consultancy. 

I would advise to be cautious of the generalist track: that track can be quite demanding physically, especially compared to the younger peers! However, you will have the advantage of being more credible than the very young peers, which can help. 

Good luck with your choice!

Hello,

Not too old at all! I think the general feedback you are receiving here about networking and leaning into your experience is spot on. You may not be the ‘traditional’ consulting hire, but I think you can certainly craft a story about how consulting fits into your career trajectory. Going for an expert position or an experienced hire in a practice makes a lot of sense - as you mentioned, digital is a growth area for a lot of consulting companies right now. I would also advise you to start networking with people at the firms you are interested in targeting - networking is particularly important if you are not entering via the traditional routes.

Hi there, 

45 is definitely not an issue. In fact, I'm working with three other +40 year old candidates who are aiming to transition into MBB. 

The important thing is to make sure that you figure out how your experience until now fits within the value proposition of the firm you are targeting. In short, see if they have any openings for specialised / expert roles that are in line with your experience. 

It's a bit more difficult at 45 to get in as a generalist because the expectation is rather that you've accumulated significant experience in a specific field. 

Best,

Cristian

Not too old at all, but generally it’s people who are younger who join as the lifestyle can be very demanding and as people have families they’re generally less willing to do things like travel four days a week.

That being said, I worked with someone who entered McK as an expert after they had retired from being a CEO. Some people love it! 

You will have a wealth of experience which would be valued on the expert track, so I would probably recommend going down that route. It’s worth talking to recruiting to get their take and, as others have said, networking with partners so that they know what you can offer. 

Good luck! 

You are more likely to be successful in an expert track, but not necessarily. I strongly advise you to do high level networking (i.e. you should target partners) and make sure you have high quality projects in your resume.

An MBA is usually an indicator of high potential for young professionals. At 45 years old, that is not your case. What you need is impressive experience and knowledge.

Good luck with your recruiting efforts.

Its not about Age but whether Consulting is the right FIT for you at this stage in your life and career. If the FIT is there you will do fine and be successful. Otherwise its endless misery.

Have a look at this article for detailed guidance- preplounge.com/en/articles/how-do-i-know-which-career-is-right-for-me

All the best!

There was someone at McKinsey who joined around the same age from a military background.  I felt his personal challenge was shifting from leading to executing where the day-to-day grind in the first few years is not for everyone.  If you are specialised in a growth area like digital, I have definitely seen cases where they are open to hiring non-traditional profiles.  Good luck!

A lot of answers here explain the “how” of how to make this switch - I also wanted to add that there are a fair amount of people who have done something like this succesfully as well (most typically in the expert path), so you are not trying something completely novel. This could also be a potentially avenue for you to get some advice from some of them if you can find people in this bucket on LinkedIn; I've found this tremendously helpful in understand how best to sell backgrounds/experiences.

Hi there, 

i joined BCG when I was 37 as an expert project leader with 0 consulting experience prior that, hence I think is totally possible, as long as you think you will enjoy the work at MBB. You can read a bit more about joining as experienced on my article here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-get-into-consulting-as-an-experienced-hire

Feel free to reach out directly.

Lucie

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Hello!

I think it depends on the position that you would come to, tbh. Have you figured this one out?

Cheers, 

Clara