Late start date

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offer!

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for a lot of users, thus I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• It's generally acceptable to reach out to the partner you were in conversation with to ask if they can do something about the offer date for your new position at MBB. Partners at consulting firms often have a great deal of influence and can sometimes help with issues related to offer dates and other aspects of the hiring process.
• If you choose to reach out to the partner, it's a good idea to do so in a professional and respectful manner. Explain your situation and the reasons why you are concerned about the gap between leaving your previous job and starting your new position with them. Ask if there is any way the offer date can be moved up or if there are any other options that might be available to you.
• If the partner is unable to help with the offer date, it's not necessarily a bad thing to take a break of several months in between leaving your previous job and starting your new position with them. Many people take breaks between jobs for a variety of reasons, and a few months off can provide an opportunity to recharge, travel, or pursue other interests.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on what to do in your specific situation, please feel free to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for this great and unusual question!
I would recommend the following:
1. If you indeed know the partner you are referring to, I would opt for asking him for advice rather than asking him for a push to HR. This way, he can really tell you what is the real situation and advise you to push or not
2. If you do not succeed to get an earlier start date, I recommend you enjoy this time off to the fullest. Seek new adventures, have fun, rest, and get a lot of energy. This is a precious moment and actually a blessing in disguise in my opinion! so if I were you, I would actively seek for it
Let me know and feel free to reach out by DM if you have any follow-up questions, I would love to hear from you.
Norah

A career break of a few months is totally fine. The reality is they may not have much work for you right now so joining early won't make sense for them. 

Hello,

Yes it is absolutely worth checking with the partner who you are in contact with for a strategy on what to do next. But, I also think there shouldn't be a problem taking a few months off :)

All the best!

Rushabh

Hi there,

Congrats on the offer!

A few things you can do here:

1. Sure, check with the Partner, but be careful here. Make sure it's worded the right way and doesn't sound like you're going around HR's back
2. See if you can do some work for the company you left (contracting or short-term contract)
3. Find short-term contracts (LinkedIn, etc.) leveraging your current skillset
4. Build a side-hustle
5. Relax and enjoy
6. Ask them for your signing bonus now

Hi there,

Congratulations on the MBB offer! In terms of your questions:

1) Is it worth reaching out to the partner I was in conversation with to ask if he can do something about it? 

You may, but I would not ask directly if they can do something as HR may feel you are trying to get in touch ignoring them. As Norah said, if you have a good relationship with the partner you may ask if he has any suggestions on what to do given the issue.

2) Any suggested strategy? If that also fail, is it so bad to just take a break of quite a few months in between?

There is nothing bad with having a break (I guess you accounted for that when you left your job).

Some possible skills/activities you may want to learn/do before joining are:

1. Improve your skills with Excel and PowerPoint
2. Freelance based on a skill you know/want to learn
3. Do an internship in a position that can help you long-term (eg sales)
4. Learn a new language
5. Launch a website you can easily automate
6. Start a blog on a topic you know well
7. Support a local no-profit
8. Prepare for the GMAT (in case you want to do an MBA in the future)
9. Travel to a top destination you always wanted to visit

Best,

Francesco

I am taking a 3 months break between jobs. When else will you have time and money to enjoy yourself apart from when you retire? Enjoy it!

First off, congrats on the offer. 

It is quite normal to take some months off before starting a new job (I am doing it at the moment!).

You can use that time to relax, learn a new skill or even start a side hustle.

That said, there is no risk in talking about your situation with the partner you were in touch with or some of the partners who hired you. Don't say things such as “if you don't let me start sooner I will go to company X instead of company Y” because those statements are never appreciated.

Best

The fact that you do have a signed contract already makes it the perfect justification to take some time off between your previous and new jobs. Use the time to travel, recharge, see people you haven’t seen in a while, pursue your interests, etc. It’s better to start the new job with a full tank anyway.

You tried closing the gap but if there already was pushback from HR, I would therefore not push it further with a partner. 

Hey there,

If it is financially okay for you, then I would take and enjoy the break. The hiring situation at the moment is quite tense and even a partner would not be able to do anything in this environment.

Many McKinsey new hires take months off before their starting date to travel, for instance. Once you have MBB on the resume, any gaps on your resume do not matter.

All the best!

Cheers,

Florian