McK/BCG reapplication with an ongoing MBA during COVID situation?

Question

Hello guys,

The situation is the following:

I failed my BCG final round interviews last year (Jan-2019)
HR said I can reapply after 18 months (Jul-2020)
I started a 2-year part-time MBA programme (Oct-2019)
I will have a MBA degree around summer / autumn next year (Sep-2021)

Please find more information and some answers in the original thread below: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/mckbcg-failed-at-final-round-reapplication-with-an-ongoing-mba-5297

What has changed since the original thread?

I started to work at the market-leader bank of my country (Sep-2019)
I changed after a very short period of time, I joined to an investment bank (Mar-2020)
BCG HR confirmed that they are waiting for my reapplication in the summer (confirmation happened before COVID)
COVID situation arouse

The reason behind the ’workplace-jumping’ was the fact that I worked as an entrepreneur before and it was not an easy task to ’rejoin’ the financial industry sector with this ’irrelevant previous experience’. Therefor I joined to the market leader bank in a position I did not really prefered in terms of seniority and in terms of exact field but it was an opportunity to get back to banking / finance industry after my off road experience.

The specific question is still the timing of the reapplication. My original plan was to reapply in July 2020 during my MBA but there was no Covid situation and my resume was not as ’strange’.

Should I still reapply in July? Should I wait until COVID situation changes to a positive direction and until that point I could gaine more experience at the investment bank and finish my MBA? Should I start communication with the HR about it? Should I start asking my network working in the MBB office of my country? Is there anything else important aspects I should think about and I didn't mention above?

Answer 1

Hello,

Before re-applying I would suggest to contact a person from the office (an HR or a consultant) to ask if they have stopped the recruiting process. If you don't have this possibility I would suggest to apply anyway, the only risk is to be added to the pipeline. Waiting will not increase your chances to get an interview, since the effects of the COVID will last for at least some months and the pipeline of candidates will be huge after these months without interviews.

Regarding the other questions, the only thing that you can do to maximize your chances is to leverage your network and get a referral.

Best,
Luca

Answer 2

Hi there,

Since your MBA graduation time is Sep 2021, you still have plenty of time. I would suggest to wait a bit til probably Q4 of this year for application. Does your MBA program have the regular campus recruiting for full-time students? I know you are part-time, but if there is, you can try to follow the full-time recruiting schedule.

The risk of applying now is that you would be with the big backlog in the pipeline as Thomas mentioned, and the passing bar now is likely to be higher than usual.

Meanwhile, you can start networking already if you have time. Successful networking is not just once off session. You can follow up once in a while to keep it warm.

Hope it helps,

Emily

Answer 3

Hi there,

what about the other MBB? I would recommend to apply for all three when you are ready if possible, to maximize your chances.

I assume your part-time MBA would be compatible with the MBB job and the job level would be the same if you apply now compared to in few months, otherwise it would obviously make sense to wait the end of the MBA for a full-time position.

In terms of the timeline to apply, I would first verify with your internal connections if the companies are still hiring. Unless they say recruiting is not affected (which I doubt) and you have a reason to apply immediately, I would wait until they say there are more openings available to maximize your chances (probably towards the end of the year). This would have the added benefit to make your recent work experience more justifiable as they may question your motivation if they see you are regularly moving to a new job after few months.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 4

Hi A,

First of all, reach out HR and check up the situation. In case COVID situation won't get better then just wait until it will resolve and don't waist your chance.

Best,

André

Answer 5

Hello!

First of all, and this applies to all situations, I would be great for you to have a referral in the company(ies). This would boost your chances to get an interview -that you seem to have secured in BCG, at least before COVID-.

Secondly, given your profile, why not also applying to Mck and Bain? And also tier 2 companies?

Regarding when to apply, I would wait now couple of months until the summer, as you had originally planned. Applying now vs. the summer in your case does not make a difference and furthermore lets you more time to consolidate your CV and gain experience.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 6

It is great to hear that you made it that far! My recommendation is to wait a little longer because the backlog of candidates is going to be massive. That is due to Corona and it currently being the hiring season for a lot of countries (in a non-Corona year). So supply is proportionally high and demand is low. Waiting until things slowdown and the backlog disappears will increase your chances. I would apply at the end of the year.

Answer 7

Hi,
unfortunately, nobody now is able to predict the precise effects on each business. The 2 true facts today are that interviews are taking place regularly but online instead than face to face, and that many new consulting projects are being paused. Therefore if this lockdown continues for long it can cause a shrinking in new hires.

Best,
Antonello