Hi all, my question may be somewhat unusual for this site.

I am currently in a boutique consulting firm, working mostly with the international development banks and agencies on strategy and evaluation. I am interested in making the shift to one of the big firms, because (a) I would like to increase the scope and impact of my work, (b) get experience with a larger number of sectors, and (c) since I work very hard and long anyway, more rewards (measured also in terms of networks, wealth of experience etc) would be welcome.

I had the following alternative pathways in my mind currently:

1. Use my academic degree. Firms like BCG make a big point about recruiting advanced degree graduates. I did get a PhD in the last five years and could probably try to go this route. This may be easier because it allows me to get away as an expert in a discipline rather than pretending to have experience with corporate consulting.

2. Use my experience. Apply for regular positions (with the networking, of course) for consultant positions. This may be much more difficult for me since I do not have an MBA or experience in large management consulting.

In your experience do any of these approaches actually work? Do you know of people who have made this transition from a small firm to a big one? Am I missing something here?

Any tips would be really welcome. Thank you so much!

A