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Need advice for consulting career

Bain BCG Mck RolandBerger
New answer on Jul 28, 2020
7 Answers
1.6 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Jul 26, 2020

Hi there!

I need some advice for my career because I want to be a consultant in the MBB firms. Right now, I am working as an advisor in Big 4 (already one year), and before I worked there, I am an intern in BCG for like 3months. Right now, BCG in my country was open recruitment for the intern position again, and my consideration was:

1) Should I go to try as an intern again, because I don't think I already qualified to become a full-time employee due to my case interview, and I can also practicing case interview with the employee if got the job

2) Should I enter a boutique consulting firm and try to learn more case interview while in the firm, and after 1-2 years working to move into the top firm. Because I already try to have case interview in boutique consulting and it goes pretty well

3) Practice case interview more and try to go to the top firm (1st tier/2nd tier) as a permanent.

I am from a non-target school and only have Bachelor's degrees and planning to shift my career 3-4months from now. My considerations were, if I go as an intern again, I'm afraid I will get some case that doesn't have a high learning curve for interns. Because when I was an intern, some of my friends are "lucky" enough to get a tough case (including me) while others didn't

(edited)

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Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 27, 2020
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Option 3 is definitely the best one.

  • If you apply and fail, you can always go for Option 2, and reapply to BCG in 1-2 years, so no reason to have it as first choice
  • There is no reason to apply again as intern

I agree with Anon C that a referral would help a lot to get the interview. You can find more on that here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hey-everyonehope-all-is-well-3176

In terms of case prep, it is just a matter of working on the right material and have the right prep plan – if you got the BCG internship you can definitely get to the level needed for a full time offer.

If you need more help, please feel free to PM me.

Best,

Francesco

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Anonymous B replied on Jul 26, 2020

Your best and most realistic course is option 3 because

1) Unlikely for MBB to rehire interns as 'interns' at least I have never heard of it

2) Don't believe a boutique will give you any more leverage than your current role. If you are serious about improving your case interview then be prepared to invest in yourself and work with an experienced coach from this site

3) You will likely get an interview if your CV is strong enough. Based on your experience cannot stress enough the importance of preparing with a coach (see point above)

Best of luck

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Anonymous replied on Jul 27, 2020

Hi,

The best option is definitely to get a permanent position at MBB and dominate your interviews.

Yes, it would take lots of time and effort but it’s definitely worth it.

Don’t waste your time on career in boutiques.

If your ultimate goal is MBB - go for it!

Best,

Anton

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Anonymous C replied on Jul 26, 2020

Definitely, the third option, however, you have to know someone working there personally who is willing to "refer" you and has worked with you either at uni or other professional settings - I don't mean contacting random alumni on LinkedIn. What I mean with "refer" is that he/ she has to write the reason why he/ she would like to have you onboard on their referral system and pitch your profile to HR.

If you were an intern at MBB and you didn't manage to get a full time offer, it is still possible to come back but for sure not easy.

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Anonymous replied on Jul 28, 2020

Dear A,

You don't need to make an internship or make your career path even longer through the boutique firms, because there are much shorter way, that leads directly to top consulting companies.

I have done several successful from Big4 firms into MBB and other top Tier consulting companies.

My recommendation to you would be to go straight forward to apply for the full-time positions at MBB, Roland Berger, Oliver Wyman, Strategy& and Kearney. I can help you in preparations cracking the interviews and make a successful transition into your targeted firms without becoming an intern, but already becoming full-time employee.

If you need help in making this way shorter, feel free to reach out,

Best,

André

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 27, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

1) No, this is crazy. Intern twice? Forget it! You've already proven yourself (ideally)

2) You can, but not particularly ambitious. This can be a Plan B if you can't get into MBB/tier 2. Perhaps apply to these companies in parallel

3) 100% what you should aim for. If you can get an interview you 100% want to take this route. Aim for the stars! Worst case, you fail and try again in a few year. #1 and #2 can be backups

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 28, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I would go for 3, no doubts

Cheers,

Clara

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