Hello everyone,
Quick background:
I unsuccessfully applied to MBB in Germany (& Austria, the regions operate as one) ~18 months ago. I did not get invited to Bain, did not get an offer at the McKinsey interview day and very narrowly missed an offer at final round at BCG (cases & personal fit good, but "too keen" and "not professional enough in my communication" - being too informal, leaning forward on my knees during interviews, etc. was the kind of (baffling) feedback I received).
I have since completed a B.A. year at Cambridge (Judge) business school - tucked on to my social science degree from Cambridge - and joined a well-respected international development consultancy (Dalberg) in their London office after graduation. Work there is very interesting, but the small size of the London office limits learning and I am ultimately more interested in entrepreneurship and getting a top-tier MBA (ideally paid for).
Questions:
- How important will it be to network before reapplying for entry-level positions?
- As I have studied in the UK, my network at MBB in Germany & Austria is very shallow, so there's limited scope for reaching out to friends there.
- Also, applications are handled regionally at MBB Germany, so I'm not sure how great the payoff will be, if I can't get an insider view to the office I'm actually applying to.
- How should I frame my cover letter? To what extent should it be a blank slate application vs. an explanation of what is different this time? How to strike the balance between the two?
- What view does MBB take on people who reapply from boutique consultancies after their last application? How can I frame the fact that I'm thinking of leaving after having spent less than a year there?
- I joined international development consulting because I see my long-term future in the sector and I've already worked on some very impressive projects, so for me it was a solid 2nd choice behind MBB.
- Lastly, tiny detail: Should I use the same account for my online applications as I did last time?
