Reapplying - what to do differently?

Hi there,

There are three main things you need to be invited for interviews:

• A great CV
• A great Cover
• A referral – the more senior the person the better

For the CV, you can work on the following in the time you have left:

1. Internships/work experience in relevant companies (other consulting firms, IB, strategy roles in big brands, entrepreneurial initiatives)
2. Volunteer/leadership experience
3. University achievements (if applicable): top GPA, exchange, university clubs

If you are planning to apply to B-School, you may also prepare the GMAT (not worth just for the sake of the application)

For the Cover, you can structure it in 4 parts:

1. Introduction, mentioning the position you are interested in and a specific element you find attractive for that company
2. Why you are qualified for the job, where you can report 3 skills/stories from your CV, ideally related to leadership, impact, drive and teamwork
3. Why you are interested in that particular firm, with additional 1-2 specific reasons
4. Final remarks, mentioning again your interest and contacts

In part 2 – the one you are referring to – you can write about experiences that show skills useful in consulting such as drive, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and convincing others.

It is important that in part 3 you make your cover specific to a particular firm – the rule of thumb is, can you send the exact same cover to another consulting company if you change the name? If that’s the case, your cover is too generic.

For referrals, you can find a step-by-step approach at the following link:

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

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

Good news is that 6-9 months is a perfect time frame to achieve your goal!

The principle is simple:

1. next time you apply, your CV and cover letter must be better (additional courses, experience, achievements, internships, skills)
2. in the meantime you can network, build connections and secure a referral
3. as a result of 1+2- you get easier through CV screening
4. prepare for the test (imbellus / PST etc depending on the company)
5. then you concentrate on the interview: 

• Fit questions (why cconsulting / why company X / why should we choose you / tell me about the time you failed)
• Case part (there is a Preplounge case library that I can recommend https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases)
• Your questions to the interviewers

That's pretty much it. Consider taking some coach sessions: knowing exactly where to go and how to get there the most efficient way saves your time and money.

Don't hesitate to write me if you have questions / ideas etc left! Happy to help.

Cheers,

GB

Hey there,

Whenever you (re)-apply after a failed application (screening, aptitude test, or interviews) you need to make sure to show significant development in your resume since your rejection. Assuming you want to be hired straight out of university this means

• New academic achievements (e.g., new degree, top of class achievements,...)
• Experience abroad (career or university)
• New job experience (internships, working student, project assistant,...)
• New extracurriculars (leadership experience, NGOs, student clubs,....)

Usually, you are banned between 12 and 24 months from re-applying. Referrals can help both

• shorten that time
• increase your chances for a new invitation to the interviews

Cheers,

Florian

Hi,

everything pointed out by the other coaches is the way to go. On top of this:

• Make sure you get a feeling on what are the biggest value drivers in terms of potential, i.e. where can you most quickly realize the most gains (e.g. improving case skills is much faster than doing a mind-blowing new extracurricular acitivity in a meaningful way)
• Conduct a multi-pronged approach. Stream 1: Casing skills (incl FIT and incl applying to other non-MBB firms to practice and ideally perform internship), Stream 2: networking, Stream 3: CV pimping (extra-curriculars, internship at other consulting firms or banking etc)
• As outlined by Gaurav, make sure you hit the ground running in your preps - get as much feedback from ppl as possible, do not waste time on non-essential topics. If you do not hit your improvement goals in the allocated time - get the best coach you can afford

Best,
Denis

Hi,

Thanks for the context provided.

A key differentiator in your new application would be to demonstrate additional relevant experience that you have done recently (e.g., work experience).

I would also recommend:

1. Network!

2. Invest time in crafting a killer application.

A structured prep plan with a coach can also increase significantly your success rate. Don't hesitate to reach out to me to learn more about how I support candidates in accessing top consulting firms.

Best,

Antonello

Hi there,

You can do a few things here:

1) Gain experience (internships, bootcamps, classes, stratups, extracirriculars, etc).

2) Network - speak to multiple people across offices and aim to get a referral

3) Review your resume - make sure your formatting is sharp/consistent, key words/experiences pop, and your experience bullets are properly written.

Hi,

Do you mean MBA or undergrad on-campus?

1) If it is MBA - just get a referral from your classmates (ex MBBs). They'll contact the on-campus recruiter and you'll make it through.

2) If it is undergrad - I would try to get some real work experience:

• Internship
• Writing a paper with a real company
• Unpaid projects
• Some entrepreneurial activity 

3) In any case - it makes a lot of sense to check your resume with a coach. Feel free to send

Best

Hello!

TBH, there is not that much you can do in such little period of time. 

However, something that for sure would help and it´s a low hanging fruit is getting a referral: this for sure you can do in months!

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

I'd group the actions into the two stages to make sure you maximize your chances in both:

• CV stage
  • Assuming that your CV was presented in a professional format, you should work on the content. And that means get relevant work experience through internships, voluntary work, etc.
  • Network with people in the firm and aim at getting a referral. This will drastically improve your chances of getting an interview.
• Interview stage
  • Prepare for case interviews and fit. Especially work with people that know the content from the other side of the table, i.e. friends that work in consulting firms and have been interviewers themselves or coaches
  • Only if you get external, qualified feedback you'll be able to really bruch your case delivery and fit answers up to the point where you consistantly score positive outcomes