Hi there,

If you don’t yet have someone that could refer you, events are great opportunities to create a strong connection with current consultants for referrals. To do so, you should:

• Prepare good questions (see below some examples)
• Move from the questions to a conversation, trying to connect on a personal level with the consultant. It is too long to describe how to do so in a post, but if you are interested How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie has all the basics
• Ask the consultants if you could reach out later for further questions
• Send a thank-you note and, so far you made a good impression, chances are you could later transform the connection into a referral at the right moment

The key things I would recommend to prepare in advance are the following:

• Read about the firm and the consulting industry. Try to understand recent developments – this will ensure you can ask relevant questions and stand out
• Learn as much as possible on the consultants who will participate in the event, if possible. In this way, you will be able to connect more easily.
• Be prepared on company-related fit questions. You won’t be formally interviewed during these events, but you want to leave a positive impression in an informal conversation with consultants. At the bare minimum, you should:
  • have a clear idea of why you want to become a consultant
  • why you want to join McKinsey
  • what you can bring to that company and
  • have a clear, 5-lines pitch of who you are as introduction
• Prepare your own questions to ask. Relevant questions are a great way to show your interest in the company and get additional points. In the first reply at the following post, you can find some information on the ideal type of questions to ask: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/open-house-at-bcg-311

Hope this helps,

Francesco