Recruiting for MBB/Tier 2 while being 1 year out of college

Hello A,

It is possible to apply for entry-level positions with MBB and Tier 2 firms during the campus recruiting period in September, even if you are almost one year out of college. While campus recruiting is primarily geared towards graduating seniors, many firms also consider applicants who have recently graduated or who have a few years of work experience.

However, it is important to note that the recruiting process may vary by firm, so it's best to check with each firm to confirm their specific policies and timelines.

Overall, while the campus recruiting period is primarily targeted at graduating seniors, there usually are opportunities for entry-level applicants to apply and be considered for different positions.

Having said that, try not to apply without a strong referral if you want to make sure that your CV will be reviewed.

Best of luck!

Hi there,

if you apply for an entry level position at MBB or Tier 2, your previous work experience of a year or less will not really be valued. You'd be regarded the same as fresh college graduates from an experience standpoint. You couldn't take the campus recruiting route but would have to go the lateral hire route. 

The economic situation is not ideal either as you pointed out. So even if you had more work experience already, you'd be facing a lot more competition since hiring has slowed. That said, you might as well give it a shot and apply since you cannot control the macro environment:

• If you get rejected, the potential ban period would overlap with the economic downturn anyway and you could build up more work experience in your current job in the meantime and then try again later
• If you get invited to interviews, you might actually land the big prize but at the very least you can use it to gain valuable recruiting experience

So in my mind, while the circumstances are not ideal, you don't have anything to lose by pursuing this.

Just some food for thought.

Best wishes

Hi Claire,

Ok, so you cannot apply to any unviersity-related roles. So, any campus recruiting you cannot be a part of an any university hires you cannot be a part of.

What you can be a part of though is external hiring/experienced hire.

What I will say is this is going to be very tough for you to do with just 10/11 months work experience (by the time you apply).

If I would you I would aim to develop my career a bit more (build the resume). Additionally, when you recruit, make sure to network extensively and cast the net wide in terms of firms you're applying to.

Hi Claire,

Q: Do you know if I can apply to entry level positions in the US during September even though this is considered the period of “campus recruiting” even though I am almost one year out of college now?

You can apply for an entry-level position in September, however you won’t be able to use the campus recruiting channel related to current students.

As mentioned by Dennis, they won’t probably recognize full seniority so most likely you will join in the same role as a new grad.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there, 

Complex situation indeed. 

To figure out if you're eligible / i.e., if they would take you as part of campus recruitment, I would check directly with the HR at your target firms. 

If I were you though, I'd try to go off-cycle, because this improves your chances. 

Have a read through the following guide where I detail out an approach to maximize your chances in the recruitment pipeline:

Maximizing your chances of getting a consulting job during an economic downturn >  https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-get-a-job-in-consulting-during-an-economic-downturn

Best,
Cristian

You will be considered a fresh grad, but will not be included in the campus recruiting. Additionally, you won't be targetting the same start date.

My advice is to apply a BEFORE the campus recruiting starts, because at that point recruiters are more focused on processing those candidates.

Hello,

I agree with the general advice here that you won't be able to use formal campus resources during recruiting since you are no longer an undergraduate student. However, there's nothing stopping you from applying to entry level positions when they open. I think you'd be seen slightly differently from undergrads in recruiting given that you do already have work experience, however, as others have pointed out, leaving after <1 year is generally considered to be quite soon, so you want to think carefully about how you would present yourself and what story you would tell.

If you're looking to get to MBB, my best advice for you right now would be to start networking. Reach out to the offices you are interested in, talk to recruiters to get a better sense of what the hiring situation looks like, see what people adjacent to the roles you are interested in recommend recruiting-wise for someone in your situation, and base your strategy off of that. While you can't use formal campus channels, you can use your school's alumni network, so be sure to leverage that if you have alumni working at MBB too.