Referral system at MBB

Hi,

The short answer is yes - anyone can refer you. 

There are certain criteria for the referral:

1. The consultant makes you a reference in the system and uploads your resume. Usually, he has to indicate why he thinks you are a good candidate. He can be from any office
2. You skip some steps in the recruiting process (CV screening at McK, Test at Bain)
3. The consultant gets referral bonus ($) if you get a job offer

As you can see simply mentioning a person in your CL does not change the process at all.

The conversion to reference will be higher among consultant / manager level people who are still interested in the referral bonus. The basic idea is to ask these people for a mock interview.

Here are some tips on how you can do that:

1) Leverage your own network - find friends or friends of friends who can practice cases with you or make you a reference.

2) Attend company events. Consulting companies do a lot of events both for graduates and experienced hires. Find the social network groups related to consulting or websites, subscribe to newsletters and stay tuned. Also, check if they have events in your University since you are a PHD.

While some of the events will be open to everyone, others will require a resume and a cover letter, so make sure to prep.

3) Talk to people on the events and send Thank You notes. After each event, there is a Q&A session where you can talk to consultants 1 on 1 or in a group. Ask for contact info or send a thank you note after the event ("I just wanted to thank you for visiting our University... It was especially interesting to hear about... Would be happy to keep in touch and apply in the nearest future.). Alternatively, you may use linkedin for that. If you are an experienced hire I strongly suggest to ask for a 1 on 1 meeting in a thank you notes 

4) 1 on 1 meetings. All people like giving an advice. So don't hesitate to ask consultants for a career advice. Tell your story and ask how consulting fits into it

5) Mock interview Depending on where you are in your prep process you may ask a consultant for a mock interview. Consultants are very much opened to help even if it is a cold call e-mail. The main problem is a lack of time on their side. So don't be afraid to remind about yourself if the consultant has already committed but finds it hard to find the time

6) Talking to partners If you are an experienced hire I suggest to talk directly to the partners in your industry or the partner responsible for experienced hires (in consulting partners also have additional roles). Get an intro from the HR or from your friends working there. Partners care a lot about experienced hires with relevant industry expertise. Chances to get referral are much lower though. They also will not be interested in giving mock interviews.

7) If you are an MBA graduate Just talk to your section mates and ask for a reference or a mock interview - they will be happy to help. Make sure you attend all the consulting events.

Good luck!

Hi there,

A referral is just a door opener such that the recruiting team will look through your application more thoroughly. Depending on the seniority, tenure and advocacy of the person referring you, you have a better chance of getting a first round interview. The more senior the person referring you is, the better. The longer the tenure of that person with the firm is, the better.

The reason is that such voices carry more weight than referrals coming from super junior or brand new people. They typically know the HR folks better and have been involved in recruiting activities for a while so it is usually assumed that they have a good grasp of what types of candidates with which sets of qualifications the firm needs. However, any referral is ultimately better than no referral. 

Ideally, you get a referral from someone from the same office (or same country) you are applying to. But again, a referral from someone within the same firm but different office or country organization is still better than no referral.

A direct rejection after the CV screening stage can still happen - even with a referral. In that case the recruiting team usually provides some feedback to the person having given the referral. So you should follow up with them to better understand the rationale in case that happens. On the flipside, you can still get an interview invite when you just apply online without a referral - the probability is just lower - particularly when your CV is not “stellar” on a standalone basis.

And as always, factors such as economic conditions and headcount/budget planning of the individual firm also matter significantly in these decisions - but they are not within your control.

Best

Hello!

Yes, indeed, a partner from Asia can refer you to the US without any issue. 

Actually, it´s the usual, since offices are rather small, but firms are global. 

Hence, proceed without problem

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hi,

Yes this is possible and can be a good way to get your foot in the door if you do not know anyone in the specific office that you are targeting. Ideally, your relationship with the referring partner is as strong as possible.

-A

Hi there, yes is it possible - however, be careful, make sure to that your relationship with the partner is strong enough for him/her to refer you (accepting the Linkedin invite and answering one message does not mean the partner will vouch for you) 

Best of luck

Khaled

Hi there,

yes, a partner from another country can refer you to your local office - the partner who referred me for BCG for example was working in the US. You can find some tips on how to structure the referral process below:

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

Best,

Francesco

Hi

Yes, it's possible for BCG

David

Hi there,

Yes a partner from Asia can refer you to the US. 

Preferably if the partner personaly know some partners in the US officies or the recruiting team in US, then it can be even better. 

Best,

Emily

Hi,

Short answer: Yes they can.

Longer answer: Be careful and do not ask for a referral directly.

Rather, hope that they offer a referral of their own volition. If they don't, you can try and have they connect you with someone in the US (say you're interested in x offices and ask if they could put you in touch with anyone there).

Dear A,

Yes, it works

Best,

André