All questions tagged hiring - Consulting Q&A - PrepLounge.com

Hi! There are several firms whose offices are currently hiring - some of them with start dates further down in the future, but some of them even with start dates within the next 3 months. So it is not possible to give you a general answer to your question. Trying to understand the local context of the specific office you are applying to is key here.

Cheers, Sidi

Hi AR,

I am currently supporting many INSEAD students in their interview preparation and receiving daily feedbacks on consulting offices reactions to COVID situation. Summing them up:

Full time positions: at the moment hiring for full time position is mostly unaffected. Interviews are still taking place regularly. Worst case you will be asked to postpone you entry by few months (e.g. september).

Internship: strongly depends by company and office, some have closed hiring for summer, others have not changed their internship recruitment policy.

Don't hesitate to reach me out in case you need any more details on this topic,

Thanks,

Ale

Hello!

Do you want to send over the CV?

A priori, the only issue I would see is the language.

Cheers,

Clara

Hi,

I have two points, and I apologize in advance for my directness!

1) Now is not the time to attempt to apply to a country in which you are not currently located nor not already have working rights to. Travel is restricted, and sponsorship is going to be incredibly difficult to get.

Additionally, I'm sorry but your resume does not sound particularly impressive for this move (i.e. you can do the above, but need to have a killer resume).

2) If you are pursuing this, you should not be so selective, I.e. don't target just a few companies. Target all the tier 1s and tier 2s. Network as hard as you can across all companies and offices until you find something that sticks. It's quite risky to specifially say "I'm targeting the AC role at Bain in Canada". You need to be much more open to opportunities!

Hello,

I can confirm that BCG is still hiring, even in Milan, I would suggest to apply as soon as possible. Waiting will not increase your chances to get an interview, since the effects of the COVID will last for at least some months and the pipeline of candidates will be huge after these months without interviews.
There is no specific partner involved in recruiting process, the best thing would be to address your referral to a partner that your contact knows personally. Otherwise, you can send it directly to the HR director.

Hope it helps,
Luca

McKinsey interviews are also moving online, so far it's been true for the US, Europe and Australia. Postponing with no definite date I've seen only in the Middle East.

Even during recessions, consultancies will need new people coming in. Classes may be a little smaller, but most of the impact would be felt by consultants already in the firm: less staffing, harder promotions / longer cycles... and yes, smaller bonuses.

PS: You cannot control the economy, so don't focus on it too much.

Hi Kay,

I think it would be extremely unlikely for this to happen. However, what could definitely happen, depending on the firm/office, is that you enter at a graduate level but get a fast-track promotion. I know some experienced-hires at Bain that were hired as Associate Consultants and were promoted twice in the space of 1.5 years.

I would generally agree that some time to learn the foundations would be very useful, even if you have lots of previous experience. Once this is nailed, your previous experience will help you excel among your peers.

Hope that helps!

Alessandro

Hi Anonymous,

"Visiting Associate" is not a trial period in the true sense! "Visiting Associates" (VAs) is the term for interns at BCG. Every intern is a VA! So, if you convert your VAship (internship) to a full time offer (and if you accept it), you can choose to either come back at some point in the future or you can also directly continue working as a full time associate. This is quite common in Germany for example. The same can be done at McKinsey of course.

Cheers, Sidi

Hi,

In the US nowadays, you usually sign an offer via DocuSign and it happens immediately once everything is confirmed on both sides. In the other countries - once you visit the office.

Best