Hi,

First of all - what is the objective? Just contacting people for the purpose of contacting is probably not the best idea.

There might be 2 objectives:

• Getting a referral - I assume it will be extremely hard in your case since you can only connect offline. But it's still possible
• Asking for a Mock Interview - in your case, it will be online.

There can be multiple strategies here:

1. The best strategy is just to connect via friends and friends of friends and ask for the mock interview. To be honest, this is so much better than called calling, that I highly recommend using just this option
2. Talk to people on the events and send Thank You notes. You've mentioned you want to connect with people you talked before. 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.). You can also ask for another call in a thank you note. The best rationale is a career advice. 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
3. 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.

Best,

Dear A,

Before you start your conversation, you can easily ask 2-3 clarifying questions. This information can strengthen your understanding of the company.

Examples:

• Business model: How does the company make money? Do they sell directly to customers or do they sell through retailers or partners?

• Products and services: What products and services does the company sell? What benefits do these products and services provide?

• Geographic location: Does the company have one location or are they a national chain? Does the company operate in just one country or do they have an international presence?

  Hope this information is useful. If you need some help with other questions, just drop me a line!

  Best,

  Andre