US job application as a person who's studied in Europe

Hi there,

Q: Do I have a chance at any big consulting firm office in the US directly out of graduate school? Or would it be better to apply to a European office and then transfer?

Usually that would be very difficult. However in your case you have a visa, which could make the application feasible if your school is a target one. 

On the other hand, you most likely will have a higher chance by applying to your home office.

Overall you have two options:

EU option (indirect – higher probability)

1. Find a referral in your home office
2. Get an offer in your home office
3. Transfer to the US for MBA/after a few years

US option (direct – lower probability)

1. Find a referral in the US
2. Get an offer in the US

Which one is best depends on the overall strength of your profile, the type of referral you find and the urgency you have to move to the US.

You can find more on referrals here:

▶ How to Get an MBB Referral

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

It's good that you have a visa and internship lined up! Do you have any other ties to the US like prior work experience?

As for your degree, I'm reminded of the golden rule we had in my MBA at ESADE: “If you want to work in consulting the US, get a degree from a US university. If you want to work in consulting in Europe, get a degree from any university”. This applies to non-US citizens but also US citizens.

Of course there's always exceptions to the rule and your special situation may lead to such an exception. The best thing you can do is networking like crazy during your internship in the US and getting the foot in the door with some MBB folks.

Alternatively, there's an indirect and ultimately more likely path, which is joining an MBB Europe office and transferring down the line after 2-3 years. This is pretty common and relatively “easy” to do for established consultants.

Happy to discuss more if you'd like more concrete advice. For now, I hope this helps! Best of luck!

Hello,

Given that the visa is not an issue for you, your biggest challenge will be networking with people from the US offices. Having contacts at a particular office (and, in the best case scenario, getting a referral) significantly increases your chances of getting an offer, and I suspect your European school has better contacts in Europe than in the US. However, this is not an insurmountable challenge, particularly now that so many events have online/hybrid formats - be proactive, reach out to people, and do your best to cultivate a network in the US if you would like to apply directly. Regarding the decision as to whether to apply directly vs apply in Europe and then transfer, I think this mostly depends on your risk preference and whether you would want to stay in Europe for an extra couple of years. There is no harm in trying, in my opinion, or in trying to recruit in both Europe and in the US.

Hi there, 

Starting in Europe and then transferring would be easier as a general rule. 

However, if you do have some sort of proven connection with the US and you hold a green card, then it should be significantly easier. Just make sure you flag this to the recruiter when you submit the documents. 

Best,

Cristian

If you have a green card it makes life a lot easier as the US is very difficult from a sponsorship perspective. In general to apply to the US you ideally have to study here or transfer into here. The reason being familiarity with the schools here and the large availability of candidates locally. 

That being said if you're going to a target school in Europe it is always helpful to ask for a referral in the US to try your luck. You should make it clear to the person referring you that you have a green card (write that on your resume)

Hi there,

I cannot emphasize enough how much a green card helps. Yes you have a chance.

All that said, you do not have to decide right now. Do the following when recruiting season comes along:

1. Networking extensively across all interested offices
2. When applying, diversify! Select multiple offices as your preference
3. See where the chips land…if you're Europe, then you can try to transfer after 1-2 years

Since you have work authorization, it shouldn't be a major issue, as long as you are in a good European school.

Given Visa is a non-issue for you, I say got for it! Put forward a good CV, international profile and network well. 

All the best.

Hello!

Key thing is the visa, but you already mentioned that you have a green card. Then, you should be totally fine, and actually it´s a huge market (and with huge rotation!). 

In your case, I would work on networking to get a referral to one of the US offices that you are interested in. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

If you have a green card and currently at a target school then that makes things at lot more feasible.  As others have said, its not a bad idea to do some networking so that you have local consultants who are aware of your profile.