Valid reason for applying to office

Bain BCG Mck
New answer on Jul 02, 2020
6 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Jun 29, 2020

Apologies for edit. Adding more details. My fiancée is in the final round for a position in the Benelux area. Since my current company does not have an office there, I am looking for a position in the same region. I have heard that MBB want applicants to have a valid reason for applying to an office. Does a spouse's impending / potential job offer count as a valid reason?

About me:

Nationality: non-EU advanced country (no need for a visa to visit most countries but need work visa), also intend to apply for a "Blue Card" upon receiving an offer

Market experience: 4 years in insurance at S&P 500 companies (2 years technical research in NYC, 2 years strategy consulting in HK/SG)

Education: Oxbridge (non-MBA master's), US undergrad at global top 30 (Math)

Languages: Native English speaker (I can read a menu in French and ask for directions but I don't think that counts as basic proficiency)

Personal connection: Fiancée's impending / potential offer in Benelux, don't actually know anyone working in relevant offices

Industries served in office(s): Financial services (based on LinkedIn search of consultant profiles and economic structure of country), mining (based on partner's profile, government (EU institutions must be all around the offices)

(edited)

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Clara
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replied on Jun 29, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I honestly disagree with previous answers, and I am exhibit A.

Family reasons are indeed a very valid and respected argument for an office transfer. I precisely built a case arround that for a transfer between the Madrid and the Zurich MGI office.

PM me if you want more details.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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Ian
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replied on Jul 01, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Yes and No.

Yes, it's a valid reason and you can say this.

No, because you need to (and can) do better.

You need to show that you're particularly interested in that region, or genuinely interested in the company, etc. etc.

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Robert
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replied on Jun 30, 2020
McKinsey offers w/o final round interviews - 100% risk-free - 10+ years MBB coaching experience - Multiple book author

Hi Anonymous,

At the end of the day it's actually less complicated than you might think - it's just 2 perspective which need to be aligned.

1) What's in it for you personally. You just need to have a solid argumentation for that. And by default this will be a personal topic, so no need to be afraid of discussing that.

2) How does that match to the firm's interests. Just don't forget about that perspective - ideally you have/can build some argumentation on how the target office can even benefit from that.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

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Anonymous replied on Jun 29, 2020

Hi there,

To keep it short - "a spouse's impending/potential job offer" can count as a 50% valid reason for selecting the country to which you applying to (you need to couple it with some intrinsic interest you have in the region)

However, in order to get an offer, you need the following stars to align in your favor (which are independent of your spouse's Job offer)

  • The MBB office accepting only English speakers (I would say Amsterdam offices are more open than in Belgium)
  • Ability to issue visas in these covid times
  • The typical CV and job requirements for any MBB applicant (which looks like you might have the credentials for based on the little info you shared)

I would say, the best thing to do is to actually start putting an application together, you have nothing to lose. Again, don't only focus on MBBs, branch out to tier-2 as well.

I hope this helps

Khaled

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Axel
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replied on Jun 29, 2020
Bain Consultant | Interviewer for 3 years at Bain |Passionate about coaching |I will make you a case interview Rockstar

Would be great if you can expand your question a little bit but I have listed a few below:

  • Nationality
  • Language skills
  • Market experience
  • Studies
  • Personal connection (family)
  • Specialization relevant to industries frequently served by the target office

-A

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Francesco
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replied on Jul 02, 2020
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

In general yes, strong family reasons are enough for getting an interview.

On the other hand:

  • a potential job doesn’t sound a strong family reason. If she actually gets the job, then yes, it is strong enough
  • you can just target Amsterdam with your background as with very few exceptions the other offices require local knowledge
  • you should try to get a referral to maximize your chances of an interview. You can find more on that here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hey-everyonehope-all-is-well-3176

If you need help with referrals please feel free to PM me.

Best,

Francesco

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Clara gave the best answer

Clara

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