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wayfair to mbb?

I am contemplating working in a start-upy company such as wayfair and want to transition to mbb in a year or two. I know alot of people in mbb exit to wayfair but what about the opposite - going from wayfair to mbb. The role is a strategy/analytics role. I made it to the final round of mbb this year and didnt get it and was wondering the best way to transition pre-mba. 

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Coach
on Nov 24, 2019
McKinsey | BCG | CERN| University of Cambridge

Hello there,

As you mentioned, there are droves of consultants who shift from MBB to startups in search for tangible impact delivery and opportunity to lead projects / departments. 

Is it indeed much rarer to see people made the opposite transition, especially pre-MBA. Typically the firms would like to see a significant career trajectory that is on similar level or above what MBB consultants would experience to consider someone that made the shift from industry to their firms. This is a difficult metric, especially for junior levels, as MBB consultants are exposed to top management isuses since the beginning of their tenure and they work cross-functionally across multiple industries.

Another consideration is if the firm looks for someone with a very particular skillsets and expertise, which requires exposure to specific industries or companies, including startups. These occurs primarily for someone in senior roles who has years of experiences of an abundant of expertise behind him. In their cases, there are multiple examples of people transitioned from leadership roles in startups to MBB.

In the case of post-MBA, there are also examples of people who has background in startups pre-MBA that made it into MBB, whom I know of personally. Rest assured that the opportunity still opens by the way of MBA recruitment.

My advise would be to pursue the startup role should it be something you are excited about and keen to experience. Try to apply to MBB afterwards and in case it does not go through, go for MBA, as it can significantly boost your chance of getting your foot on the door.

Kind regards,
Nathan

on Nov 24, 2019
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,
the role is interesting for a future transition to MBB. After a couple of years there, you could be considered as senior BA/junior associate position in MBB.

However, if your pre-MBA goal is MBB, I recommend to apply for the other firms and play your cards.

Best,
Antonello

on Dec 01, 2019
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Anonymous,

moving from a startup to MBB is not a common path. The usual path include:

  • Working for other consulting firms, and then reapply
  • Working in a strategy role for a big brand and then reapply
  • Doing an MBA and then reapplying

I would check if there is any track record of people moving back from the target startups you are considering, otherwise I would try to go for the traditional path if your goal is MBB.

Best,

Francesco

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