While the MBA will improve your CV and MBB like to recruit MBAs, they usually do so for full time MBAs at an earlier point in their career. 

By the way, one of the reasons they hire young MBAs is because the MBA signals high long term potential. The same logic does not apply when you are 38.

A better route would be to get there through networking. But a more realistic route is to get there through a boutique strategy and become a strong strategy specialist in a specific niche. At that point, the expertise in conjunction with a top MBA may give you good chances of being hired.

Hi there!

First of all, you have a very cool background. 

Feel free to reach out for an intro chat. I've worked with several other 35+ candidates transitioning into consulting and several of them with exotic backgrounds. 

But yes, based on how you describe it, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to get into consulting. 

What would be healthy to do is set your expectations right. Meaning that if firms such as MBB tend to hire a more ‘typical' profile, then it doesn't make sense to put all your hopes into going straight for those. I know people who switched to consulting and worked their way up through two other firms over the course of 3-4 years before eventually joining MBB. You could do the same. 

In terms of the MBA, it could certainly help, but I'm not convinced it's a must (would need to understand your background a bit better for this). Sharing an article that I wrote about this which goes into it in more detail:

• Expert Guide: Are MBAs worth it?

Good luck!
Cristian

Hi there,

I would probably just flag 2 risks here that haven't been considered yet (true risk is the risk we don't know):

1. An Exec MBA and Part-time MBA is, as a probability/percentage, much less fruitful than a full-time MBA for the consulting pipeline
2. An MBA in x region is generally best for x region, not y region. This is particularly true outside of the US
   1. For example, Australia recruits mostly out of LBS, not Insead (and, of course, unis like UQ, UMelbourne, etc.)

Definitely consider hiring a coach for 1 session to come up with a game plan. Kind of like financial/wealth planning, you don't quite know what you don't know, and upfront planning with someone who knows a lot can help you avoid all those mistake before you make them…for a critical life/career choice.

Hi there,

I just want to add a few points to the discussion as food for thought:

• What did you not like about the boutique consulting role you held for a year that made you leave the firm? And what makes you think this will be different at MBB?
• Would you only want to get an MBA at INSEAD in order to increase your chances for MBB or do you have alternative plans to leverage the degree in case MBB doesn't work out? An investment of this magnitude seems out of proportion if you “mainly did it for MBB purposes”
• Your background is definitely not conventional for consulting which is not a disadvantage. But it also sounds like you are not a specialist in any particular area and you are already at the age common for senior managers in consulting (a level where you should have a specialization). An MBA program will not really turn you into a specialist either
• If a career in consulting is your declared goal, then I think you should get into consulting as soon as possible. Leverage your past track record in the HR consulting firm to get a footing in another, potentially smaller scale consulting firm first and build out your skills and expertise - then you will also see how you like the daily consulting grind over an extended period of time
• If you then decide that consulting is still the right fit, you can try to enter MBB coming from that vantage - plus you would bring a relevant skill set and expertise to the table MBB could leverage from day 1 if they hired you

There are lot of factors and interdependencies involved of course. It would certainly be a good idea to thoroughly vet your options before comitting to a costly MBA program.

Best

Hi there, thanks for sharing your background in detail. Really inspiring to hear your trajectory and commitment to lifelong learning. Having said this, I would want to be realistic with you and have doubt whether MBB would be the right and likely choice for you. At this stage of life MBB tends to recruit experts rather then generalists (which you would be given your background). Warm regards, Frederic 

Hi there,

Q: Considering my age, and my academic background (only have an Arts degree, not academically strong) I would like to at least know if this would weigh heavily against me. 

It is not impossible to join a consulting company late, but as mentioned by Frederic, usually at 38+ they hire people for expert roles.

In your case, I would recommend the following:

1. Network with consultants in MBB + Tier 2 + Boutiques, targeting alumni of your university. Even if you target MBB long-term, a few years in other consulting companies could validate your profile for a future transition.
2. Apply now to those companies with a referral. You can find more on referrals here.
3. If it doesn't work and you think the INSEAD EMBA would be useful even if you don't get into MBB and you consider it the best option for your career, do the EMBA (I would not recommend doing it with the sole goal of MBB).
4. Apply again after the EMBA to MBB + Tier 2 + Boutiques.

Good luck!

Francesco