What position should I aspire for at Strategy&?

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application process with Strategy&!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, I understand that it might be irritating to receive different information from your interviewers. Nevertheless, I would highly advise you to first secure the offer and negotiate the appropriate position when discussing the offer.
• Moreover, while I completely understand that downgrading your work experience may not seem fair, unfortunately, it is a common practice within strategy consulting and might also help you with a slightly more relaxed start to your strategy consulting career. As such, I would highly advise you to approach the negotiation phase with a clear target but with the flexibility to compromise.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best negotiate your starting position with Strategy&, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Q: What do you suggest I do? Should I bring it up with the partner in my final interview? Should I wait until I get accepted first and then negotiate?

I would wait to get an offer and then let HR know about the comment of the second interviewer. That’s the moment where you will have more leverage because they know they want you. 

If at that stage they are not keen to offer the position you want, you can try to leverage another offer - in case you have any - to see if they can recognize some more seniority.

Best,

Francesco

1. Try to show maturity, ownership, poise, drive.

2. Get the offer.

3. Negotiate / discuss rank afterwards.

You should be targetting Senior Associate 1, if you have business training and experience. Associate 3 can be acceptable as well, but it is actually a higher risk position. I'll explain why:

• In both roles you'll be expected to be performing at Senior Associate level by the end of the year. 
• You are more likely to get Senior Associate responsibility work if you hold that rank, so your ability to prove that your performing at that level is higher
• Associate 3 tends to be an up or out role. 

So oddly enough, Associate 3 is a higher risk - lower return role.

Please DO NOT call HR before the interview.

You have no leverage right now.

I completely agree with Francesco that you need to wait until you have an offer.

Once you do, flag the comments from the other interviewer.

Now, remember, this is why it's so important to have as strong a resume as possible AND perform as well as you can in interviews.

The appearance of your resume/candidacy and your performance can affect the role at which you join (which is worth tens of thousands of $!)

Hello,

Pass the interview first. If the partner brings it up, then you can talk about it during the interview. A3/S1 seems fair. They may push you to join for A3 with a possibility of a faster promotion subject to performance.

Either way, pass the interview first. Don't bother the HR with this right now.

Best,

Rushabh