Hi, I am seeking advice from consultants concerning my current situation.
I am a French student who landed an end study offer at Oliver Wyman in Paris, which is really great for me. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic situation, my starting date has been delayed to January 2021 (instead of September 2020). Therefore, when I will finish my master's degree in one month, I will be left with 6 months of free time.
I am very stressed about the situation as it seems that most of my classmates will start in September or even earlier (probably remotely). I don't really know what to do now, I am afraid that not working/interning during this 6-month gap will look bad for me.
My goal is to land a full-time offer after my internship, which is common in Paris. However, I am not sure how easy it will be to get a full-time position considering the pandemic and different needs of consulting firms next year. In addition, the Paris partners have offered the opportunity to convert my end study internship into a full-time position if I successfully passed two interviews with two partners in September. However, I don't feel this is something I can manage, I am not confident in my interviews skills and I don't have experience in consulting. In case I fail this last round of interviews, I will keep my internship offer.
I have read many posts about what to do to prepare before entering consulting (preparation for Excel, Powerpoint, networking, soft skills etc), but still, considering I have 6 months ahead of me, I am unsure as to what to do. Should I find a job for a couple of months? How can I make the most of these 6 months? Will it look bad to the two partners I will meet in September if I am not working/interning?
Please excuse me for this long message, as you can see I am quite worried.
Many thanks,
(edited)