When roles open in Sept, is it better to get your application in early?

Hi there,

I had the chance to see this in motion in Italy in MBB and the short answer is: yes, at least here, timing is going to affect your chances. This is because they have a certain number of people they are going to hire every year and, as a consequence, if you apply later on there will be less seats and they may choose other candidates over you. 

HOWEVER, I would not blindly decide to go as soon as possible for 2 reasons:
- If you are not going to be ready by applying early, it is better to prepare appropriately and then go for a later interview. In any case they are not going to compromise on the quality of their hirings so you need to feel 100% ready when you set your interviews.
- Truth is that if you really are a talent, they are going to hire you anyway, even though they have already reached their hiring goal. Hence, if you prepare well and you are able to show your potential, you are going to get your offer!

So I would assess whether you have the time to prepare appropriately and still do the early interviews. If the answer is yes, then I would suggest taking this road. If the answer is no, I would suggest taking your time to make sure you prepare approriately. You can still rock your interview at a later stage if you have a strong preparation. 

Best of luck with your interview process and feel free to write me if you need any help preparing,
Francesca

Hi there,

Technically it depends (on country, role, company hiring channel, etc.).

However, if I am ready with my application I should submit the moment I am ready.

Downside: none

Upside: It might help

Again, this assumes all else equal (i.e. you already have a referral and are not looking to get one/upgrade, your resume + cover letter are 10/10, etc.).

If there is no more to do, 100% submit your application when it is ready.

(Also, this is just a general rule in life!)

Here's some more reading to help:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-get-a-consulting-internship-tips-and-tricks

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/application-tracker

Hi there,

1) Say application deadline is a whole month from the opening date, how important is it to get an application in early? 

This could depend on the company/region. In general, I would recommend applying when you feel your application material is ready and ideally you have secured a referral.

2) Once you move to the interview stage, does it matter if you get an early interview slot? Will it put me at a disadvantage if I request a later slot? Do firms tend to fill up on a first-come-first-served basis (obviously if the candidate is what they're looking for)? I imagine firms have 1000s of people applying each year, does your “place” in the application queue affect your chances? 

This could also depend on the company/region. Also in this case I would organize the interview when you expect to be ready and not try to anticipate it for possible advantages that might not materialize.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there!

Lots of great questions. 

Let me take them one by one.

Say the application deadline is a whole month from the opening date, how important is it to get an application in early? 

Quite important. Applications are reviewed as they come in and shortlisted accordingly. If they shortlisted a lot of people already, then the standard is going to go up for the remaining ones. 

Once you move to the interview stage, does it matter if you get an early interview slot? Will it put me at a disadvantage if I request a later slot? Do firms tend to fill up on a first-come-first-served basis (obviously if the candidate is what they're looking for)?

It really depends on the office. Theoretically, if you got an interview slot you can do it whenever and you are assessed only based on your performance. In practice, they do have a high-level idea of how many people they want to hire, so it's best if you get your chance early on, not when they've given out a lot of offers and are getting more selective.

Best,
Cristian

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It only matters if companies have a rolling deadline. For example, McKinsey does not look at applications before the deadline in which case getting it early has no advantage.

What is most important is getting a high quality application, and ideally referrals from senior people. No one gets invited to interview purely based on when they submit an application.

Hey,

Short answer:

- If it's a Boutique / smaller Tier2 firm with no regular recruiting cycles - Yes, it makes sense to apply asap while the position is open;

- If it's a larger company (MBB / Big4) which has regular recruiting cycles when I wouldn't bother applying asap and only apply when you feel ready as they will just slot you into the next recruiting cycle.

Cheers,
Nick