Can I apply to MBB after top MBA few years work experience?

Hello,

I am an MBA/MS three dual degree student at a top 10 MBA program. I am in my final year of my school. I did my first summer working for a very prestigious fellowship program and my second summer working in a highly coveted MBA marketing role. Last summer, I recruited for MBB and Booz for internship positions and made it to final rounds for all of them. I ended up getting one MBB offer but decided not to take it and took the industry marketing job interested me and I figured I could always re-apply for consulting. This year, I decided I wanted to recruit again for top consulting and I did not even get interviews at some the places I had offers from last year. Additionally, I made it to final round for two of the MBB and did not get an offer. I am fairly discouraged right now. I did not even apply to Deloitte or other firms that recruit on campus and now feel that I missed the consulting boat.

I was wondering if any folks worked in industry for a few years and made to jump to top consulting. I am thinking I want to do two-three years in Marketing and then try for the Marketing and Sales practice at McKinsey or something similar. I am fairly young MBA/MS graduate (I will only be 26 when I graduate), so I feel that I will have the mental stamina to do consulting after a few years. I am just wondering if anyone know of anyone who has made the transition into consulting after a few years of valuable work experience and after completing a top MBA.

Your thoughts would be appreciated. I know not getting MBB is not the end of the world and fortunate to have options. I just wished I took the opportunity for my summer internship at an MBB firm and was wondering if I could still have opportunities to make the shift after an MBA if it aligns with my career goals at the time.

Thanks,

 

Why are you so interested in going to Marketing and Sales practice at McK after you do 2-3 years in Marketing in industry. You will need to make the case for why you want to jump into consulting after industry.

 

It's perfectly possible to make the jump after 2-3 years in industry. This is under the condition that you have spent those 2-3 years at a highly reputable company (e.g., for marketing & sales: P&G and the likes - not too familiar with that area, but you get the idea), have demonstrated meaningful career progression, and bring a specific skill in an area where McK wants to grow (e.g., marketing ROI).

What might get in the way though is your application record. Records are kept pretty much forever, so expect that recruiting will know that you both applied for an internship and for a full-time position. If you got dinged twice - don't know if you should bother for a third time, if you got an offer once but did not accept - need a really good story.

 

I'm not at MBB so take this with a grain of salt, but what I've noticed is that there is a slight movement away from generalist hires. Most of the experienced hires at my firm have some very specific skill set that the firm wants to leverage. If you think you bring something specific to the table, then you should have a shot.

-MBP
 

I'm not at a big 4. I'm at a small firm where I'm paid pretty well, but I'm not thrilled about the future of my career when I think about it.

Is there anything I can do with my mba 2 years after graduation besides cry over the student loan?

 

change sounds fun, but realize there are downsides, too (e.g., travel, hours).

What is paid pretty well? $75k? $150k? $250k? $400+? Depending on where your pay is, consulting might not be worth it.

What is a good california school? Stanford? Berkeley? At least USC/UCLA? None of these are required, but might make it easier? Not sure.

That said, even if not one of these schools, and assuming your pay isn't in the $250+ already (where switching wouldn't make sense), and assuming you're ok with travel, etc., I'd recommend networking. Find people on linkedin. do informational interviews. ask their advice on approach get into consulting. one will offer to submit your resume eventually.

good luck.

 

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