Likelihood of breaking into Consulting 2 years out of undergrad
Hi all - I graduated from undergrad 2016 and currently work in research & Biz Dev at a consulting firm. Asking about my prospects of lateral move to another firm to work as a consultant. Do most firms just hire straight from undergrad/MBA or are they open to experienced hires? Thanks for any input!
That'll be hard, esp since you're not currently working as a consultant. Network with school alums/ other people who've made a similar jump as best as you can, and highlight your unique value prop and skillset in your cover letter.
Any chance you could make an internal move first? I would expect that your current firm might be more amiable to giving you a chance since they know your work ethic and quality (assuming you've been doing well).
^ yea how likely is that OP? I know that it's pretty hard at a lot of firms, so it really depends on how open yours is to it
Yes, that's what i've been trying to do, but to little avail. I was told to wait another few months or maybe another year for a potential promotion to a consultant (the whole process has been very unclear), but I believe in myself and my abilities to do the job now, so i want to take a shot at proving that to other firms.
Yea normally the wall is really high. Honestly your best bet is to go get an MBA. Barring that, reach out to and network with the senior consultants/ partners and make yourself useful to them- do literally anything they ask. If you get a partner to vouch for you, it makes it a lot easier. With that being said, depending on what firm you work for, it can be hard to make that switch and just easier to network with/ get a job somewhere else. Good luck!
I recently interviewed for a tier 2 for an associate position and met all the 2nd round interviewees at a dinner they held.
Id say at least 30% were not from UG and worked for 1-2 years in either law or engineering
That should give you hope!
Thanks, it does. I'm determined to put in the work, but I was concerned that i would be overlooked since im 2 years out of college now
I just made the same move. I could give you some insights in my personal experience if that helps. Out of UG, I started a company and sold it after 2.5 years. It's not that glorious. It was a private transaction. So, after that, I decided to apply to consulting. Problem is I don't have a target MBA, so they all made me apply as Analyst, which seems to be the case for most people. Unless you are a real experienced hire with 5+ years of in-depth experience in something.
What I did? 1. Network Network Network. I legit just cold email/ cold message people on LinkedIn. You would be surprised how many will reply and is willing to have an informational interview (which can lead to a referral). 2. I prepped a lot. The case interview is still a key. Firms still hire from 2-3 years out of UG and would judge you on the same par in the case interviews.
I believe that you have a prospect. And definitely do a lateral move. That's always more straightforward IMO. Network - get a referral from an alum of your UG - and prep case interview!
Thanks for sharing this. I would like to hear more insight into your personal experience. And my initial thoughts were that if i network my ass off and prep for case interviews, i could end up doing it, so glad to see that worked out with you.
When you networked, besides alumni who did you reach out to? And what level (analysts, associate, manager,etc) did you have the most success with setting up informational interviews?
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