Rejected by almost all firms, don't know what to do
I just received my rejection from Big D and the third and final MBB. I'm just numb. So far I've been rejected by OW, MBB, D, and LEK. I graduated from my undergrad with a pre-med-esque degree last year and decided I did not want to become a doctor and fell in love with consulting. I have a pretty decent GPA (3.5-3.6) from a good STEM school and really good leadership/extracurriculars + prestigious scholarships and am attending a top MSF/MiM program on the East Coast for the sole reason of gunning for MBB/top consulting firms.
I did everything I could. Applied and got into one of the best masters programs, networked with over 100 people at all the firms, had partners refer me, had partners mentor me, bought all the books, videos, and did over 150 cases. I've had consultants from MBB tell me during practice cases that I am really good during cases (one even said that he blocked out 30 mins for a case and I did it in 15). Yet I couldn't even get past the games/resume screens at MB and the finally B destroyed me with an interviewer who seemed like he was about to pass out from exhaustion and that stupid Casey chat bot thing.
I've handled a lot of things in my life, from coming to this country as an immigrant kid, to having brain surgery. But this hit me really hard. I put everything I had for the last 12 months into this. And now I have nothing but a trail of rejections and thousands of dollars of debt from the program.
I'm 25 years old with no idea on what to do next. I feel like I am already too old for entry level positions, particularly with I-banks (considered joining because I'm really good at finance and modelling, but again, age and not internship :( ).
Sorry for the rant and sorry if what I said feels all over the place. I'm just numb and defeated and I don't know what to do.
Just take a middle market role and switch over later if you like the field.
Middle Market? You mean lower tier consulting firms? Already applying to those and boutiques.
I don't exactly know how consulting recruiting works, but here are some thoughts:
I wish you the best with your future efforts! Everyone here on WSO is rooting for you!
Thanks for your thoughtful response! I definitely always ask for feedback from everybody. Career services at my school just praises my case/fit interview abilities with very minimal feedback even though I know there are areas that need improvement. The only person that has given me great feedback other than this 1 professor is my gf. However I only had 1 interview and that was with BCG and the interviewer looked like he took 3 xanax while I was hyped up and smiling the whole time so who knows. Never got a chance to even show my casing abilities since they implemented that stupid chatbot thing. Mckinsey, I thought I aced the game but 4 weeks later rejected. Bain, resume screened. Deloitte, told me I had an interview in 36 hours while I was visiting my sick grandparents across the country and I had to take the interview jet-lagged and on no sleep.
For context on your mindset that 25 is too old for entry level positions, I've gotten a late start to my first job out of undergrad, worked for 2 years in consulting and when searching for lateral positions, including 1st year and 2nd year IB positions, no one cared I was older than most post-MBAs that have 2 years of pre-MBA experience under their belts.
Hope the above helps out with your mentality when approaching your current situation and let me know if you have any questions through PM!
At my MM IB company in NYC, one of the 1st year full time analysts was a 28 year old woman who transitioned from residential real estate to investment banking. (Not even kidding). Graduated from University of Miami with a Bachelor of Arts in Real Estate and Marketing, worked for six years selling residential real estate.
No clue how she did it, but she had no shame in being the oldest person on our analyst team. She loved every minute of it. You are definitely not too old.
Thanks for the encouragement! However, she did have six years of work experience. That may have helped her. I'm coming fresh from Undergrad and a subsequent masters program. The only work experience I have is in research during undergrad... and it was an internship :(
I second this, I had a very bad set back in undergrad which ultimately forced me to take some time off and switch schools. I graduated undergrad at 25. Shit happens
thanks! Can't seem to Pm you though...
I assume the pre-med-esque degree is something related to biomedical sciences, correct? In that case, leverage your existing knowledge base and aim for healthcare consultancies such as Putnam Associates, ClearView Partners, Health Advanced, Trinity Partners, IQVIA or Kx Advisors. You're more likely to get in given the relevant background vs. aiming for a generalist firm and it also gives you the chance to gain experience before re-recruiting (if you really want to) 12-18 months down the line.
As someone who've been in the same boat (interned at a T2 firm and put in hundreds of hours on casing but still didn't get into my dream firm), I know how frustrated it must feel when you've given all you can and then get nothing but rejections. I think at this point actionable advice would be the most useful so here're my two cents:
Feel free to ask any additional questions you may have, and best of luck!
I do not really know your specific market well enough to give you specific advice but as someone that recently got really fucked in life I will give some general advice.
1) The most important thing, you graduated from a good program in one of the richest countries in the world in a very wealthy time iin history. Sure, You feel a lot of social pressure/stigma to be as good as your peers, in the long run, this does not matter you are going to be fine. You are going to be fucking fine, just do not obsess about this.
2) I started working in corporate finance at 25, no one thought that was old, why? I had I reason why I started later than most people. What is your story? If you were smoking pot at home is very different than if you are someone that tried to be a professional athlete and failed
3) If you graduated from a top STEM program I am pretty sure that you can apply much wider to careers focused on portfolio and not academic signaling roles. Build a good portfolio apply to swe/design/security. If you built a great site or find a security problem on IOS no one is going to care if you are 25 and do not have an internship, the problem with business is that is way too hard to show a sign that you are very good if you did not follow a traditional path unless you are a founder which is insanely risks btw.
4) I can not help you much, I am way more fucked than you, but feel free to pm me if you need to talk.
thanks man. Pm'd u
There is PwC, EY, KPMG, Roland Berger, BAH, A&M, Mercer ... this sounds like "I've tried a couple things and all out of options," not "I've tried everything and have no idea what to do." You've applied to only six firms. There are eight Ivy League schools and that isn't even including Stanford, MIT etc. Trust me that your career won't be ruined by going somewhere "second tier." Get off the consulting forums and into the real world.
You thought you could recruit for only top firms and it didn't turn out the way you hoped. That's ok. Don't throw away your career interest for the sake of your ego. Switching into banking would be pointless unless you are only chasing prestige, and even then the recruiting path with your background will be up a steep hill. Get your foot into the door somewhere in consulting. You have a 30-40+ year career ahead of you, and if you are truly excellent you'll rise to the top and have plenty of options going forward.
I just realized the forum and I should provide a source as to my background: formerly Manager at a "tier 2" consulting firm, currently a VP at a "tier 2" bulge bracket bank. So there is a bias that I admit, but you should be open to hearing experiences from people actually employed in the industry, rather than only judgmental students.
As someone also in a non-MBB consulting firm, I agree with this guy.
There are at least three other B4 firms, two other T2s (RB and Kearney), and countless T3+ and boutique firms out there. No reason you can't go work for one of those, and then if you really want to, lateral in a year or two.
Great, thank you. I agree, I am really not looking to do banking. However, I am branching out beyond consulting because the whole, putting all my eggs in 6-7 baskets royally screwed me. I am starting to network with real estate because that is another passion of mine as well, hopefully sending out 100 emails and cold calling every day with any firm in real estate and consulting should get me something.... really need something good in my life right now since I just lost my gf of 4 years and I've never felt more alone and hopeless.
Keep your head up bud
How old are you and how much do you make?
$300k total comp and mid to late 20s
Consulting is not the only available industry out there. Apply to all kinds of jobs (business development, corporate finance, Big 4, startups, boutique firms, etc.). I was in the same place as you. I only was dead set on IB and prepared like crazy and didn't get any offers at all, so I went where I got an offer, and now I receive emails every week from recruiters offering me IB jobs and I ignore them cause I love the place I'm at.
I have a friend who was in your shoes. He is a genius but had no luck with recruiting. It’s not just about you - think about your competition. Even if your case solving skills are on point, as long as the person you compete with has more relevant work experience than you, your chance shrinks. I would not associate my rejection with my interviewers being tired as this happens to every other candidate as well. This only makes you feel even more out of control. If you still want to work in consulting, try relocating, try smaller advisory shops, or try F500 in the field you like to gain real work experience and lateral back. 25 is a young age, and given that you just graduated from MSF, you are a fresh hire. Be proud of how far you have become, professionally and personally, and chooses the next step that aligns with how you want to see yourself in the next 5 years. Play the long game and you will get there. Good luck!
You're not too old man.Take a MM IB and grind. Who cares if your base is 85k instead of 105?Don't give up and honestly stop over studying- your interviewers prob thought you were a know it all / bsing.
Also, you were jet lagged? So what? Do you think you are doing to lateral later with a pause on 80 hour weeks? Not trying to be harsh but you seem to feel a bit sorry for yourself and I don’t feel you are out of options
Of the firms you listed, how many did you interview with (outside of MBB)?
It’s normal not to get an offer from an MBB (even for excellent candidates, most strike out in at least one interview). My guess is that there may be something in your resume/cover letter that held you back. Have you gotten any feedback on these things?
As for next steps, don’t let the process discourage you. If consulting is your goal, transferring in from a tier 2 firm (EY, PWC, etc), a boutique firm, or from an industry position is very feasible.
As others have mentioned, there are quite a few other T2 firms and boutiques, plus B4 firms, Accenture, etc.
But your main problem is you're way too single-minded. It can be very annoying when candidates "network" with everybody in the office, especially if those calls are awkward, inorganic, or repetitive. Faster is not better on cases. Academic credentials only get you in the door and won't impact interview results at all (and the MSF/MiM program wasn't necessary to get an interview). The bar for case performance is about the same for all entry-level roles, and that includes Ivy undergrads, HSW MBAs, YHS law, H/S MDs, top PhDs, experienced hires, etc., so you very well could've performed well, but just short of the bar.
Also, McK and BCG hire more A/Cs than BA/As and then they spend 2-4 years before getting promoted to M/PL, so most consultants in "entry-level" roles are older than you (and that's before considering the experienced A/C hires who are typically ~25).
If you really want to know what to do, apply to other consulting firms, or banks, or CF analyst roles, or other industry roles. You'll probably stop caring about MBB and if you still do, then apply after an MBA or as an experienced hire.
So sorry for the bad news. I know it is brutal to go through. However, it is not all for nothing! You've hustled the last 12 months, which will put you in a good position to get another attractive offer. If you are set on consulting TODAY there are plenty of other firms out there for you. However, you can also investigate other roles like corporate strategy, financial rotation programs, etc. and re-apply in a few years or go through the b-school route. Some of the best partners I ever worked with started their careers are no names first jobs.
Remember the quote below.
“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
- Randy Pausch
thank you so much. It's really difficult because I moved across the country and am alone in an apartment with my family thousands of miles away and unavailable. The weight of all the school work, networking, applying, interviewing, and rejections is just really getting to me. But thanks man
Top tier consulting isn’t everything. Just take it easy and try again later
Honestly man, I'm not trying to put you down but you gotta stop bitchin and do somethin. This post feels more like a vent with possibly the hopes of somebody being like omg PM me I'll help you get in. If you're getting the chance to interview at all of the MBB and Big 4 but every single one rejected you after an early stage in the interview process, and you're as prepared and good as you say you are, something is wrong. I would seriously take some time to reflect on each interaction and see what went wrong. I would press some people (could be anybody in your life) to give you their read on you and who you are. Ask people what they think of you and how you carry yourself. You may find a disconnect and can correct that so you don't continue to fail in the early rounds of interviews at each firm. My guess is it's character related. There could also be a cultural disconnect. Seek critical feedback, not a pat on the back. Good luck
I only interviewed at 1 MBB and 1 of the Big 4. I just put all my eggs in a few baskets. Out of my 5 applications I got 2 interviews, so its not like I had 50 interviews and was rejected by all. I have done mock interviews (fit and case) with partners/associates at Big 4 and MBB and they all gave me very positive feedback. Even the negative feedback I took an improved on. Really. I just didn't apply to many firms because I thought I'd definitely get into the one MBB that I had an interview at which was foolish thinking on my part. Now I'm worried because I don't have a history of business/banking/consulting internships to fall back on and all the deadlines are passing. I'm still sending out over 100 emails a week and having 3-7 networking calls a day. So trust me, I'm definitely "doing something"...
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