Wayfair v. In-house Consulting Internship - Advice Needed

Hi all, 

I recently received competing junior-year internship offers at Wayfair (business analyst role) and an in-house consultancy (specialized in logistics consulting, small office, globally-recognized parent company). Given that I will likely re-recruit for full-time MBB/T2 roles next fall, what advice do you have as I'm choosing? From LinkedIn searches, it seems that many former Wayfair interns have recently made the jump to full-time consulting at big firms. This precedent is less apparent at the in-house consultancy. At the same time, I think the consultancy's work would be more relevant and I would allow for more proximity to leadership (slight learning advantage). Any advice you could offer would be much appreciated! 

4 Comments
 

It sounds like you're leaning toward Wayfair, but I should also remind you that there's an advantage to taking the more beaten path in this situation. If you're lucky, you'll be able to reach out to someone who did make that jump for any tips specifically on how to frame the Wayfair summer.

 

Thanks for the advice! If I may ask, why is there an inherent advantage to taking the beaten path? Is it solely from a networking perspective? If so, I do not weigh this factor too heavily---I'm already pretty well networked at most firms and go to a decent target school (T20) with a strong alumni network in the industry. I am mores concerned with making it through screenings, telling a strong story in interviews, and professional skill development.

 

Beyond Bain maybe, where you can network for a R1, McK and BCG will rely more on your resume. You do have a point, where you can make a bigger impact, especially in those few bullet points, means a lot— especially in an McK PEI interview. But, there’s a balance you’ll need to strike between brand name and impact, and decide which you want to capitalize more on. There is no objectively right way

 

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