MBA internship -> VC or Amazon to get to MBB?

I'm a 1st year MBA at a non-target top 25 school. I have offers for Amazon's FLDP and a couple local VC firms. I want to recruit/network for MBB in the fall. Which internship would help me the most at getting an MBB offer?

 

Whichever one you are most passionate about. It's going to be key for you to tell a good story about what you did/learned over the summer, and why it's made you a better candidate for MBB than you were when you applied during the internships.

If you DIDN'T recruit, I'd say VC. You're going to need a solid reason why you didn't bother recruiting the first time around, and saying you were focused on something as different/unique/weird as VC will play better than just going to a company, even if it's Amazon.

 

Thanks for the reply. I did semi-recruit for the internship, meaning I dropped a cover letter/resume, but didn't do any networking beforehand. I decided to start recruiting for consulting late so I didn't have a chance. Now I decided I'm all in for MBB and going to network throughout the year in hopes of getting an interview in the fall.

 

In terms of networking throughout the year - I wouldn't advise going overboard on this. Second year recruiting is much faster but still structured. The consultants like a break too and don't anticipate having to deal with MBA recruiting during the spring/summer. Second year recruiting places much lower emphasis on networking, it's really about poaching more top talent that have changed their career plans.

 
Best Response

I don't agree with this. Being interested in tech and wanting to try a place like Amazon is just as valid a reason to not recruit for consulting as going for VC.

A small no-name VC will have significantly less signaling power than Amazon. If we're talking about going to Kleiner or Sequoia, obviously go for that, but going to a small local VC without any major successes to their name will throw up a red flag. Amazon is prestigious and has a reputation for hiring strong MBAs. MBB recruiters are risk-averse and want to see something safe, not different/unique/weird.

Also, working at a large company like Amazon in an analytical rotational program is far more similar to MBB than working at a small local VC. You'll have to navigate corporate politics and do far more analytical work than working at a local VC.

 

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