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?

6 Comments
 

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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