Advice on transitioning from MBB with low tenure

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your situation and surely the perspectives offered here will be useful to many others who are thinking of something similar to you.

Here are my thoughts: 

Firstly - I would argue that at 6 months, not many places will value your experience as much as if you had stayed 1.5-2 years. The MBB brand is valued because of the belief you have the consulting toolkit/skillset, therefore 6 months is really not a long enough time to have developed that IMO, and sophisticated hiring teams/recruiters will definitely recognize that. With that, here's a more detailed take on your questions below

1. Which roles or industries would value my experience, even though it's relatively brief, at an MBB firm?
   1. I would think about this situation as "If I made it to MBB, what other companies would probably have accepted my application/could I have passed the interview if I was applying as a college grad?"
   2. Based other the points I mentioned above, I think MBB gives you an edge over other candidates who are applying post-undergraduate, but you will be hard pressed to meet their typical requirements for an experienced hire - e.g. 1-2 years in top management consulting role is a common requirement
   3. That being said - i would consider
      1. Corporate strategy
      2. Management associate roles in big corporates / MNCs
      3. Startup - early to mid stage
2. What kind of salary adjustment should I expect or aim for if I transition out of MBB? (For context, I'm currently working in Spain but originally from Portugal.)
   1. In my experience, corporate strategy typically can offer a 10-30% increment, but that is based on the value of your experience and skillset
3. Any specific tips on how to leverage my experience at an MBB firm to find new opportunities?
   1. Use your career transition services
      1. Talk to career services - they will be able to advise you plus even link you up with potential opportunities
   2. Use your alumni network
      1. You can start to research industries you are interested in, and then reach out to alumni who are currently working there - that may open doors for you

Lastly, I would urge you to consider staying just abit longer, and completing at least the junior tenure. Leaving at 6 months - you really aren't getting the growth or exposure that MBB is supposed to give you, and therefore will be harder to leverage the perceived value of MBB. Of course, if you are really unable to continue without risking your mental and physical health, then yes, do find other opportunities. There are many paths in life :)

Hi there,

I would like to add a new perspective on how to manage your lifestyle and ideally push beyond 1-2 years in the industry:

The stress is pretty common and natural given the types of engagements, expectations, and work hours. However, before quitting I'd try to find other ways to improve your lifestyle to extend your employment up to 2 years (because this is the time your exit opportunities improve significantly)

• Take extra vacation days/weeks between projects (McKinsey has 'Take-Time', I guess others have similar programs,...)
• Change your perspective. If you do not plan to build a long-term career with your firm, there is NO need to sweat the smaller stuff. Based on what you say about your performance, you are already well-established. That gives you a lot of room to build your own regiment compared to low-performers. How? (Push back unreasonable requests, block 'me' time during the week, manage lifestyle expectations from the beginning of an engagement,...)
• Use the weekends to recharge (friends, family, short getaways,...); block all weekend work if there even is any
• Optimize the projects you are working on (look for projects that are long-running, a client that has been a long-term client of your firm, work with people you enjoy working with from leadership to project management,...)
• Minimize travel, which always creates extra stress (unless you are a fan of separating work and leisure time)
• Learn how to become more resilient (sports, mindfulness,...)
• Stretch the duration between projects by doing classic beach work (proposals, research stuff,...)
• ....

As you see, there are many ways to improve your lifestyle that have control over. It might take a while but if you manage to implement some of these tips you might reduce your perceived stress considerably AND get the benefit of staying with an MBB for 2 years.

Remember, it is all a game and the short-term stressors (short-term changes, f*ck-ups, etc.) are often overblown to a comical extent when looking at them now in hindsight.

You can also check out the video I created for PrepLounge on improving your work-life balance in consulting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VK8wL_xsmQ

It's based on my book Consulting Career Secrets (which is on Amazon).

All the best with your decision!

Cheers,

Florian

Hi 

Some great answers here already, small builds:

• If you are doing well operating at 100% effort, try modulating towards 80% effort where it makes sense (ie not the week before a SteerCo), you might find your 80% is generally accepted by your teams and partners
• Take the downtime when you can - if you dont intend to stay long term there really isn't much benefit in spending extra time in firm or practice building
• Try to enjoy the experience whilst you're there - there's a lot of things I miss about consulting, don't take the experience for granted :)

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on your career trajectory thus far!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• First of all, before you give up consulting immediately, I would highly advise you to look for ways to make your consulting work environment more sustainable, which may include talking to others about how they do this.
• Moreover, if you still don't manage to make your work environment sustainable enough for you, there are really no restrictions in terms of industries and roles, but rather where you want to move to.
• Lastly, your future salary with another employer will of course depend on many different factors, which is why no one can seriously and definitively answer this question.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

My view is that, with your limited tenure, your MBB experience might not yet carry significant weight in the market. You can expect access to junior positions. Some big brands may be attracted by the fact that you worked at MBB, but the roles will likely still be quite junior.

I’ve worked in the Spanish market for 15 years, both in consulting and industry, and I’m familiar with MBB salaries in Spain. Realistically, very few companies will match entry-level MBB salaries, so you should anticipate a salary downgrade. Consider this as a trade-off for the improved work-life balance you’re seeking.

Leverage the MBB network and expand it further to access better opportunities. If your performance has been strong and you reach out for help, they are likely to support you in finding better market options.

Best,

Alberto