Basic Questions about the Hiring Process of Management Consulting Firms

Question

Hello Everyone,

I have four questions about the application process of some consulting firms such as Mckinsey, BCG, Kearney, etc.

1. I applied to multiple positions (i.e. mainly energy insight analyst, procurement consultant, etc.) at Mckinsey (London office) and planning to apply to other positions in other offices in the next couple of days (i.e. mainly junior associate). I already completed the digital assessment for one of the positions at the London office but I think I did not do that well in the first part (i.e. ecosystem part). For the pending and future applications, will Mckinsey send a new digital assessment for each application or will they just consider the one I completed recently for all pending and near-future applications (i.e. even those in different offices)? In case they send a new digital assessment invitation, do they take into account the outcome of the formerly completed assessments as well?

2. I know some people who are willing to refer me in the hiring process for some of the consulting firms I am targeting, but, they are either at the same level I would like to apply to or lower. For example, I am planning to apply to Kearney for a Senior Business Analyst position and the person who is willing to refer me is a Business Analyst. In this case, would the referral be of any use? (To put some context, in this case, I am mainly targeting Dubai/Abu Dhabi offices)

3. Do consulting firms typically accept having virtual interviews instead of face-to-face interviews for all the case/PEI interviews in case the applicant is not present in the country where the targeted office is located?

4. Considering that I will graduate from my master's program at some point in September 2022, should I be sending my applications now or should I wait until June onwards? (Once again, considering that I will be mainly applying to standard consulting positions such as SBA, JA, etc. in the UAE offices).

Thanks in advance for your insights.

Answer 1

Hi there,

thanks for sharing these questions - very relevant also for other candidates! Here are my thoughts.

1. For the pending application i'm not entirely sure, but for future applications, assume that you'd have to re-take (also, online test formats often change over the years). While the large firms do have systems to track former application performance records, if you get re-invited it means they still do see the potential to succeed in you as a candidate. Hence, they would normally focus on the newly taken test, not penalize you for a previous attempt.

2. Yes, a referral is always helpful - it is true that more senior referrers carry higher weight with the recruiting team (esp. PL/EM/Manager and higher), but a SBA referral is still better than no referral. It definitely increases your chances of getting invited to the interview stage. Major consulting firms have formal referral programs for a reason.

3. Yes, absolutely possible to do virtual and actually quite common during the pandemic. To add a data point - I personally conducted the majority of my interviews during Covid times in a virtual setting. Do note that regional variations may apply for select companies (e.g. R1 virtual, final round in office), but overall should be ok.

4. It's perfectly fine and even a good idea to apply now. Business dynamics are currently very strong across different firms, while attrition rates currently higher than normal - both factors have positive impact on the hiring numbers across levels. No need to take a risk of slowing business here (given macro environment is deteriorating), when you can avoid it. 6 months before graduation is usually a good time to apply.

Hope this helps - do reach out if you have further questions. I used to be based with MBB in Dubai for quite a while, hence know the market there quite well.

Regards, Andi

Answer 2

1. I am not sure if you will have to do the online assessments again, but all the firms will have systems where they can see your previous results.

2. Get a referral. Any referral is better than no referral, though referrals from higher up (manager +) will hold more weight.

3. The firms will typically do virtual first round. Decision round may be in person, depending on location and travel restrictions.

4. Apply now. For post-MBA roles, MBB recruits in March for fall starts, so this timeline is similar.

Also - most firms have an “Abu Dhabi” office on paper to apply for business in the emirate, though almost all of their consultants in the UAE will be based out of Dubai. Unless you have a compelling personal reason to be based out of Abu Dhabi, I would recommend being based in Dubai. The hiring and selection process will be the same for both (i.e. no advantage in applying to Abu Dhabi office over Dubai office).

Answer 3

Hi there,

1) You will most likely have to re-take the online assessment. It will “overwrite” your previous score.

2) A referral is a referral! Of course, the higher the level of referral and the closer it is to your office, the better, but, ultimately, just getting a referral is the biggest step up you can take!

3) Most firms are doing virtual nowadays, so this shouldn't be a problem :)

4) I think you should apply now but you need to confirm with HR. If you have referrals at these firms like you say, just ask them about their specific firm's timelines!

This is all dependent on the firm, office, etc. so you need to check with them individually!

Answer 4

“3. Do consulting firms typically accept having virtual interviews instead of face-to-face interviews for all the case/PEI interviews in case the applicant is not present in the country where the targeted office is located?”

Right now this is the norm, but some will want to have the final round in person - they'll pay for that.