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BCG Associate v.s Associate, Experienced Hire

I graduated from college in December 2022 and have worked full-time since April 2023. I recently applied to the “Associate” role at BCG and was rejected within 24 hours because “your profile does not match our current needs”. Is this because the Associate role required a 2024/2025 college grad or did I just not meet their expectations? I'm trying to decide whether I should pursue an “Associate, Experienced Hire” role immediately, or give it some time before trying again. Thanks!

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Top answer
Nish
Coach
on Aug 14, 2024
Ex BCG | MBB | Tier 2 | Building a Problem Solving Mindset | 6yrs of Consulting experience in Asia & Europe

Sorry to hear about the rejection. Your work ex may not be the criteria for the rejection. Other factors like geography, language requirements, academic background may also play a role in the rejection. 

Associates tend to have 0-2yrs of experience in the general consulting track. Experienced hires generally are on the higher side of experience and generally have expertise in specific domains.

Florian
Coach
on Aug 13, 2024
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hi there,

Sorry to hear!

Without knowing your resume, it's impossible to say what the reason for the rejection was. It could be related to your resume, the current hiring situation, or a mix of both.

As regards the Experienced Hire role - these opportunities usually open up after 3+ years of full-time work experience.

All the best,

Florian

Oliver
Coach
on Aug 13, 2024
Former BCG interviewer (75+ interviews for associates, consultants and MBA hires) | I will make your practice perfect

Hi,

The associate role is the preferred position for anyone with 0-2 years of work experience. 

Best,

Oliver

on Aug 23, 2024
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hi,

As others have mentioned, its hard to tell the true reason or factor that has caused your rejection.

Probably the most effective thing you could do is to reach out to a friend in BCG and get that person to ask HR why a profile like yours would have been rejected.

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