How often do firms accept job applications from graduates?

Question

Hi,

I was wondering when is the recruitement period - and subsequently how often can a graduate apply - for graduate programmes or positions to any of the consulting companies. For example, the application deadlines for graduate programmes for their London offices ended just last week or it's about to end for a few of them (Autumn term). But is there a new recruitement in the springtime?

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi Costas,

that depends on the country you are applying to. In Italy for example there is rolling admission, while in UK as you mentioned you have specific deadlines, normally concentrated in the period September – December.

For new graduates, usual starting dates in Europe/US are September and January. Statistically, many interviews take place in September-November (January intake) and January-March (September intake). The best period to apply as a new graduate is the first month of the period when interviews take place, since the process just reopened and you will have less competition. Thus, that would be September for the January intake, and January for the September intake. Having said that, you should check for the specific deadlines of the programme you are interested in, as they may vary by country. The best period may also depend on on-campus recruiting, which for undergrads is usually in September-October and for MBA in January-February.

At the following link you can find some additional information on the best time to apply:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/whats-the-best-time-of-the-year-to-apply-for-an-mbb-entry-level-position-908#a1781

Best,

Francesco

Answer 2

The consulting recruiting process is fairly rigid with full-time undergraduate and graduate recruiting taking place in the fall semester and internship recruiting taking place in the spring semester. Experienced hire recruiting takes place all year around.

However, a survey by Poets & Quants did show a small amount of deviation to this for MBAs, which I am sure closely mirrors other graduate programs. As an ex-McKinsey Partner that led recruiting for MIT Sloan and the Boston Office in the U.S., we didn’t have any exceptions.

https://poetsandquants.com/2017/06/23/top-industries-their-mba-recruiting-timelines/

Answer 3

Referencing London specifically, all major firms (MBB, OW & OCC plus others) will be interviewing final year undergrads/postgrads now for entry in autumn 2018 (or beyond). Most of the final round interviews will be in December/January with offers released in that window. With both McKinsey & BCG I was given a choice of start dates (McK was Sep, Oct, Feb & March), but all were 8 months or more after the interview process had been completed.

This is typically the only recuritment window each year (I led Cambridge recrutiing for McK and we focused solely on October for our campus events), however there have been a few exceptional situations in recent years where some firms have reopened hiring in the spring if they don't have enough candidates. I wouldn't hold your breath for it but worth remembering come the spring

Hope that helps

Cameron