Leveraging earlier offer

Question

Hello,

I receiver MBB offer a few years back but rejected it as I had a more appealing opportunity developmentwise at that time. However, I have decided that I would like to pursue MBB in the next chapter of my professional life and am considering applying again. Is there a way in which I could leverage this earlier offer to increase my chanses of landing an interview?

Answer 1

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offer in the past!

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

First of all, it depends on the consulting firm whether receiving an offer in the past expedites the application process or not. Most times, however, it does not have any impact.
Moreover, I would assume your chances of getting invited to be at least as good as when you received the offer in the past, so I would not worry about this.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 2

Hi there,

Q: Is there a way in which I could leverage this earlier offer to increase my chances of landing an interview?

I don’t think the rejection of the previous offer will provide any downsides, but I also don’t think it will provide benefits. I would follow the usual process of preparing a good CV and cover letter and finding a referral. You can find some details for that below:

▶ How to Get a Consulting Interview Invitation

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi,

Really depends on the firm. For some MBB, I do know that getting a previous offer may result in fast tracking / skipping certain parts of the assessment.

Definitely do reference it and if it was a reasonable story on why you had turned it down I do think it will generally be seen favourably.

All the best!

Answer 4

Hi there,

Unfortunately not. You would have needed to actually work there and collect work experience to leverage it.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 5

Hi there,

Yes, you may go ahead to reference the earlier offer in your correspondence with the recruiter to show you've walked the path before (even though they should have visibility on that ideally).

2 additional points to note:

The recruiting landscape is relatively tougher than few years ago so no guarantees. However, the fact that you landed the offer then indicates you have what it takes to replicate the feat
Expectations will be higher during the interviews if you're recruiting for a more senior position now, so the performance level that landed you the offer then might not suffice for repeating history

Feel free to reach out for any additional tips on interview prep.