My applications for suitable positions at McKinsey and BCG got rejected. As someone with extensive oil and gas experience and masters from Stanford GSB, what are my options now?

Hey there, 

I think the reason you for the is because it is very difficult to get Engagement Manager / Project Lead roles as an experienced hire without any prior consulting (particularly management consulting) experience. And this experience is really critical to be able to lead consulting engagements which is very particular and different. I think with your profile, you should have been able to get Associate at McKinsey or Consultant at BCG. I wouldn't give up on MBB, but that depends on if you don't mind dropping down to that level.

Otherwise, yes - T2 firms are still great options. Target those that specialise in the Oil and Gas & Energy and Minerals space. (But keep in mind, some of the T2, if not most, will also be difficult to get into at management level without prior consulting experience)

Lastly, It would help having a referral to help your chances through the recruiting process

I'm happy to chat more on this if you'd like. I experienced something similar when I joined McKinsey. I had 12 years experience, also relatively older than peers, and was heading departments in previous big financial institutions and expected to be a manager at the very least - but because i didn't have consulting experienced, I joined in as an Associate

All the best

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about the rejections!

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

• First of all, and contrary to what other coaches have said, consulting firms would not simply reject you if you applied for a role that was too senior, but would tell you so and downgrade the application to the right role. So it is unlikely that this is the reason for your rejections.
• Moreover, if you want to reapply to McKinsey, BCG and Bain, you can certainly do so after the 12-18 month ban period has passed.
• Lastly, I would highly advise you to contact an experienced coach like me to review your application files and strategy before applying to other consulting firms, as it is likely that certain aspects of them led to the rejections.

You can find more on this topic here: How to deal with a rejection from a consulting company.

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

Best,

Hagen

First of all, your experience holds significant value that MBB firms would appreciate. However, as others have noted, lateral hiring into an Engagement Manager (EM) or Project Leader (PL) role at MBB can be challenging without equivalent consulting experience.

That said, there are two potential paths you can consider:

1. Start at a post-MBA level position: For instance, an Associate role at McKinsey or a Consultant role at BCG. This provides an opportunity to gain foundational consulting experience while leveraging your expertise.
2. Pursue an expert track at MBB: At BCG, for example, this could mean roles such as Expert Project Leader or Associate Director. In these positions, you would focus on projects closely aligned with your background, often serving as a subject matter expert. Instead of managing cases day-to-day, your contributions would center on offering deep expertise and providing targeted insights to case teams.

Thabang’s answer below goes in line with what I think. It wouldn’t be bad to downgrade considering you would be able to learn how to be a consultant before working with them and how to be managed before managing - it is a different dynamic than that from the industry.

You also mentioned you didn't passed the CV screening for McKinsey. Have you checked with a consultant if the CV was in the correct format in terms of how you present your experience and achievements? That plays a huge role, I encourage you to verify if you haven’t.

Good luck!

Mari

Thank you so much for the responses. I have a general direction about what probably went wrong. Appreciate the feedback!