Networking

Overly simplistic answer: anyone who would talk to you, is better than no one! Of course, I still mean meaningful conversations, for which you are well prepared. 

Slightly longer answer, all are valuable, but for very different reasons. Let me take then in the order that they were the most helpful for me personally getting into consulting: 

1. Associates - they have most recently went through the process, so would have an up to date view of “what it takes to make it”. Depending on your seniority, they should also be the easiest to form a genuine connection with. 
2. Partners - their recommendation would technically weigh more and they could provide you with more specific info on a specific practice area within the firm or give some insights on how recruiting is going; they would also have the longer term view. But it might be harder to get to them. 
3. HR - for me helpful just with very practical queries; of course, don't forget to be extra to nice to them, it really matters in the process (and in general is the common sense thing to do). 

Not mentioned by you, but very nice to have is also Engagement Manager level, but these folks would be the hardest to catch as I believe it's one of the most challenging roles in a consulting career. 

Hope this helps, 

Ariadna 

Hi there,

Q: If applying to associate position at MBB, who is the best person for contact: associates, partners OR HR? What about analysts?  

Is your goal to get a referral? You can be referred by consultants but not by HR, so if the goal is a referral, it does not make sense to contact HR.

In general, the higher the seniority, the stronger the referral, so if you have the chance, I would recommend a partner referral. You can also be referred by analysts or associates though.

You can find more on referrals below:

▶ How to Get an MBB Invitation

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

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

• First of all, please keep in mind that you should never contact the HR department, but always the recruiting department. I experience time and again that these two functions are confused with each other.
• Moreover, it depends on what you want to achieve from networking. For example, if you want to know what your first 1-2 years at the consulting firm you're interested in might be like, it might make more sense to talk to new hires. What do you hope to gain from this?

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

You can find the consulting salaries report 2024 here!

Hi there,

if you are “hunting” for a referral, you might as well go broad in your outreach. Any referral is better than no referral. But many candidates are reaching out to consultants for “coffee chats” and the consultants obviously know that each one of them is likely looking for a referral. Add their day-to-day workload to the mix and you can hypothesize that the individual person you contact is likely not very incentivized to carve time out of their schedule to talk to you. You therefore want to play a numbers game to increase your chances and also tailor your approach to make it more relevant for them to potentially accept a call with you.

You would only really reach out to the recruiting team to get details about the application process and deadlines. On the flipside, these are the type of questions you should not bother consultants or partners with.

Best

Hi there,

Networking comes with 2 benefits:

1. A potential referral
2. Insights into the current hiring process and demand

With this in mind, approach it in the following way.

1. The easiest and most reliable path is Associates and EMs both for referrals and the hiring situation.
2. A partner referral is worth more, yet often hard to get and not as reliable.
3. HR cannot provide referrals but insights into the current demand

All the best,

Florian

Any of the consulting staff are best positioned to give you referrals. 

HR usually come into the picture once your process has begun after the referral.

Now as is discussed numerous times, there is no written rule about the seniority of a referral. Most of the times, just about any referral will be sufficient to get your CV past the screening stage. However, a partner-based referral will likely get you a quicker turnaround, and (maybe) a small additional advantage in screening success.

So just to be on the safe side, try to get the highest possible ranked person for a referral - but don't beat yourself up if you are not able to go beyond a certain level. After all you don't want to ask a Consultant for a referral, only to then ask a Partner as well a few days later.

If you're aiming for referrals, you should aim to get a referral from somebody at least at the same level of seniority as the one that you're targeting, ideally from your target office and from your target track (e.g., generalist). 

Sharing here a guide on how to do it and how to source the contacts if you don't have them already:

• Expert Guide: How To Handle Networking Calls and Get Referrals
• Expert Guide: How To Get Referrals Via LinkedIn?

Referral strategy is one of the things I specialise in so do reach out if you need extra help.

Best,
Cristian

It's easier to get a response from associates. And it's easier to have nice networking calls with them. It will be quite hard to get a coffee chat / networking call with a partner, and even if you get one, my personal experience is that they may be in a hurry, which doesn't lend itself to a positive experience (and unlikely you get a referral out of it).

Regarding referrals, they are worth almost the same. What is relevant is to get one, regardless of the level.