re There Application Limits for Consulting Firms? + Reference Question

Hi there,
 

Here’s what I can share based on my experience:

1. Application Limits at Consulting Firms

MBB firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) generally have cooling-off periods of around 6–12 months between applications, though this varies by region and office. For example:
    •    McKinsey: Typically enforces a 6-month waiting period before reapplying, but some offices require 12 months if you were rejected in final rounds.
    •    BCG & Bain: Similar policies, with some flexibility depending on the reason for rejection.

For Tier 2 firms (EY-Parthenon, Strategy&, Monitor Deloitte, etc.), policies are less standardized but generally follow a similar pattern:
    •    EY-Parthenon & Strategy&: Usually enforce a 6–12 month wait after a rejection, though reapplying to a different office may be possible sooner.
    •    Monitor Deloitte & Roland Berger: Often more flexible, especially if applying for a different role, office, or practice area.
    •    Kearney, Oliver Wyman, L.E.K.: Also follow a 6-month to 1-year reapplication window, depending on the office and how far you progressed in the process.

Key Takeaway: If you were rejected after interviews, expect a 6–12 month cooling period at most strategy consulting firms. If you were rejected during resume screening, you may be able to reapply sooner, especially to a different office.

2. Referral Eligibility Across Offices & Countries

Referrals don’t always need to come from the exact office or country where you’re applying, but local referrals are usually stronger. Here’s how it works in practice:
    •    Same firm, different country? ✅ Generally acceptable. For example, an EY-Parthenon consultant in Italy can refer you for a role in Luxembourg. However, some offices prefer local referrals due to differences in hiring processes.
    •    Different business unit? ❌ Less effective. A referral from EY Audit or Tax won’t carry much weight for EY-Parthenon.
    •    Best-case scenario? A consultant or manager from the same practice area and region (e.g., EY-Parthenon Strategy in Western Europe referring you for an EY-Parthenon role in Luxembourg).

If you can, get multiple referrals—one from your target office and another from the same firm in a different region. This maximizes your visibility while ensuring your application is prioritized.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any follow-up questions.

Best,
Evelina

Hi,

All the consulting firms apply a ban period, which is typically 12 months. It's best to reach out to the respective company to get the exact timeline.

You can always use a referral of another office, but this has less value vs. a referral of someone from the same office.

Mattijs

Hi there,

1. You can apply many times and to different roles simultaneously for the first time.

2. If you are selected for a specific role and do not pass evaluations, first rounds or second rounds, you will enter in a ban period. Depending on the firm and role, you cannot apply for any consulting role for 6 or 12 months. 

3. You can apply to different offices if you get a referral link. However, that is something you need to communicate that to the person who sent you the link and also to the recruiter. Otherwise, you can complicate your chances because there are limited slots per office and/or system slots. Although you get in the process through a referral link, your story and preferences must be clear before the interviews. 

Best,

Carlos

Hi there,

my 2 cents here:

Application Limits: yes there are application limits with respect to the earliest time you can reapply. Typically 6-12 months. This is to allow for significant personal and professional development from one application to the next. 

Referrals: I have personally referred people at BCG across regions. However, the closer the person referring you is to the office that you are targeting the better in my experience.

Reach out in case you want to talk more! Always happy to help.

Lukas

1. You will usually have a 6-18 month "ban" period.

2. Referrals work differently between Strategy firms and Big4. Strategy consulting firms will operate at a global scale with integrated offices and processes. But Big 4 in general will have office based recruiting, meaning that a referral from another office may not be valid (no process to do that). My suggestion is that you check with the person willing to give you a referral.

BONUS: on the other hand, in some cases it is possible to apply independently to multiple offices (from different countries) in a Big 4. Beware that between some countries and for some practices they may share information and have a common pool. But taken in consideration your example... it might be possible to apply separately to those two offices (your target one, and the one for which you have a referral).

Hello,

Most consulting firms have a ban period - 12 months is most common but it can range from 6-18 firms depending on company, region, and also strength of initial application.

Referrals ideally come from the same region/system that you are applying to.

Best,

Hi!

Cooling off period vary:

Most consulting firms, including MBB and Tier 2 (like EY-Parthenon, Strategy&, Monitor Deloitte), enforce a reapplication ban period of 6–12 months after rejection, though this can vary by firm, region, office  and how far you progressed in the process. 

It can also depend on what role you applied for e.g. If you applied for an internship and didn't get it, the cooling off period might only be 6months; compared the 1 year cooling off period for a full time role

How far along you progressed: If you got rejected in the CV screening round, your cooling off period should be shorter.

I would recommend reaching out to the office that you're interested in and finding out with their recruiting team/HR team

Referrals:

As for referrals, it will depend on the firm, but typically they don’t always need to come from the exact office or country. But a number of refferals,  local referrals and referrals from more senior people will always tend to carry more weight 

I would recommend trying to find a local and/or senior person in the office you're interested in to refer you. 

Good luck!

Hey there 😊

Super relevant questions!

From what I’ve seen, MBB tends to have stricter reapplication timelines (usually 12–18 months after a rejection, depending on the round you reached). For Tier-2 and Big 4 strategy arms like EY-Parthenon, Strategy&, Monitor Deloitte etc., things are a bit more flexible:

• If you didn’t pass the CV screening, you can usually reapply after 6 months, especially if your profile has improved.
• If you got to interviews, some offices may ask you to wait longer (9–12 months).
• Applying across different offices is usually fine, especially if they recruit locally – but best not to apply to multiple offices at the exact same time without coordination.

As for referrals:
No, they don’t have to come from the same office. A referral from someone in EY Italy can still help you apply in Luxembourg. What's more important is that the person knows you and gives a strong referral – the location is less critical unless the firm specifically says otherwise.

Let me know if you'd like support building your application strategy or polishing your referral pitch! 💬✨

Best,
Alessa 😊

Hi there,

• Most firms have 12–24-month application bans depending on office and role (internship vs ft)
• As regards the referrals, this depends on the region. Most of the time, global referrals work

All the best,

Florian