5 tips to land a management consulting intervew

Day 5: 1,099 Words

** This is day 5 of a 100 day challenge to write 1,000 words per day. Content for this blog is created pretty much on the spot, unless I have a specific task that I’m writing for that day. This preamble is not included in said word count. **

They say write what you know. I’m not a content expert on many things, but after 2 years of management consulting, including reviewing hundreds of resumes for the New York office as well as being the NYU recruiting lead for BCG, I have some decent insight into the process — what works and what doesn’t. This advice I’ve shared with many prospective applicants over the years, so hopefully it will be helpful to you (assuming you’re reading because you’re interested in working at a BCG, McKinsey, Bain, etc.)

Here’s how the campus recruiting process works:

1. Pre-recruiting scouting: Actual recruiting starts far before the formal recruiting process starts. During the spring and summer before full-time fall recruiting, recruiters hold events, informal chats, and other education events to get in touch with prospective undergraduates that may be a good fit. Recruiters can also use these events to put top prospects in touch with the right consultant to answer questions and provide a more personal view point.
2. On-campus events: Once the formal recruiting process starts, the recruiting teams (which typically include partners, project leaders / managers, and junior-level consultants) visit all of the target schools, holding events on campus to provide education and perspective on what it’s like to work at the firm, what type of work will an incoming recruit be doing, what is the culture like, etc. This is also an opportunity for the prospective recruits to get to know the recruiters and consultants, which helps identify the candidates for interview down the line.
3. Resume evaluation: After the resumes have been dropped off and the deadlines have passed, the resumes for each school will go to 1-2 point people to do the main pass at screening. Resumes are bucketed by GPA and SAT score (that’s right, SAT scores still matter 4 years after taking them!) and other factors are taken into consideration, such as work experience, extracurricular activities, and referrals. After the first pass, the recruiting teams take a final pass — although the changes tend to be slight at that stage.

Understanding the recruiting process is very important, as it should dramatically shift your tactic for approaching networking and writing your resume. How can you take advantage of this knowledge?

Here are my top 5 tips for getting that management consulting interview:

1. Identify the key decision makers: In terms of getting the interview, chances are there are only 1-2 people that make the initial decision. Most top consulting firms, each office likely only has a handful of junior consultants (Associates at BCG, Business Analysts at McKinsey) for each school doing the resume screening. The trick is to identify the junior level consultants that went to your school, working in the office you’re targeting. Make sure you meet these people during the on-campus recruiting process. There is a great chance that these are the people who will make the initial decision as to whether or not you get an interview. This is particularly true at smaller offices and smaller schools.
2. Stand out to one person: When you do attend networking events, you don’t need to stand out to everyone. Identify the key decision makers, be patient and wait until they’re free, and talk to them. Ask thoughtful questions (not “What is it like?” or “What’s your favorite case?”), follow-up accordingly, and express your interest. Don’t overpower other attendees, don’t brag about your background, and whatever you do, don’t come across as a jerk. Remember, these events are not only to be educational, but also to give the staff a chance to identify priority interview candidates — as well as candidates to avoid at all costs! If you don’t trust yourself to not give a bad impression, my advice would be to avoid networking entirely.
3. Give out your business card: Networking events are hectic. Hundred of students show up and vie for the attentions of maybe 10 people. After a frenetic event meeting 50-100 people in one evening, the consulting staff is tasked with writing down promising recruits that they met. As a former school recruiting lead, I can tell you this key insight: It’s hard to remember the majority of people you meet. Even if you really liked someone, chances are by the end of the evening — you’ll have forgotten their names. Make it easy for them. I’ve often written down the names of people who have given me business cards (unless the card is hilariously awful or pretentious) , simply because those are the names I remember. Especially if you can make a memorable impression on someone, it would be a shame if they couldn’t recommend you because they forgot your name at the end of a long night.
4. Get their cards and follow-up: As a corollary to the last tip, following up provides the consulting staff another opportunity to remember and recommend you. Especially if you follow-up with the key decision makers for interviews, you get a much higher chance they’ll view your resumes with a positive bias. They recognize your name, know that you’re interested, and are much more likely to put you into the ‘yes’ pile for interviews. Follow up with something interesting from your conversation, as well as any additional questions you have. Don’t be overt in ‘networking’, but do be earnest in expressing interest in the job.
5. Ask for referrals through your network: One of the most powerful influences in the interview selection process is the presence of a positive referral from a current employee. As always, the higher position of the referrer, the more weight it carries. Referrals from MD/Partners will get you an interview unless your credentials are abysmal. Referrals from mid-level and junior-level staff will add some points to your application. How much time you should spend on getting referrals should to some degree depend on how much your application can stand on it’s own.

That’s all — follow these tips to maximize your chances of getting an interview. At the end of the day, nothing can really make up for having solid credentials. A great GPA (3.6+) and SAT score will most likely put you in the ‘automatic’ bucket to get an interview. Having relevant work experience (summer internships in consulting are great for this) will also boost your chances, especially if your GPA / SAT scores are weak.

Do you disagree with any of these tips? Have any better advice for getting a management consulting interview? Any additional questions on getting an interview? Shoot me a tweet at @andrewjiang.