Friday 20 January 2017

It's Recruitment Season!

Happy new year folks! I can't believe it's already 2017. So since my last post last month, I had the joy of finishing exams, spending an awesome week on the ski trek (great skiing in Val Thorens and partying!) and travelling to Iceland and Ireland over December. Oh and catching up on sleep - precious sleep that is now back to being a distant memory.

Like most other MBAs planning on trying consulting for the summer, I meant to do some work on cover letters over the holidays....but didn't. So my 2017 started with churning out cover letters. McKinsey, AT Kearney and Strategy& have their applications due the first week of January. Bain and BCG and others follow only a couple of days later. During this time, as expected, Careers Centre was especially crowded. You had to come an hour before a drop-in session at least, if you wanted any chance of seeing a consulting or finance sector coach. Actually, this is probably still the case since we're still in the thick of structured recruitment season.

The last couple of weeks have been filled with writing and re-writing cover letters and CVs, formal recruitment and networking events, invitation-only recuitment events (breakfast for BCG, dinner for Bain) and applications. Through it all, for those of us recruiting for consulting, case practice after case practice and fit interview practice.

Great sources of people to practice cases with:

  • Consulting peer leaders (PLPs) through careers centre - these are MBAs who are sponsored consultants and those who interned in consulting last summer
  • LBS Rugby Club - if you still need a reason to join, this would be a big one! The Rugby Club assigned mentors to members according to what you were recruiting for and provides sessions where you can do interview practice for your particular recruitment sector with second years
  • LBS Women in Business Club (men totally welcome!) - similarly, WIB assigns second year mentors for what you're recruiting in to help you through the entire process
  • Consultant classmates
  • Friends who are recruiting for consulting as well

MBB also offers one-on-one coaching sessions if you get shortlisted for Round 1 interviews. I have never in my life prepared so much for interviews before!

This week is Round 1 interview week, which kicked off as early as Monday depending on which office people were recruiting for. Everyone seems to be in a suit practically daily! Thankfully classes this term have so far been very cruisey so 100% focus is on recruiting. Corporates with structured programs have applications due next week so the cycle continues (until offers are in the bag)!

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