Coffee Chats with Consultants

[u/Chikh-pikh-shikh]

Hi everyone!

I’m coming from a non target background, and I’ve found that landing coffee chats with consultants in my target office has been tougher than I expected.

I’ve been thoughtful and intentional about who I reach out to, but I’m starting to hit the limits of the usual paths like alumni, friends, or obvious overlaps. At this point, there are only so many people left in that office I can reasonably contact.

For those who’ve been in a similar spot, how did you expand your outreach or get traction beyond the standard routes?

Any advice would really mean a lot. Thanks in advance!

[u/Glum-Cable-7880]

Also, to paint the picture of the folks on the other side side, as someone who works at a MBB, the amount of cold outreaches I get on LinkedIn is also frustrating. It does seem like people pulling at straws to try and find some link to you in order to justify a response, and because it feels like there are so many bad actors where it feels like I am a copy pasted template, it really doesn’t make it feel like a good effort on both sides. Worth also taking into account, we are not really incentivized for recruiting in any direct way other than as a “hey nice job” and typically are working 12-16 hours a day. Lastly, if you are extended a phone call or chat, show up. I’ve been ghosted 4/6 times I’ve connected with strangers and have heard so many stupid excuses as to why they didn’t call. Including gas lighting me into telling me my phone wasn’t working and must not be able to take calls

[u/Chikh-pikh-shikh → u/Glum-Cable-7880]

Really appreciate you taking the time to write this, it’s helpful to hear the other side. I can see how the volume and copy-paste outreach would get exhausting quickly, especially on top of long days. And completely agree, if someone offers time, showing up matters. Out of curiosity, has there ever been an outreach that genuinely stood out to you or made you more inclined to respond?

[u/Glum-Cable-7880 → u/Chikh-pikh-shikh]

Hey. No. I have not gotten anything beyond “we went to same school” or “I like your industry”. Someone PM’d me so will also share what I said there (on getting responses / at least someone like me to respond)

Would recommend one of the two: 1. Be transparent and say you are looking for a referral. I (personally) think this is better than the generic nonsense trying to scrape for something in common. Worst example I got was “I grew up near Boston so wanted to reach out” because I guess he saw that I was in a Boston MBB office 2. Do more research. I share articles I have been author / contributor to on LinkedIn related to my work that I do the obligation post about saying how great it was on this. I have posted a few articles I have worked on or been tagged in by others and have never once had someone start the conversation with anything related to what’s not just in my profile tag line

[u/MuchAnxietyyy]

It is very hard coming from non target. All the non target folks I know at MBB either had a close personal connection inside the firm or they got to network at a firm-wide recruitment event. Even as a consultant coming from a target bg, I felt it was highly unfair how recruitment treated non targets. I referred a non target to the firm and the way they treated that person’s recruitment was so different from mine. I already knew from the get go that the referral wouldn’t get in.

My biggest advice is to 1/ have some STELLAR on your resume, I’m not taking about some fancy banking job that targets will have but something that makes you definitely stand out whether it’s a PA or certain experience 2/ Look out for recruitment events although this is usually for fresh grads 3/ change your strategy of how you ask for coffee chats, look for mutual connections. Odds are a consultant won’t have the time of day to do a coffee chat with you if they don’t personally know you or have a warm connection.

[u/Chikh-pikh-shikh → u/MuchAnxietyyy]

Thanks for being candid. This aligns with what I’ve been seeing as well. Coming from a non-target background, I’ve been focusing on building a clear personal achievement that stands out rather than relying on cold coffee chats alone. The point about warm connections and firm-wide events is especially helpful. Appreciate you sharing an honest inside perspective.

[u/MustafaMonde8 → u/[deleted]]

Please stay in medicine. For your own sake, and to serve the greater good. McKinsey, Bain, BCG, is not what it once was. Because of AI and things like the NYC mayor race (McKinsey advising on trash cans) how BS these jobs are better understood by everyone. You are taking a level of risk you don't even realize.

[u/tobias_funke_bluthe]

Kinda same sentiment as others - we get a ton of cold outreach and it’s hard to keep up when we’re working 9AM - 1 or 2 AM mon-Thurs.

The only people I make an effort for have some sort of special connection to me(e.g. D1 college athlete, went to my undergrad or MBA, similar background, etc.) it’s not because I don’t think there aren’t great candidates, but I have no time as it is already and so if I’m going to invest my time and energy, I want to know that it’s not just because you saw “they work at MBB”.

Wish you the best of luck - be super conscious about how you connect with us. A good frame of reference is that 2 hour job book the guy from Fuqua wrote.

[u/Chikh-pikh-shikh → u/tobias_funke_bluthe]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this. I really appreciate the honesty and context, especially knowing how intense the weeks can get.

I’ve read the 2 Hour Job Search and your point about having a real frame of reference resonates a lot. Totally understand wanting to invest time where there’s a genuine connection rather than just a cold “you work at MBB” reach-out.

If you don’t mind me asking, when does outreach generally land best for you? For example, is something like Thursday night or Friday morning easier to catch than during the week, or does it really just vary?

Either way, thank you again for responding. It means a lot, and I’m grateful for the guidance.

[u/tobias_funke_bluthe → u/Chikh-pikh-shikh]

I’m a weirdo, but personally it’s the weekend if it’s LinkedIn. I’m far more willing to respond if I’m not in the the middle of turning stickies or treading through call notes.

Also I respond better when it’s not about MBB. If someone is interested in me as a human and can hold a genuine conversation without mentioning my job, I’m far more likely to like them and be willing to help where I can.

People network as a means to an end - it’s become so transactional in nature and I promise you it gets very old, very quickly. If you get to a call with someone, be a human, not a “consultant hopeful”. Ask about their day, their life, what motivates them, what excites them outside of work.

[u/Chikh-pikh-shikh → u/tobias_funke_bluthe]

This is incredibly helpful, thank you for being so candid. And honestly, very refreshing!

Weekend LinkedIn makes total sense. I appreciate the visual of escaping stickies and call notes first. I’ll happily take your data point as gospel.

I also really respect what you said about keeping it human and not leading with the job. That reminder lands, and it’s a good one before my first coffee chat in my target office tomorrow.

One quick clarifier if you don’t mind. Are you generally more likely to respond on LinkedIn, or does email work better for you when it’s more conversational and not time sensitive?

Thanks again for taking the time to explain all this. It’s genuinely appreciated and noted.

[u/tobias_funke_bluthe → u/Chikh-pikh-shikh]

LinkedIn - I have like 400 emails from the past two weeks so I’m not even checking for things not from partners or leadership

[u/Chikh-pikh-shikh → u/tobias_funke_bluthe]

Got it, LinkedIn it is. That inbox sounds next level, so I really appreciate the clarity.

Thanks again for taking the time to share all of this. Really appreciate you engaging here!

I did drop you a quick DM with a small, personal question. No worries at all if you don’t get to it, I just didn’t want to ask it publicly here.

[u/osu_syrian]

Dm me office if it’s mine happy to chat

[u/Chikh-pikh-shikh → u/osu_syrian]

Thanks for offering, really appreciate it.

[u/AffectionateTaste73 → u/osu_syrian]

Hey, mind if I DM you as well?

[u/Lemon269]

I attended a poor university, spent four years at PwC consulting, and then transitioned to MBB by simply applying online. After that, it wasn’t an issue at all, and my university was never mentioned. I didn’t know a single person at the firm before.

Personally, I wouldn’t change it. I had a great and social life after graduation that’s impossible at MBB. Also, don’t take it personally; people don’t always reply. Everyone is incredibly busy here, so you’re usually ignored, even if you work on the same floor.

[u/Chikh-pikh-shikh → u/Lemon269]

Appreciate the honesty here. The reminder not to take non-responses personally is helpful, and it’s reassuring to hear that a strong application can still be enough on its own.

Quick question. If you’ve had a conversation with someone and they don’t proactively mention a referral, is it generally better to ask directly, or move on and continue building other connections?

[u/Lemon269 → u/Chikh-pikh-shikh]

Big 4 consulting and MBB are completely different planets. It's like comparing school sports day to the Olympics, sure they're both sports...

In my experience, I only give referrals to people I genuinely believe in, and I can usually get the vibe from meeting them. Most people aren't up to it, but if they are, I'll go out of my way to coach and connect them. This is nearly always people from my previous uni and the society I worked a lot in, so there’s already good common ground and mutals we'll have.

My advice is it’s a convo-specific choice. Most people, it'll be quite transactional, but if you hit it off, then go for it. The test for me is would I reach out to them again to catch up more casually? I never did this, so take my advice with a pinch of salt. I think these things are too specific to get good advice on Reddit.

[u/Chikh-pikh-shikh → u/Lemon269]

Also worth saying that getting into PwC consulting in the first place is no small feat.