How many years of experience for experienced hire in big firm?

I have been working as an associate consultant for a small strategy boutique in my field of interest for 1 year, and I am about to be promoted to consultant. However, the pay increase is minimal

This got me thinking - my goal has been to use my experience in this smaller firm to transition to one of the larger consultancies as an experienced hire (rather than joining at a junior level)

How much longer would i need to stay at my current role for that to be feasible? I was thinking of another year at most before applying to other places (so 2 yrs of total experience)

Would that be seen as too little for bigger firms? And would it be worth moving a 'step back' and applying for associate roles for the prospect of better pay in the future?

 

Honestly, you're going to struggle. I've said this before in previous comments but experienced hires (EH) are only really used to plug short term gaps. MBB much prefer their partnership to have come through from undergrad or MBA (or equiv.). The current market is not one where we have gaps, unless you have some niche specialist knowledge.

If you want to take a shot, apply for a BA position and see what happens. Associate will be tough unless you wait a few years.

 
Most Helpful

We definitely hire experienced hires a lot more these days (although admittedly not really at the moment...). To StratCo's point, the baseline is still to focus on new / recent grads

To that point, for Bain, if you have <2 YOE you are a new grad, so you still fit that criterion. For >2YOE, the value will be determined based on the industry, but you might only be hired as a 2nd year AC

Basically, your best bet would be to apply within the next year, as experienced hiring may still be weak into 2024 (depending on how Q1 and Q2 go)

 

Is it <2 YOE or <2 years since you graduated? Say you graduate July 2024. Take some time off and start work Jan 2025. Can you apply for the MBB entry-level position in October 2026 for example?

 

Provident incidunt id sunt eligendi. Quis est numquam quia ipsum molestiae mollitia quaerat. Accusamus voluptas sit quod. Aliquam quia delectus iure aut commodi. Earum voluptatem dolor totam et porro ipsum.

Corrupti molestias placeat maiores. Saepe dolore rem nulla sed est quidem molestias. Enim est adipisci et possimus fuga quia. Qui iure voluptas exercitationem voluptate. Sunt molestiae adipisci tempore libero hic ut ut culpa.

Distinctio quae facere nisi aperiam. Dolores autem distinctio tempora rem ex similique. Et quasi qui qui aspernatur consequatur et est.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • Cornerstone Research 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.7%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $368
  • Principal (25) $277
  • Director/MD (55) $270
  • Vice President (47) $246
  • Engagement Manager (100) $226
  • Manager (152) $170
  • 2nd Year Associate (158) $140
  • Senior Consultant (331) $130
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (108) $130
  • Consultant (588) $119
  • 1st Year Associate (539) $119
  • NA (15) $119
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (146) $115
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (345) $103
  • Associate Consultant (166) $98
  • 1st Year Analyst (1049) $87
  • Intern/Summer Associate (190) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (552) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”