Toggle navigation
MBA Watch Logo
MBA Watch Sponsor
Columbia | Mr. Clean
GMAT 770, GPA 3.1
Harvard | Mr. Travel Enthusiast
GRE 333, GPA 2.7
Chicago Booth | Mr. UK-Big 4
GMAT 740, GPA 2:2 (UK Scoring)
MBA Watch Sponsor
Columbia | Mr. Midnight PM
GRE 332, GPA 3.09
Kellogg SOM | Mr. Rural Urbanist
GMAT Shooting for 700+, GPA 3.85
Wharton | Ms. Nurse Innovator
GRE N/A, GPA 3.5
MBA Watch Sponsor
MIT Sloan | Ms. Operations For Ed-Tech
GRE 312, GPA 3.04
Kellogg SOM | Mr. USArmy To MBA
GMAT 690, GPA 3.46
Darden | Mr. Military Supply Officer
GRE 308, GPA 3.63
MBA Watch Sponsor
INSEAD | Mr. Second MBA In Europe
GMAT 730, GPA 2.9
Stanford GSB | Mr. London PE
GMAT 760, GPA 4.0
Stanford GSB | Mr. Tech With Social Impact
GMAT 750, GPA 8.5/10
MBA Watch Sponsor
Chicago Booth | Mr. Black Knight
GMAT 780, GPA 3.17
INSEAD | Mr. Indian Air Force / Goldman Sachs
GMAT 690, GPA 82.2
Kellogg SOM | Ms. Wildly Ambitious
GMAT 750, GPA 3.5
MBA Watch Sponsor
PQ Logo
Featured Schools
Today's Featured Schools
Featured Schools
Rankings
  • MBA
  • Online MBA
  • Specialized Masters
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Executive MBA
  • Undergraduate Business Schools
News & Features
  • All Business School News
  • MBA
  • International MBA News
  • Online MBA
  • Specialized Masters
  • Admissions
  • Thought Leadership
MBA
  • School Profiles
  • Rankings
  • News
  • Jobs
  • Faculty & Leadership
  • Best 40 Under 40 Professors
  • Events
  • Cornell MBA Handbook
  • BU Questrom
  • Kelley Direct Day In The Life
Students
  • News & Features
  • Meet The Class
  • Best & Brightest MBAs
  • Best & Brightest Online MBAs
  • Women In Business School
Careers & Pay
  • News, Advice, & Trends
Online MBA
  • School Profiles
  • Rankings
  • News & Advice
  • Events
Masters Degrees in Business
  • Specialized Masters Directory
  • Rankings
  • News & Advice
  • Business Analytics
  • Sustainability Management
  • Events
Financing
  • Financing Your Degree
  • Financing For International Students
Admissions
  • News & Advice
  • Admissions Consultant Directory
  • Your MBA Game Plan With Fortuna
  • Getting Into HBS, GSB, & Wharton
  • Handicapping Your MBA Odds
  • MBA Watch
  • Events
GMAT & GRE
  • News & Advice
  • Test Prep
More Resources
  • FREE Insider Guides
  • Successful Essays To The GSB & HBS
Events
Videos
Podcasts
Executive MBA
Undergrad
Full Archive

About | Privacy Policy | Advertising| Editorial | Contact Us

Follow Us

Subscribe | Login

  1. Home
  2. Admissions News & Features
  3. Sponsored Blogs: Insights & Advice From MBA Admissions Consultants
  4. How To Position A Career Switch To Consulting In Your MBA Application

How To Position A Career Switch To Consulting In Your MBA Application

by: Michel Belden, Fortuna Admissions on November 26, 2018 | 4,160 Views
November 26, 2018
    • Copy Link
    • Share on Facebook
    • Share on Twitter
    • Email
    • Share on LinkedIn
    • Share on WhatsApp
    • Share on Reddit

The prospect of making a career switch to consulting from an unrelated field motivates many an applicant to seek the MBA. The opportunity is that consulting firms are very open to recruiting MBAs from a wide array of backgrounds. The challenge, however, is that “consulting” has become an all too reflexive career goal for business school hopefuls who are less certain of their post-grad plans.

Having been a gatekeeper on both sides of the equation – first as a corporate recruiter for Bain & Company and then as Wharton’s Associate Director of MBA Admissions – I can attest that your savvy positioning is essential for standing out from the crowd. So what’s the best way to present your MBA candidacy for working at one of the top consulting firms in a way that’s persuasive to the admissions committee?

My Fortuna Admissions clients who have successfully positioned a desired move into post-MBA consulting have several things in common. I’ve captured them into five top tips for making a compelling case for your career switch to consulting:

1. Pause to self-reflect. If you want to use the MBA to start a different career path, get introspective about why you want to work in consulting. What is it about consulting that’s intriguing and interesting to you? What qualities have you cultivated that lend themselves to a consultant position, and what in your background makes this a logical pivot? What will consulting offer to you, and what will you be learning that will advance your career? Asking these types of questions can surface insights that will help both clarify and focus how you present yourself in an MBA application.

2. Do your research. It’s important to solidify in your own mind what that ultimate role might look like in a consulting firm. This means going on the websites of the consulting companies and looking at the specific positions on offer post-MBA. What do those roles entail and what kind of skills are they’re looking for? Spend some time exploring your ideal scenarios at specific consulting companies, whether it’s one of the big ones like McKinsey, Bain or BCG, or something more boutique. What part of the practice would you work in given your passions, talent and experience? Consider reaching out to a school’s consulting club, which may allow you to reference conversations with students that strengthen your application. Doing your homework is essential for making a case that’s sincere and persuasive to the admissions committee.

3. Know exactly what you’d bring to a consulting role. What are you poised to bring to the role that another candidate might not bring? Think about transferable skills. How does what you‘re doing in your job now translate into a future role? For example, if you come from teaching you’re probably skilled at managing large groups and liaising across different levels of an organization. If you hail from a medical background, you’re likely to work well under pressure. And if you come from the military, you may have an array of leadership experiences that translate into many possible future roles. Show the admissions committee exactly what you are bringing to the MBA class and use your experiences to tell a story.

4. Connect your specific skills to what recruiters are looking for. Keep in mind that business schools carefully consider your employability. Top MBA programs care about whether you will get a job when you finish – after all, The Economist and Financial Times (FT) use career placement data to help determine whether it’s Stanford GSB, Wharton or HBS that gets that coveted #1 spot each year.

A 2017 FT survey revealed that the top five skills employers sought in MBA grads was:  1) Ability to work with a wide variety of people, 2) Time management and the ability to prioritize, 3) Understanding digital impact on businesses, 4) Ability to build, sustain and expand network of people, and 5) Ability to solve complex problems. What experience can you highlight that that positions you to be an appealing candidate for one of the top firms?

5. Convey a logical career plan.Finally, it’s vital to share compelling reasoning that consulting is the right next step for you. This means developing a linear story to link the role you’re currently in with the one you’re aiming for, and beyond to what you intend to do with that consulting experience in the long term.

For more on how to present a desired move into post-MBA consulting, view my short video strategy session with Fortuna Director Caroline Diarte Edwards.


Fortuna-AdmissionsMichel Belden is an Expert Coach at Fortuna Admissions and former Associate Director of Admissions for Wharton’s full-time MBA program with a background in corporate recruiting. Fortuna is composed of former admissions directors and business school insiders from 12 of the top 15 business schools.

Comments or questions about this article? Email us.

Trending

Ranking: The Forbes 2023 Top Colleges In America

Ranking: U.S. News’ Best Undergraduate Business Programs Of 2024

most popular MBA programs

Harvard MBA Class Of 2025 Achieves School’s First GMAT Increase In 13 Years

Taylor Swift Becomes An MBA Case Study

Tagged: career switch to consulting, Fortuna Admissions, MBA admissions consultants, Michel Belden

Post navigation

Previous Article: ISB May Be The Most Interesting B-School In The World
Next Article: Handicapping Your MBA Odds: Mr. IIT Wanderer
  • Stay Informed. Sign Up! Login
    Logout
    Search for:
  • Sponsored Blogs
    Melissa Jones, Fortuna Admissions

    Mastering Kellogg’s New Video Questions

    by Melissa Jones, Fortuna Admissions (7 hours ago)
    Dr. Judith Silverman Hodara Fortuna

    Help! My Recommender Used ChatGPT

    by Judith Silverman Hodara, Fortuna Admissions (7 hours ago)

    MIT’s App Is Different. How To Ace It

    by Tsahala David, Fortuna Admissions (3 weeks ago)
    Dr. Judith Silverman Hodara Fortuna

    The End of Affirmative Action: What It Means For MBA Admissions

    by Judith Silverman Hodara, Fortuna Admissions (3 weeks ago)
  • Advice and Articles
    • How To Use Poets&Quants MBA Admissions Consultant Directory
    • How To Select An MBA Admissions Consultant
    • MBA Admission Consulting Claims: How Credible?
    • Suddenly Cozy: MBA Consultants and B-Schools
    • The Cost: $6,850 Result: B-School

Our Partner Sites: Poets&Quants for Execs | Poets&Quants for Undergrads | Tipping the Scales | We See Genius

About Poets&Quants | P&Q News Archives | Privacy Policy | Advertising & Partnerships | Editorial | Contact Us | Sign In / Register

Copyright© 2023 Poets&Quants, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Website Design By: Yellowfarmstudios.com