From application to signed offer

CV and cover letter basics

• Keep the CV to one page for students and early-career candidates. Start each bullet with an action verb, and add a number where you can.
• Include grades and test scores if your region and the firm expect them, and leadership outside class.
• Follow local norms. Many Indian campuses use a fixed institute CV format. Some European countries expect slightly different layouts. Ask your career office.
• A cover letter, when asked for, is short: why this firm (something specific), why consulting, and two or three proofs from your experience. One page at most.

The paths in

• Undergraduates and masters students: usually hired through a structured process, often after a summer internship.
• MBA students: hired at the post-MBA level, very often through a summer internship that leads to a full-time offer.
• Experienced hires and PhD, law, or medical graduates: often hired outside the main student season, judged partly on their background. Some firms run special programs for advanced degrees.

The usual stages

• Application screen: your CV, cover letter, and form. This is where most candidates are filtered out.
• Online tests at many firms: for example a problem-solving game, a chatbot-led case, or numerical, verbal, and logical aptitude tests. Which test you get varies by firm and office. These tests filter many candidates before any human interview.
• First round: usually two (sometimes three) interviews, each with a case and fit questions.
• Final round: two or three more interviews, often with partners, at a higher bar.
• Offer, sometimes with a deadline to accept.

Other formats used by some firms and offices

• Written case: you get a pack of data, prepare a few slides in a set time, then present. Used by some offices, often in later rounds.
• Group case: several candidates discuss a case together while assessors watch. Used by some firms and offices, especially in parts of Europe, and group discussions are common in Indian campus processes. Contribute clearly, build on others' points, and help the group reach an answer.
• Presentation case: common for experienced hires. You prepare and present a recommendation, then answer questions.

How timing usually works

• United States and Canada: the main student season is often called on-cycle. Undergraduate internship applications often open in the summer a year before the internship, and some deadlines now fall even earlier, in the spring. MBA students usually apply for summer internships in the winter of their first year, with interviews soon after.
• United Kingdom and Europe: many offices hire on a rolling basis with published deadlines for internships and full-time roles. Some offices interview partly in the local language, such as German or French.
• Middle East and GCC: offices in cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Doha hire from local and international universities and MBA programs. Some roles prefer Arabic, and some programs are aimed at GCC nationals.
• India: at many top campuses (IIMs, ISB, IITs), recruiting happens in placement weeks run by the institute. At several IIMs, summer placements for first-year MBA students take place in the autumn, a few months after the program starts, and many final offers come as pre-placement offers after the summer internship.
• Singapore and Southeast Asia: offices hire from local universities such as NUS, NTU, and SMU, and from MBA programs such as INSEAD, which runs its own recruiting periods linked to its intakes.