Strategy/Management Consulting Jobs in Hong Kong

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  1. #1

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    Strategy/Management Consulting Jobs in Hong Kong

    Hi all,

    I am a student from an oversea university in Canada and am interested in working in the management consulting field in Hong Kong (Bain, McKinsey, BCG etc.)

    I am wondering if anyone can fill me in on how the recruiting process works for management consulting firms? I heard that they have target schools, and wonder what they are. Also, what is the best way for me, an oversea student, to apply to these firms and how are my chances of getting in?

    Thanks for any help!


  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by grixon:
    Hi all,

    I am a student from an oversea university in Canada and am interested in working in the management consulting field in Hong Kong (Bain, McKinsey, BCG etc.)

    I am wondering if anyone can fill me in on how the recruiting process works for management consulting firms? I heard that they have target schools, and wonder what they are. Also, what is the best way for me, an oversea student, to apply to these firms and how are my chances of getting in?

    Thanks for any help!
    If your university is one of the 'target schools' these firms will generally come and hold presentations about themselves/careers with them. At the minimum they will advertise and have information (including information on how to apply) with the career services office.
    If you are not at one of the target schools, you can apply (in descending order of preference) through referral, using the online system (surely you have looked at the web-sites of these firms), contacting HR, and/or contacting somebody else ('cold call' style) at these firms.

    You will be generally asked about your location preference right at the start/as soon as your profile gets picked up, but it does not make much of a difference early on in the process - initial interviews are mostly done by the recruitment teams for the respective schools and/or local offices.

    Chances of getting in depend on a number of factors, including:
    • Caliber of school(s) attended, grades, extracurricular activities, etc. to get through the initial screening;
    • Analytical skills, problem solving ability, critical thinking, presentation skills, personality, etc. for the interviews; and
    • Any requirements particular to the specific role/office (e.g., for greater China (including HKG) must speak Chinese).


    HTH.

  3. #3

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    beachball, thanks for the prompt response.

    I am currently attending University of British Columbia, which is not a target school for HK firms. I think it has a sound reputation in HK as many grads go back to HK to work.

    One thing I am having particular difficulty in is finding out the deadlines for these firms, I found out that most of the Beijing/Shanghai office deadline is Oct 30, but can't find the deadline for consulting firm recruitment in HK.

    Also, how effective is it to cold call? Consultants are extremely busy and work around 80+ hours at peak times, so if I put myself in their shoes I wouldn't particularly appreciate a cold call. But if it works I will not mind trying it.

    A little bit background about myself:

    Average 82%, which is top 15% in faculty. Top marks are in numerical and analytical courses (96-98%) Extremely involved with President/Vice President Roles. Experiences with case competitions as well as winning them. Average work experience, mostly clerical or administrative work experience, no real internship at a large company (I would say this to be my biggest disadvantage). Speak/Read/Type (can't write too much, but can type everything on computer) fluent Cantonese and Mandarin


  4. #4

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    These firms operate globally/regionally coordinated recruitment programs, so the deadlines tend to be similar/the same. HR/recruitment departments are able to advise on deadlines - it is their job to run these processes. In any case, not a good idea to leave it until the last minute - just get your application in and see what happens.

    'Cold calling/e-mailing' is a very ineffective way of approaching these firms, so only resort to it if all else has failed.

    Finally, no point in us commenting or you obsessing about your profile and your chances - nothing you can do about it at this point. Just get your application in (into other prospective employers as well) and make sure you are well prepared for the interviews if/when they happen.


  5. #5

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    The lsit of school is usually listed on their website (at least it was the case a few years ago when I was looking at it)


  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mat:
    The lsit of school is usually listed on their website (at least it was the case a few years ago when I was looking at it)
    The list of schools that the firms hold presentations at probably are there, but that does not tell the whole story about target schools: Most firms have a 'tier system' to score/rank applications and this is not public.