Is it better to join an MBB for an internship or a full-time job?

Integrating an MBB - the three most prestigious strategy consulting firms, namely McKinsey, BCG, and Bain - is the Holy Grail of many candidates for a lot of reasons. However, you still have to succeed every step of the recruitment process.

Indeed, the recruitment processes for these firms are known to be among the most difficult on the job market. Candidates are evaluated through case studies, personality tests, as well as calculation tests, all during eliminatory “rounds”, up to four or five for the most selective firms.

This is why some candidates choose to apply for an internship. Requiring fewer rounds of interviews, they are considered to be easier to access than permanent contracts.

In this article, we deliver the right choice criteria to decide between an internship or a permanent contract.

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First of all, who is this article for?

If you hesitate between an internship or a permanent contract in a strategy consulting firm, it is because you are in one of these two situations.

• You have completed your studies, and have the option of doing an end-of-study internship.
• You are in a gap year and are afraid to close the door for a future permanent contract later.

At Stratmachina, we strongly recommend that you apply for an internship when you are in one of these two situations. We explain to you why.

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Reason 1 - Less demanding processes

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In terms of form, the recruitment process for a permanent contract is more difficult than for an internship: a candidate on a permanent contract will have to pass 1 to 2 rounds more than a candidate on an internship. Whether at Bain, BCG or McKinsey, each round is eliminatory: depriving yourself of one or two interviews by applying for an internship is therefore a way of increasing your chances to join these companies.

In substance, then, the interlocutors you will meet during your interviews will be less demanding if you are applying for an internship than for a permanent contract. Their decision is necessarily less engaging, and they will always expect better performance from a future colleague than from a potential intern whose is temporary.

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Reason 2 - High conversion rates

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Although an internship does not 100% guarantee a permanent employment, the conversion rate of an internship into a CDI is 80% on average in the three MBBs, which is quite impressive.

This figure is all the more encouraging when you know that not all interns necessarily want to sign a permanent contract after their internship in MBB, and leave by themselves. They are part of the 20% of interns who do not convert their internship into a permanent contract.

We can therefore consider that a motivated intern has more than 4 chances out of 5 of being recruited on a permanent contract at the end of his internship period.

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Reason 3 - Start your full-time job in optimal conditions

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By starting your career in MBB with an internship, you ensure a more serene and comfortable entry into professional life.

Why? Over an internship period of 4 to 6 months, an intern works on 2 or 3 projects so begins to build a mini network and establishes relationships with Project Managers and Partners. This is fundamental because, when starting on a permanent contract, this intern will be more likely to be staffed (taken) on a mission with people who already know him. These same people will be evaluating him during his trial period. So he will increase his chances of validating his trial period and of being more serene when he arrives on a permanent contract.

On the other hand, those who start directly on a permanent contract usually have very little network and can end up on the most demanding/difficult projects with no reference in the company and no certainty of passing the trial period.

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Are you convinced and want to apply for an internship? Sign up for one of our masterclasses and we will help you apply for an MBB, and maximize your chances of landing the internship of your dreams.

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