NETWORKING
You type your master’s program into LinkedIn.
Add “McKinsey.”
Three results.
BCG.
Two.
Bain.
Zero.
It looks like your program has almost no MBB network.
That conclusion may be several searches too early.
Alumni networks are rarely organised as neatly as the degree title printed on your transcript.
Your exact program name may be hiding the people you want
Consider a program called “Master of Management Analytics.”
One alum may list it exactly.
Another writes “MMA.”
Another lists only the university.
Another puts the business school.
Another has changed the education section completely.
Same program.
Different search result.
So widen the search in layers:
- exact program name
- abbreviated program name
- university or business school
- undergraduate institution
- related degree backgrounds
- target office plus shared geography or industry
Search for connection, not just matching labels.
For a deeper walkthrough of how to work alumni channels rather than simply finding names, read Leverage Alumni Networks Consulting Recruitment.
The alum with the closest background is not always the best first conversation
A first-year consultant from your exact program looks perfect.
They remember recruiting.
They know the curriculum.
They can tell you what worked.
But a more senior alum may understand hiring, staffing, or the office differently.
Someone from another university who shares your technical background may answer a completely different question.
The network becomes more useful when you stop searching for one perfect person.
| Person you find | Obvious reason to contact them | The less obvious value |
|---|---|---|
| Recent alum | Same recruiting path | Current transition experience |
| Manager | More senior perspective | What strong juniors actually do |
| Same technical background | Shared expertise | How they translated it |
| Same target office | Geography | Local recruiting and office context |
Different people can solve different information gaps.
Finding them is only half the problem
You locate an alum.
Now what?
“Hi, I saw you went to my university and now work at McKinsey. I’d love to connect.”
Possible.
Forgettable.
Instead, make the shared link do useful work.
“Hi Daniel, I’m currently in the MSc Economics program at X. I noticed you made the move from the same program into consulting, and I’m especially curious how you positioned an economics-heavy background during recruiting.”
Now there is a reason to answer.
The connection opens the door. The question makes the message worth reading.
For templates built specifically around LinkedIn outreach, read LinkedIn Outreach Message Template for Consulting Networking.
Then comes the part most students miss
One good alum can lead to the next three names.
At the end of a useful conversation, you do not need to ask:
“Who else can refer me?”
Ask something smaller.
“Is there anyone else from a quantitative master’s background whose path you think would be useful for me to understand?”
That changes the tone completely.
You are still learning.
And referrals into the network can happen naturally.
Your strongest connection may not be an alum at all
This is the final reversal.
Alumni are powerful because shared history reduces the distance between you.
But the person who becomes your strongest advocate may share something else:
an industry,
a nationality,
a previous employer,
a technical speciality,
a city,
or simply an unusually good conversation.
Alumni are an entry point, not the boundary.
So start with your master’s program.
Search it properly.
Then keep widening the circles.
The person you are trying to find may be one connection beyond the person who appears in search.