ive been randomly reaching out to consultants on linkedin for the past few months, but im realizing that my approach is totally unsystematic. im literally just messaging people at target firms and hoping something clicks. some respond, most don’t, and even when they do, i often can’t figure out why this particular person would actually help me get where i want to go.
the thing is, i know people do have strategic networks. they seem to know exactly who to talk to—not just any consultant, but people in specific practices, people who’ve hired before, people who are genuinely interested in helping, people who have influence. but how the hell do you map that out?
i was watching how one person in my network approaches it, and they literally had a mental map of their contacts. they knew who worked in which service line, who had hiring experience, who was active in campus recruiting, who had specific expertise. it wasn’t random. it was deliberate.
i think my problem is that i don’t have a roadmap. i don’t know what to look for in terms of titles, backgrounds, or roles that would actually make someone useful for my job search. and even when i find someone who looks relevant, i don’t know how to approach them or what to ask that would actually help me understand the landscape.
right now my strategy is basically “message lots of people and see who responds.” but that feels inefficient. has anyone here actually built a targeted list of people to talk to? how did you figure out who actually matters for your consulting push, and how did you prioritize who to reach out to first?
u need to figure out: whos actually hiring? who did ur friend get referred by? who just got promoted to a hiring committee? prioritize those ppl first. the ppl who still remember what its like to interview are way more useful than random senior partners
omg yesss i have the same problem! so basically u need to b strategic instead of just like… messaging everyone lol. that makes way more sense!
Strategic networking requires three layers of mapping. First, identify the practices or service lines aligned with your interest—this narrows geography and focus. Second, within those practices, locate people at the manager and engagement manager level—they typically have hiring influence and recent enough experience to assess talent effectively. Third, prioritize connections who graduated from your university or worked in your previous industry, as shared context accelerates relationship building. This creates a prioritized list rather than a scatter approach.
I actually started by asking my school’s alumni database which consultants had graduated in the last five years. Then I looked at their LinkedIn profiles to see who moved into influential roles. One person I reached out to remembered the university and was way more willing to help. That connection ended up being valuable, not because of the firm, but because of the shared background.
also find out who just got hired from ur university or similar background. theyre way more likely to refer bc theyre invested in being helpful to their peer group. its tribal, basically
so like we need to actually RESEARCH who matters instead of just hoping? ok that actually changes everything about how i approach this
Additionally, develop a hypothesis about your unique value and network accordingly. If you have operational experience, connect with consultants in ops-focused practices. If you have technical background, prioritize digital or technology practices. This alignment dramatically improves the quality of conversations because you can articulate specific interest rather than generic ambition.
The fact that you’re thinking strategically now means you’re already progressing!
I also found that asking one consultant “who else should I talk to?” actually built my network faster than cold messaging. People are way more willing to make intros to their friends than help a stranger. So my first target was people with strong networks, not necessarily the most senior.
One more tactical point: use firm websites and recent case study announcements to identify who led major projects. These individuals typically have visibility within their office and are proud of their work—making them more receptive to outreach focused on their specific expertise. This specificity increases response rates by roughly 40% compared to generic approaches.