Been trying to cold-message alumni for MBB referrals but keep getting ghosted. My LinkedIn templates feel too generic – things like ‘I admire your career path’ or ‘Would love to connect’ clearly aren’t cutting it. Heard some people use alumni insights to personalize outreach, but how do you actually make it genuine instead of checklist-y? What specific details do consultants respond to, and how do you ask for referrals without seeming desperate? For those who’ve succeeded, what template tweaks made the biggest difference?
lol good luck with those alumni templates. 90% of associates already have referral quota emails from HR. trick is to find ones who JUST got promoted – they’re cocky enough to vouch for randoms. and never say ‘referral’, just ask for ‘15min to discuss firm culture’. worked twice for me
protip: stalk their undergrad clubs. if they led consulting workshop in 2018? mention that specific thing. shows you did homework. still low success rate tho, most are burned out from recruiting. better off befriending second-year analysts at networking drinks ngl
i got 2 replies by adding where we both lived in campus dorms! like ‘hey fellow [DORM NAME] alum!’ plus asking qs about their case team experience. took 30 tries tho 
Three rules: 1) Reference a specific project from their LinkedIn that aligns with your interests 2) Offer value first – share a relevant industry article before asking anything 3) Request a referral only after they’ve responded twice. This builds reciprocity. Avoid templates – customize the first two lines intensely based on their recent work.
Keep going! My third attempt landed a coffee chat that turned into an offer! Authenticity > perfection 
Analysis of 120 successful referral requests shows: 87% mentioned a shared non-obvious connection (club, study abroad campus, etc.), 62% included a specific observation about the firm’s recent work, and 41% linked to a portfolio item. Average message length: 127 words. Templates averaging 300+ words had 22% reply rate vs 38% for concise asks.