Consulting Newsletter by James Brown (Jan 2026)

Consulting Newsletter

January 2026 

Industry News / Events / Opportunities / 'Accessing the Hidden Job Market'

Happy New Year!

Those of you who follow me on LinkedIn will have seen my "12 days of Christmas" - a series of helpful advice to support you in landing your dream job in 2026. The most popular of these posts (4,000+ impressions) was "Day 7 - The Hidden Job Market in Consulting". I have expanded this post into a full article at the end of this newsletter. Take a look for yourself.

December is often a slow month for recruitment but there is typically more activity in January as you will see in the opportunities section of this newsletter. This kick-start to the new year also leads to a busier schedule for me with lots of activity in the business schools preparing for the term ahead. I am supporting 11 different events at five different institutions including a visit to EADA Barcelona which I am really looking forward to. Get in touch if you would like me to help your students build critical consulting skills, prepare for their consulting projects or test their abilities through a tailored case competition.

If you haven't subscribed to the newsletter yet, you can do so here. You can also download past copies of the newsletter from the same page.

Industry News

It is reported that McKinsey is drawing up plans to cut jobs over the next few years due to a prolonged slowdown and advances in AI. The losses will all be internal operations roles and not consulting positions. Bob Sternfels, McKinsey’s global managing partner, has said "We’re continuing to add folks who are client-deployed and we see an ever-increasing need for that.”

According to Business Insider, consulting firms are racing to hire engineers and train everyone else in Artificial Intelligence skills. I agree based on the jobs I see advertised. According to Gert De Geyter, a former AI lead at Deloitte US, "firms are now looking for a blend of generalists and technical experts instead of the pure traditional consultant."

Deloitte has released its Tech Trends for 2026. They reveal five trends showing "how successful organisations are moving from experimentation to impact". Reading this won't land you a job but it will help you to talk confidently in a networking coffee chat or an interview.

It looks like Accenture's org change is paying off. They beat quarterly revenue estimates based on strong demand for AI services. It doesn't end there though. They report having $21B in new bookings, hence more jobs are likely to come. Take a look in the opportunities section.

Grant Thornton, the tax and auditing firm with consultancy services focused on corporate finance, forensic and investigation services, business risk management, and restructuring, has announced plans to accelerate growth in the UK including recruitment of 100 new partners. This will almost certainly lead to recruitment of junior consultants.

McKinsey is reporting an optimistic outlook for 2026. Every quarter they survey business leaders to understand business sentiment. Their latest survey reveals that businesses are generally more upbeat. Concerns about global trade policies have receded, making geopolitical instability the greatest concern once again.

Events

• Accenture UK doesn't appear to have any career events planned in January. Keep an eye on their website to see when new events are posted.
• Bain & Company is hosting a virtual 'Bain Breaks it Down' event on January 14th introducing what it is like to work there. On the same day, they have a virtual webinar for those who are applying to the Bain ADvantage programme in USA (PhDs, MDs, JDs, MPharmDs and other doctoral-level degrees). On January 20th they are hosting a virtual alumni panel and an EMEA 'Lead to Inspire' webinar. 21st January is the deadline to register for Bain London Connect, a 4-week networking program for women with 2-6 years' experience. If you are studying in Paris and interested in joining Bain in the Middle East, they are holding 2 in-person events on 28th January (deadline 14th January). One is open to everyone and the other is exclusively for females. Anyone wishing to sign up for their EMEA talent newsletter can do so here.
• BCG aren't holding any events in January although they do appear to have some planned in February which I will summarise in the February newsletter. Don't forget to use Chrome to access the site. The site does not appear to work well in Microsoft browsers.
• EY Parthenon doesn't appear to have any events in January but they still have online content describing the work they do as they open up their early careers recruitment for 2026.
• Deloitte UK has finished their event program for 2025. I attended an online recruitment webinar in November and summarised it in a LinkedIn post. They still have lots of on-demand content.
• Kearney is holding their 2026 Academy Program in London from 8th to 10th April. It is an in-person, 3-day offsite retreat with expenses covered. It is designed to give outstanding undergrad and postgrad students a front-row view into the world of strategy consulting. Deadline February 1st 2026.
• Management Consulted has an online event planned on 23rd January looking at consultant salary trends. They often post events a week or two in advance so keep updated here.
• McKinsey has several events planned in January including an online leadership event with a McKinsey partner on January 12th, and a 'McKinsey Changemakers 3.0' webinar on January 16th for people with 2-8 years' experience (no consulting experience necessary), who are interested in McKinsey Implementation. They also have a few events in February with deadlines in January including an event for experienced professionals in Amsterdam on February 6th (deadline January 28th), an AI-related event in Barcelona on February 12th-14th (deadline January 12th), Basecamp Helsinki on February 6th (deadline January 18th), and an AUC Hackathon in Cairo on February 6th-7th (deadline January 16th). Don't forget that they also have a series called 'McKinsey Unpacked' where they interview various members of the organisation. You can watch the playbacks here.
• OC&C UK doesn't have events planned in January although you can see when they do here.
• Similarly, Oliver Wyman UK doesn't have events planned in January although you can see when they do here.
• Roland Berger is hosting a PhD event in Amsterdam on January 22nd (deadline January 18th).
• Strategy&, Simon Kucher and L.E.K. Consulting have no events planned in January although you can keep updated here, here, and here.

Recruitment and Internship Opportunities

• Accenture Strategy/Consulting has 3 strategy vacancies in Austria (down from 5 in December), 42 in Canada (up from 34), 12 in mainland China (down from 15), 26 in France (up from 18), 33 in Germany (up from 25), 94 strategy roles in India (down from 114), 1 consulting role in Ireland (down from 2), 27 in Italy (up from 26), 31 in Spain (down from 41), 7 in Switzerland, 5 strategy roles in UK (down from 7) and 13 in USA (up from 11).
• Advancy is still recruiting interns at their Frankfurt and Paris offices and strategy consultants at their Frankfurt, Paris, New York, Sydney and London offices.
• Alvarez & Marsal has 1415 consulting vacancies globally (up from 1386) with the majority in the USA.
• Arthur D. Little has 20 internship vacancies at various offices (down from 25). They also have 33 analyst and consultant roles open globally.
• Bain & Company is advertising for Associate Consultants, Consultants and Internships globally. They have various internship programs open for application ranging from less than a week to several months part-time. You can search for experienced hire roles here. An interesting one is the Tech Experienced Role based in any of a number of locations across Europe. It could be a good opportunity for anyone with experience in strategy roles at tech scale-ups or a background in engineering or computer science with a strong interest in business transformation.
• Baringa has 18 open roles in the UK (down from 20), 18 in the USA (up from 15), and 24 in Bulgaria (up from 17).
• BCG has 312 open consulting roles (down from 320 in December). Register for updates here and take a look at their virtual office and job simulations, designed for people considering a role there. I recommend using Chrome to visit their website.
• Capco (a Wipro company) has 290 business consulting roles (down from 487 in November) including 6 in the UK.
• Elixirr has 52 roles open globally (up from 50 in December) including a consultant role in London.
• EY Parthenon still has an interesting graduate consulting opportunity in Dubai. It was first advertised several months ago. They have also opened up their 2026 consulting recruitment for graduates and interns.
• EY has plenty of experienced hire opportunities, mainly in India.
• Heidrick & Struggles has 21 roles available including various analyst, associate and consultant opportunities in the UK, USA, Japan, India, Canada, Singapore, and Italy.
• IBM Consulting has 225 open consulting roles (down from 290), mainly in India, USA, Japan and China. They have interesting strategy consulting roles in China and Manufacturing Strategy roles in India.
• Kearney has 12 internships, and various associate and analyst roles globally.
• L.E.K. has 4 open consulting roles in Europe (down from 5), including a Summer Associate role in the London office (Deadline 4th January). They also have 4 open consulting roles in the USA, 5 roles in New Delhi, and 3 roles in Sydney/Melbourne.
• McKinsey is advertising globally for analyst interns. They are also advertising for associates, associate interns, business analysts, and business analyst interns. In total, they are listing 243 consulting jobs globally (up from 230 in December and up from 203 in February).
• Newton still appears to be accepting applications for their 2025/6 graduate and internship recruitment. They also have a great brochure describing what they do and how they do it.
• OC&C is looking for an Associate Consultant - Analytics (experienced hire) and various internships, strategy and analytics roles in their London, Shanghai, New York, Boston, Munich and Düsseldorf offices.
• Oliver Wyman is advertising 173 consulting roles (up from 161) with most in the USA, Germany, UK, UAE, Spain, and Germany. They have 18 internships advertised.
• PA Consulting has 59 open roles in the UK (up from 41), mainly in London but also in Manchester, Bristol and Belfast. They also have 19 open roles in Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, USA, and Sweden.
• Proudfoot, the operations management consultancy, has a management consultant vacancy in Calgary.
• Roland Berger has 86 experienced hire opportunities (down from 93), 29 consulting internship opportunities (up 5), 4 MBA vacancies in Germany, London, Bucharest and Tokyo, and 28 global vacancies for graduates.
• Simon Kucher has opened up 10 new consulting roles this past month in Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, UK, Germany, and Norway.
• Strategy& has internship and associate opportunities in the Amsterdam office (fluent Dutch required). They have various opportunities in Germany and Austria including internships, and various experienced opportunities in France. You can find opportunities in your chosen locality here.
• Teneo has global opportunities you can find here.
• WSP has various consulting roles open globally.

The Hidden Job Market in Consulting: Why It Exists and How You Can Access It

When most candidates think about recruiting in consulting, they picture formal cycles: structured campus campaigns, scheduled assessments, and neatly sequenced interviews. These processes still matter, but they no longer represent the full picture.

A growing proportion of consulting roles are filled quietly, outside of the traditional recruitment pipeline. These positions never make it to the careers page, job board, or LinkedIn post. They arise through:

• Urgent project needs
• Targeted recruiter outreach
• Internal referrals
• Extensions for high-performing interns
• Last-minute resignations requiring rapid backfill

This is the hidden job market. It is becoming increasingly influential, especially for smaller offices, specialist practices, boutique firms, and new growth verticals where hiring evolves on short timelines.

Why are firms increasingly hiring this way? Three structural shifts are driving this trend:

1. Demand volatility - Consulting capacity needs fluctuate weekly as deals close, scope expands, or timelines compress. Waiting for a full hiring cycle isn’t feasible.

2. Higher cost of unfilled roles - Bench time and delivery risks pressure managers to fill gaps quickly, often through someone already pre-vetted through a referral or prior contact.

3. Competition for niche talent - Analytics, sustainability, digital, transformation, and sector specialists are often hired opportunistically before competitors make an offer.

How is this an advantage for candidates? Accessing the hidden job market means appearing on recruiters’ and managers’ radars before a role goes live. Instead of competing against 300+ applicants, you may compete against five. Instead of waiting a year for an opening, you might be screened within days.

Contrary to what many candidates assume, access is not luck. It is the result of consistent, visible professional behaviour over time.

How do you position yourself for such opportunities? Here are habits that reliably open doors:

• Maintain warm, periodic contact with recruiters and hiring managers
• Target specific practices and offices (not mass outreach)
• Ask respected insiders for referrals or introductions
• Engage with firm content and events to stay visible
• Build relationships before asking for opportunities

Consulting recruiting has always rewarded networking, but that networking has become a primary route into the industry, not a secondary one.

The hidden job market isn’t “secret.” It’s simply informal, fast-moving, and relationship-driven. Candidates who learn how to approach it intentionally gain early access to roles that never appear online - and often represent the most attractive opportunities.

Want to learn more? I cover this and provide example outreach emails and LinkedIn messages on my Consulting Kickstarter Course.

Get in Touch

James Brown is a certified coach, a practising management consultant and a former Director at Accenture Strategy and Consulting. You can learn more about him, the workshops, webinars, courses, case competitions and coaching he offers on the Savitas website (link below).