Warm Intros

Use a Shared Consulting Employer to Get Introduced

You spent years at a firm alumni actually respect, then you cold-apply like a stranger. The people who left before you are hiring managers now, and the shared badge is the fastest reason for them to reply.

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A plain LinkedIn search buries the people who would actually help you.

It ranks by prominence, so the most-followed, most-messaged names sit on top. FindWarmIntros surfaces the coworkers who share your school or a past employer - the people most likely to reply - and hands you a ready-to-send intro.

Example - what you’ll see

Someone who works at your target company

🎓 Same university as you · 💼 Shared past employer

🔥 Strongest

A recruiter at your target company

🎓 Same university as you

🎓 Alumni

✍️ Ready-to-send intro“Hi - we both studied at [your school]. I’d love to hear about your path to a company you are targeting before I apply…”

… plus everyone else in your network who can put in a good word.

See who can refer you in - pick a consulting target:

Short answer: Find people at your target company who once worked at your old consulting firm, message the ones who overlapped with your years or office, and lead with the shared firm before the ask. Big Four and MBB alumni move into industry roles constantly, so a former McKinsey or Deloitte colleague is often two levels up at exactly the company you want. Open with where you both worked, not with your resume.

Why a shared firm outperforms a shared school

A school connection says you sat in the same lecture halls a decade apart. A shared consulting firm says you survived the same staffing model, the same up-or-out culture, and the same client fire drills. That is a stronger bond because it is recent, professional, and specific.

Alumni of Bain, BCG, McKinsey, and the Big Four scatter into industry within a few years of joining. The person who was two cohorts ahead of you is now a director or VP somewhere, and they still remember what the work was actually like. That memory is your opening.

How to work the overlap so the note lands

Not every ex-firm contact is equally warm. Rank them by how closely your time actually intersected, then lead with the most specific overlap you can honestly claim.

Same office and years. If you both sat in the Chicago office between 2019 and 2021, say that. Shared managers, shared floor, shared coffee spot: name one real detail and the reply rate jumps.
Same practice or client. A shared industry vertical or a well-known client engagement proves you did comparable work, even if you never met. Reference the practice, not just the logo.
Same firm, different era. When the only overlap is the firm itself, lean on culture: the staffing tool everyone hated, the training in the same bootcamp city. It is thinner, so keep the ask smaller.
Alumni network members. Firm alumni Slacks, LinkedIn groups, and official alumni portals are lists of people who already opted into being contacted by former colleagues. Start there before anywhere colder.

Let a tool do the finding so you can do the writing

The hard part is not the message, it is finding which people at your target company came from your firm and figuring out whose years actually overlapped yours. Doing that by hand means paging through hundreds of LinkedIn profiles.

This is the part FindWarmIntros handles: you give it your former employer and the company you want in, and it surfaces the real people who share that firm with you, ranked by how strong the overlap is, then drafts a warm intro you can edit. You spend your time personalizing the top three, not scrolling. Make it cost the other person 30 seconds to help, and lead with what you share.

What to say once you find them

Open with the firm, one shared detail, and a single clear ask. Do not paste your resume or ask them to get you hired. Ask for a 15 minute call or a quick read on the team you are targeting.

Give them an easy yes. Something like: I saw you were at PwC before this, I was there in audit until 2022, and I am looking hard at your team, would you be open to a short call. That is honest, specific, and low cost, which is exactly why it works.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I did not personally know the alum?

You do not need to have met them. A shared firm and overlapping years are enough of a reason to reach out. Name the office, practice, or era you have in common and keep the first ask small, like a 15 minute call rather than a referral.

How do I find their exact years at the firm?

LinkedIn profiles list start and end dates under each role. Compare their dates to yours to see if you overlapped. FindWarmIntros does this comparison automatically and flags the people whose time actually crossed yours.

Is it fine to message someone senior to me?

Yes, and it often works better. Former colleagues who are now directors or VPs remember the firm fondly and like helping people who put in the same hours. Keep it respectful and specific, and make the ask easy to grant in a short reply.

Should I mention the firm in my first line?

Always. The shared employer is the entire reason they will read past your first sentence, so put it up front. Leading with your job search instead of the connection is the mistake that gets these notes ignored.

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