Does anyone know how an MC firm handles an applicant from a company they consult for ?What is the usual policy here ? What are the issues that the applicant should keep in mind ?Thanks.

Sometimes MSA include a non-poaching/non-hiring clause which means you'll get a "thanks but no thanks" letter from HR. Your employer will not be contacted in this case.Otherwise, as long as you are making the first step, it should be OK.Expect that references will be checked extensively if the relationship between the two companies is good, and you may not be informed about it since it may well be an informal process! This generally won't happen until the MC has made you an offer (nobody likes to screw people up for the sake of it), but you cannot control the result or even who they will talk to.Unless you have no enemies where you are, be careful and explain your position/relationships once things seem to be set towards getting an offer.

I'm assuming you have had some contact with the consultants and you've built a good rapport and think you'd fit well into their team. If so, why not ask the MC firm?Now if you've just seen some sharp looking types taking over your board room occasionally and think you'd rather be on the other side of the fence you need to be careful. The MC's may be asked if they know you, what they think of you etc. and if you aren't on their radar you're not going to look like the high flyer you're selling yourself as!Getting into this game after the grads round is much easier if it's by personal reccomendation.

In most of these "no poach" scenarios I think the legalities are such that a firm can be forced to agree not to actively approach candidates within a client organisation - ie. not headhunt them out or entice them to leave. But if the candidate makes a direct application to the firm - or responds to an advert in the press - then the firm would be obliged to give the candidate due consideration and not dismiss them out of hand purely because they come from a client organisation.One innovative approach to consider would be to approach your current employer and ask if they would consider placing you on secondment with the consulting firm. The consultancy might well oblige with a secondment to keep the client happy, but in the process you get the chance to experience the consulting lifestyle without having burnt your bridges with your existing employer.Employers are keen to ensure that there is as much "knowledge transfer" as possible from the consultants to the client employees, it's now a major purchasing criteria when choosing which consulting firm to engage on a project. More knowledge transfer means the client is less dependent on the consultancy in the future. Positioned correctly, the suggestion of going on secondment could be seen as a fantastic way of achieving this "knowledge transfer" and therefore be in the interests of both the business and you personally.Hope this helps and good luck.Tony RestellTop-Consultant.com

Thank you Tony and others for your input, much appreciated.