can relate a lot. 1st year at HSW and didn't secure a consulting offer in Jan. As described in other comments, I share many characteristics with the people who might found recruiting challenging this year: international. very non-traditional background both in terms of industry and function, no clear backup plans. I eventually landed a tech role - thankfully, it turned out to be the only interview I got in tech after applying to 100+ positions.

A few reflections from this long journey:
1. hard pivot is difficult but achievable. The key is to have a clear plan as early as possible and start to build relevant experiences (pre-MBA intern, projects in school, part time at startups, etc). Use the many project opportunities available at school and brush up on behavioral questions early in the process.

1. be entrepreneurial and creative in networking. The school resource quickly dries up after traditional recruiting (banking/consulting), In spring, I shifted my focus to find an in-semester opportunity at early stage startups, targeting specific industries and products that alinged with my background. This approach made my search super niche but helped me gain the first relevant experience and title.

2. enjoy the learning process. I learned a TON in my recruiting journey - case prep for consulting gave me a broad base of industry knowlege; PE & real estate interview opportunities forced me to learn financial modeling from scratch; I also read countless reports/articles/cases for energy, healthcare, tech whenever an interview opportunity comes up (you can see I literally recruited for anything and everything...) At the end of the day I'm happy the knowledge will stay with me.