I have been a strategy consultant for the last seven years and am an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad. I went into IIMA sans any work experience, simply because I got in at first try. Over the years I have recruited a number of people at different levels, typically into strategy consulting or corporate planning roles.
For my kind of career, work experience after the undergrad degree is not the major consideration. No work experience can substitute for critical thinking, working around uncertainty and verbal / quantitative ability. Many a time I have dealt with candidates with impressive work experience who have fallen into the organizational trap, ie. cannot think outside the boundaries of their previous work. On the flip side, a certain minimum work experience gives candidates confidence in talking on management topics; they are able to visualise issues much better. The ideal candidate would have 2 years of pre-MBA work experience that is project-based and exposed to the broadest possible range of organizational roles. Do remember that pre-MBA work experience will not give you a leg up for a post MBA position in a consulting job; you still start at the bottom!
