In many of my meetings at the Career Development Office and in my experience as a student at CGU, I repeatedly hear students say, “I want to be a consultant”. Many of them, though, are unsure of the path to accomplish their goal. Here are definite steps I recommend to achieve success:
1. Networking or Building Strategic Connections: The top 3 management consulting firms receive over 200,000 applications per year and only about 1.5% of them are selected to work at BCG, McKinsey, and Bain. The demand is similar to other prestigious firms like Deloitte, Accenture, and KPMG. One of the best ways to get your resume noticed is to attend an event where their representatives are present. This can be a challenge because many of the consulting firms only recruit at a handful of campuses. McKinsey, for example, only recruits at about 12 campuses nationwide. So how do you get noticed? Start making connections with people who are working for those organizations, beginning with alumni from your school. Develop a relationship with them when you start and follow up with them regularly. Having an advocate inside the organization is the best way to get that chance for an interview.
2. Get Good Grades and Focus Your Coursework: Grades do matter to these types of employers, especially the top consulting firms. Also, focus your studies in the area you want to tackle in industry. If you want to work in Org Development, make sure you take those courses. If you want to work in Supply Chain Management Strategy, the courses you take should reflect this to the companies you are applying to.
3. Take on Leadership Roles: Soft skills like leadership, communication, and teamwork are coveted by consulting firms, and you need to show these to the recruiters. Volunteer with clubs on campus while you are a student and take leadership roles. You can also start a club if one doesn’t exist at your campus–this would really display your leadership talent!
4. Practice the Case Interview: There are two integral parts to the interview at the major consulting firms: the case interview and the personal or “fit” interview. It will take a lot of practice to get used to the case analysis process. Start a club or get together with like-minded friends to practice cases. While many books and websites teach how to do case analysis, one particular website I recommend is TheCaseInterview.com, where you can sign up for weekly emails and a more rigorous learning program. Most consulting companies start recruiting early in the Fall, so you will need to get started quickly.
5. Practice the Fit Interview: Many students tend to focus on the case interviews, but the Fit Interview can be just as, or even more important. Are you someone that the interviewer and the team would like to work with? Would you fit into their culture? To help you practice, the best option is to conduct mock interviews with representatives from a consulting firm, but the Career Development Office at your school also provides this service many times. Students don’t take advantage of this enough! Interviewing is a skill we don’t use every day, so seek out good feedback before the actual interview. Get the jitters out before you go for the interview!
6. Consider Mid-tier or Boutique Firms: You can get valuable experience in another firm and may be able to get broader experiences more quickly with an organization less structured than the large firms.
Obtaining a position in consulting is a challenging, rewarding career choice. By working strategically, you can get the offer you desire.
Leigh Schroyer
To read the rest of the article, click here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/consulting-career-path-college-students-leigh-schroyer/
