Down On Consulting

Hey All,

Here's a brief snapshot of my experience with networking for consulting recruiting having gone through it successfully myself.

Networking at B-School is a bit different than networking in the "real world". The networking (company presentations, coffee chats, office visits, etc.) is really more a chance for you, the student, to get a sense of what each consulting firm is like. You take the time to speak with consultants at different firms so that you get a feel for who you'd like to work with and so that you understand what the differences (sometimes subtle) between the firms are. You can then use this information in your cover letters or during the fit portion of your interview to demonstrate your knowledge of and compatibility with said firm. I don't believe (just my opinion) that anyone actually separates themselves "from the pack" during networking and that you will do perfectly fine if you are professional, polite, and ask thoughtful questions about what it's like to work at XYZ firm. It's not a bad thing to develop close relationships with people because you'll get more information, but I don't think it's make or break.

As far as resumes, case prep, and interviews go, that's another explanation.

This is just my experience -- happy to hear about what other's went through. Hope this helps!

Thanks for your information. I encourage others to share their experiences, too.

Does anyone know if travel is reduced as one becomes more senior? Or vice versa (ie. does it increase)?

It changes. Unless you've made it a point to build a local client book, you'll still travel 3-4 days/week. Even with locally headquartered clients, you'll likely be travel to their other sites. The difference is that you might hit 2-3 cities in a week, instead of 1. If you travel directly between them, that means more travel with the same amount of time at home. Many of the Partners I know go home at least once midweek, which means far more time in transit, but more time at home.

Patterns observed during my internship:

Analysts/associate/consultants - To client Monday morning, back on Wednesday or Thursday afternoon.

CTL/Project leaders/engagement managers - Generally the same with an occasional Tuesday arrival or Tuesday/Wednesday departure to allow for a practice area meeting or proposal work.

Principal - Similar to above or splitting time between 2 projects. I.e. M-T and client 1 and W-Th are client 2 or in the office for ramp up.

Junior partners - Time split between 2 clients and office for business development or partner meetings. Maybe M at client 1, T in office, and W-Th at client 2 w/ project in full swing.

Senior partner - At least 3 clients per week, even to some without current projects. M client 1 with direct flight to client 2 in the evening for T-W, home for W night, client 3 daytrip on Thurs. "Extra" night at home in exchange for 1 additional flight.

"Flight" could also mean quick drive to local client or long drive to regional client.

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Hi all,

I would like to know whether volunteering in any (Oxfam and etc.) non profit work is taken into account by adcoms? Or this must not be volunteering, but full time job? What are your take ons? ))

???

I think that it is realistic, but like getting a job/internship at MBB from any background, it is difficult. Many international students in my year chose to recruit for offices abroad because they felt more comfortable there (language, culture, etc), but not because it wasn't realistic to get an offer in NYC. I know of a few international students, from this years class and last years, who received offers from MBB in the U.S.

There is no way to "compensate", all you can do is prepare for the interview and network. Meet people from the firms (especially from the offices you want to work at), learn about each firms unique selling points, get a feel for firm culture, make sure your resume is up to scratch, and do plenty of behavioral and case prep.

great insights in this thread, thanks everyone.

Question - if one chooses to recruit for international locations, is the salary comparable to what one would make in the US? ie. $140k+ at MBB, Deloitte, etc.?

I wouldn't know because I recruited for U.S. locations only and Salary isn't something you discuss with everyone (or anyone). Try searching for it on Google, I'm sure that you will get some credible information.

Check out this link: Consulting Salaries

It does indicate there are some minor differences in salary. I'm also not to sure about in what currency you're paid, but I think I saw someone comment somewhere that some firms will pay in US currency in countries where the currency is weak? I don't know how accurate that is but I guess that would be extremely generous.
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Does anyone have an insight on the stats of how many people apply vs how many get into MBB post MBA?

Choose any career all are best for us but there is need to do hard work in any field.
Good Luck for your future

There's a quora posted for this: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-offer-rate-at-McKinsey-Bain-BCG-relative-to-candidate-interviews-and-resume-submissions

It's also mentioned a little bit in this article: The secret to getting hired at McKinsey
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This seems appropriately relevant:

What is fascinating about the firm Ms. Reid studied is that these people, who in her terminology were “passing” as workaholics, received performance reviews that were as strong as their hyper-ambitious colleagues.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/upsho ... 0002&abg=1

Can anyone briefly explain what is the expected behavior for networking during company presentations? Would just being nice suffice or do you have to impress consultants you talk to?

First off, nice job thinking about something other than salary - that's really important and mature.

Second, if you're interested in that "satisfaction vs. work/life balance" tradeoff - either within consulting or if you're looking at corporate strategy/general management as well - take a look at our site. Some good data points from our users (all top 30 MBAs):

Lowest Travel % (among top firms):
- ZS 19% (7.4/10 satisfaction)
- Parthenon 30% (7)
- Deloitte 42% (7)
- Bain 43% (6.9)

Highest:
- Booz/Strategy& 77% (7.7)
- Accenture 72% (5.7)
- McKinsey 68% (7)


Overall, satisfaction scores are high and uncorrelated to travel %. Firm culture and whether you like the work or not seem much more important.

Hey,

How is design thinking/innovation jobs different from consulting jobs (BCG)? Need clarification.

- cj

This thread is awesome. I have learned so much about MC from it.

My case might be special though. I will be attending the GEMBA European program at INSEAD this year. As part of due diligence, I am now evaluating what my options can be after the program. Since INSEAD is a powerhouse for consulting jobs, I want to give it a serious look. Your feedback is highly appreciated.

I have a Ph.D in engineering and 6 years of experience (all managerial) in research and product development at a leading chemical company here in Europe. I will be 38 when everything is finished and have no problem staying in Europe or going back to Asia. My questions are:

1. Do consultanting companies value the EMBA the same way as a full-time MBA? I know they do experienced hires, which I think I would probably qualify even without an MBA. Will an EMBA from INSEAD increase my chance in any way?

2. What level in a cosulting company should I realistically target at? Consultant? Associate?

3. Can my professional experience benefit the career in a consultant company in some way? For example, faster development into higher position and/or more responsibility?

4. What is my chance at top-tier firms or aiming lower makes more sense? And how about big, general ones vs. smaller but speciallized ones?

5. Other than those top tier consulting firms, I find inhouse consulting also interesting. However very scarce discussion here and on quora doesn't provide a clear picture, in terms of life style, development and pay etc. Can someone share more?

Thanks in advance