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3underscore
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I have a friend who just joined Booz in DC, or is highly likely to do so soon. PRTM seem to recruit a very similar field. Not sure why he didn't seem so active with them - I can ask.
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skaballet
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I worked in federal government consulting before. Firms with big public sector practices in DC: Deloitte, Accenture, Booz Allen, IBM, McKinsey. Bain doesn't have a DC office and BCG from what I understand doesn't do much public sector work thus the DC based consultants travel a lot. A side note: a lot of this work (but not all) requires US citizenship (and a security clearance) so if you aren't a citizen that could prove difficult.... Also, I know Deloitte at least targets top MPP programs and not MBAs for public sector so if interested you should probably reach out to the recruiter to let them know about your interest in public sector before the on-campus recruiting.
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isa
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I met someone on the plane yesterday who works at PWC in their public sector practice in DC. Interestingly, even though the division is public sector, the work he's doing is essentially IT implementation but for the US Govt.

I guess there's a broad range of assignments even within divisions!
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Hey question,

If your currently involved with one of those public sector consulting firms as an intern, how easy or hard is it to transition to another say a more cut throat firm?

Thanks for the help.
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sfeiner
Hey question,

If your currently involved with one of those public sector consulting firms as an intern, how easy or hard is it to transition to another say a more cut throat firm?

Thanks for the help.
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By "cut throat" firm are referring to a commercial sector Management Consulting firm such as McKinsey or BCG?

Assuming that you are, I think it really depends on what you are currently studying (I'm guessing that you are an undergrad?) and more importantly what where you are going to school. Most of the top MC firms are fairly selective in the undergraduate schools that they choose to recruit at and even then, I don't know how many undergraduates they usually take in a given year.
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sfeiner
Hey question,

If your currently involved with one of those public sector consulting firms as an intern, how easy or hard is it to transition to another say a more cut throat firm?

Thanks for the help.
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I would say it's no easier or harder than the guy/gal to the left or right of you. For a "cut throat" firm or not, you simply need to know your "stuff" and be the right personality fit. In my opinion, these two key things are more important than where (or what) you worked or went to school. But, of course, where you go (or have gone) to school opens doors to key alumni contacts and recruiters. At the risk of stating the obvious, two quick things you need to know about school brand. They increase your chances for contact with certain companies. And, they serve as a quick filtering mechanism, because people associate school brands with quality of candidates. I would say that any consulting experience is valuable. But, you hear of so many people that make it into top MC firms without an ounce of prior consulting experience (intern or full-time).

Ultimately, a lot of things that happen in our life are due to random chance. (I'm a "Black Swan" type of guy). And, I'd say this is very true when searching for a new career/job. Give yourself the best chances for meeting the right people in order to get to where you want to go. And, take advantage of all opportunities to go to a party/social event, re-connect with alumni, strike up a conversation with random people on airplanes, etc. But, to get that job offer, you still have to know your "stuff" and be the right personality fit.

"stuff" (and not necessarily limited to) = able to think logically/structurally, comfortable with numbers, able to separate the irrelevant from the relevant, awareness of common frameworks, excellent analytical and strategic-thinking skills, able to articulate complex ideas/recommendations simply and coherently (synthesis), able to persuade key stakeholders (i.e., storylining and storytelling the main message catered to the audience)
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I think I have some of that stuff you were refering to... =). Also I don't come from one of those schools that all the big names come to. The only of those firms that come to my school are IBM, Deloitte, Accenture, PwC, and Booz Allen Hamilton. I have spoken with several alumni, used my mothers contacts and had absoutely no leads into networking with these other firms. Could anyone reccomend another course of action to get me on the radar and not just be another online application that will never see the light of day.

Thanks
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sfeiner
I think I have some of that stuff you were refering to... =). Also I don't come from one of those schools that all the big names come to. The only of those firms that come to my school are IBM, Deloitte, Accenture, PwC, and Booz Allen Hamilton. I have spoken with several alumni, used my mothers contacts and had absoutely no leads into networking with these other firms. Could anyone reccomend another course of action to get me on the radar and not just be another online application that will never see the light of day.

Thanks
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Take the following from someone who has experienced a tough year of recruiting, but landed two job offers.

In this environment, you have to be an aggressive networker. You cannot give up and make excuses for anything. Get out of the "I'm a victim" mindset. Of course the economy sucks, but you can't let that affect your morale and continued efforts in finding that job you desire. Are you networking over LinkedIn and other professional networks? Have you cold-called anybody? Have you tried headhunters? Are you taking advantage of your career services department? What about the contacts of your close school friends? Boyfriends/girlfriends?

Aggressive doesn't mean being pushy. You have to be very delicate with how you approach and communicate with people. Many people don't like to be approached in a way that signals your desperation or your selfishness. The way you approach people and the context of discussion needs to be genuine and show your sincere interest in that person's experience, the particular company, and/or the particular industry. The types of questions and how you ask them are very important. You need to build a good rapport, and if the person likes you, then they will take you seriously and possibly refer (or look out for) your resume/application.

The more "personal" your contact is, the better and stronger the connection and chances for getting "hooked up." You don't just develop these connections through one chat or one e-mail or phone conversation. Sometimes, they take multiple meetings and/or chats, especially when you barely know each other on a personal level.
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While I agree with the essence of what Trader1 is saying, things suck right now. Getting leads and jobs existing sucks right now (my friend has had job interviews cancelled twice this week due to HR issues). Outside of the regular fare, it is really quite tricky. You need to work hard at it and be lucky.

Probably a lot more of the lucky. There are lots of talented people out there, you need to be the right talented person (see lucky).
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3underscore
While I agree with the essence of what Trader1 is saying, things suck right now. Getting leads and jobs existing sucks right now (my friend has had job interviews cancelled twice this week due to HR issues). Outside of the regular fare, it is really quite tricky. You need to work hard at it and be lucky.

Probably a lot more of the lucky. There are lots of talented people out there, you need to be the right talented person (see lucky).
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Don't underestimate random luck...absolutely.
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