Graduate Level Careers in CONSULTING – Resources and Information
First – know what you want and be specific
Global Dev. Consulting
Risk Mgt/ Tech Finance Consulting Consulting Consulting
Human Capital/ Strategy Change Management Consulting Consulting
In essence, consultants are hired advisors to corporations who tackle a wide variety of business problems and provide solutions for their clients. Consulting is a big, one-size-fits-all term that includes virtually any form of advice- giving. For example:
Strategy Consulting consists of providing strategic or operational advice to top executive officers in Fortune 500 companies. Representative firms include Accenture, A.T. Kearney, Bain, Booz Allen Hamilton, The Boston Consulting Group, Marakon Associates, Mercer Management Consulting, McKinsey, and Monitor Group.
Boutique Firms specialize along industry or functional lines. Although often smaller, these firms may have top reputations and do the same operations and strategy work the elite firms do, but with more of an industry focus. Representative firms include Cornerstone Research (litigation support), Gartner (high tech research), and PRTM (high tech operations).
Technology Consulting often takes place in the bowels of the client organization. In general, this kind of consulting job requires large teams of people who actually do the computer work. As a result, there are usually more opportunities for people with technical backgrounds. Representative firms include Accenture, BearingPoint, Capgemini, Computer Sciences Corporation, EDS, HP Technology Solutions Group, IBM Global Services, Novell, Oracle, SAP, and Synopsis.
Human Capital or HR Consulting includes everything from designing an employee evaluation and compensation system to conducting organizational effectiveness training to helping an organization through a significant change event, such as a merger. Representative firms include Accenture’s Change Management Group, Buck Consultants, Hay Group, Hewitt Associates, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Towers Perrin, and Watson Wyatt. Source: WetFeet
Second – know what your skills are and how they are used
If you’re considering pursuing a career in consulting the most important thing you can do is to know your value proposition. Think about, “Why would someone pay my firm a lot of money to have ME advise them?” The ability to communicate your value to a consulting firm is the most important factor in this job search. You should also be aware that outstanding analytical skills and natural business acumen are the two most important skills sought by consulting firms. Practice your case interviews and hone your analytical skills in order to succeed in the interview process.
Finally – know who values your skills and who is hiring
The most important thing to remember is that people get jobs through people – not computers. So while we are listing below some helpful online resources, you should use them as means to do research and identify which companies are actively hiring. If you want to convert the information to actual interviews, you’ll need to find humans in the organizations to speak with about opportunities.
Job Sourcing/Job Boards
1. Consulting Crossing http://www.consultingcrossing.com – a free job board that compiles the consulting positions from around the web into one place; résumé upload is not free 2. Human Resources Consultants Association www.hrca.org – good job board but you have to email the head of the board to get a password to access the postings 3. Simplyhired www.simplyhired.com – general job board with graduate level postings and links to other job boards 4. Inc. Magazine www.inc.com – an e-zine focused on entrepreneurship which provides a great deal of information about small and medium sized, entrepreneurial and growing companies 5. Career Journal http://www.careerjournal.com – powered by The Wall Street Journal, this is the premier site for employers seeking high quality business candidates for professional and executive level roles 6. Many consulting firms prefer to search for candidates in databases rather than posting their positions outside of their corporate website. Specifically, strategy consulting firms have told us they use the resume books available via MBAFocus so be sure your students and alumni profiles and résumés are complete in the system
Professional Associations Join these while you’re still a student and receive a discount; most have job boards on their websites and local events in major cities where you can talk to real people.
1. Association of Management Consulting Firms www.amcf.org – provides access to a membership database and information about the profession 2. Institute of Management Consultants www.imcusa.org – includes access to a membership database and information about networking events and resources
Online Resources
1. Gale Directory Library, an IBIC database, includes a Consulting Directory that is an excellent source for identifying small and medium size consulting firms you may not already be familiar with 2. Kennedy Consulting Research & Advisory www.kennedyinfo.com is the leading market research provider on the Management and IT consulting professions. The firm analyzes multiple segments of the profession and advises both buyers and sellers of consulting services 3. The McKinsey Quarterly www.mckinseyquarterly.com is the business journal of McKinsey & Company. Great information about the different functions and industries involving consulting roles 4. Strategy+Business http://www.strategy-business.com published by Booz & Co.; a great resource for vital business analysis, insights, and intellectual capital 5. Business Journals From all major cities, search for the local business journal for the city you are targeting and you will find everything from local news to company lists to job boards 6. WetFeet Insider Guides, available via the CMC page on my|Thunderbird; the “Careers in Management Consulting,” “Careers in Specialized Consulting” and “Top 25 Consulting Firms” guides may be particularly helpful 7. Vault Guides, available via the CMC page on my|Thunderbird; see the “Guide to the top 50 Consulting Firms,” “Career Guide to Consulting,” and “Guide to the Case Interview”