Month: March 2009

Management Consulting Jobs: 5 Mistakes That Will Get You Fired

First, getting fired in management consulting doesn't happen often. There are many reasons for this (eg, the rigorous recruiting process, the supportive development-focused culture). However, in tough economic times select firms will significantly tighten hiring and raise the bar on promotions. Those who don't make the cut must leave the company within a rough timeframe - the…

The Consulting Bible giveaway and important site updates

Hi all - frequent visitors will notice that the site has intermittently disappeared in the past 2 days. After a poor experience with Dreamhost's hosting services, I've moved the site over to Bluehost in the hopes of eliminating server issues that were causing the problem. Giveaway alert This week, I'm releasing the 2nd edition of…

Consulting summer internship: 7 must-dos before starting work

Last week, we thoroughly discussed consulting interviews. This week, the focus will be on the consulting summer internship - best practices before, during, and after your 3 months as a newbie consultant. The ultimate goal of any summer intern is two-fold: one, to secure a full-time offer, and two, to learn more about the job,…

Management Consulting Interviews: 10 Key Interview Preparation Tips

10 Key Interview Preparation Tips is my final post in the management consulting interview series. Previous topics included case studies, followup questions, and fit interviews and preparation. Here, I'll focus on 10 key interview preparation tips or steps to prepare for consulting interviews. As a general piece of advice, the best way to become a great…

Bain Recruiting: 8 Insider Secrets

This Bain recruiting information was shared with us by a former Bain consultant. They provided an insider's perspective on recruiting at a top consulting firm, and the key differences between university recruiting and experienced hire recruiting. While the information is particular to Bain, many of the methods will be similar across big consulting firms. Boutique firms…

Management consulting interviews: the 2 smartest case study techniques

This is the 3rd post in a series on management consulting interviews. Previous posts covered fit interviews and follow-up questions. In this post we'll cover two of the smartest case study techniques to set you apart. Case Study Technique 1: Tell Them Up Front "Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then…

Management consulting interviews: the best follow-up question you can ask, plus 4 more

My first post in this series covered consulting fit interviews and the biggest mistake you can make. At the end of every consulting interview, the consultant will typically offer feedback on your performance and provide an opportunity to ask follow-up questions. Most applicants do not use this time effectively - asking follow-up questions allows you…

Management consulting interviews: the biggest mistake you can make in the fit interview

Time for a major content injection. In the next 3 posts, I will add to prior articles on management consulting interviews. The first post will focus on the biggest mistake you can make in consulting fit interviews - and how to avoid that pitfall. The second post will focus on case study interviews. Finally, the…

Role play in consulting interviews: roundup of reader questions

Here's a roundup of reader questions - covering topics including role play consulting interviews, consulting interview dress code, consulting lingo, and cover letters. To start, I found an online copy of the Wetfeet Guide to the Top 25 Consulting Firms - worth a quick browse as their company profiles are strong on the basics. Now…

Consulting exit opportunities: grad school, Fortune 500, non-profit, and public sector careers

This is the concluding part 2 of my series on consulting exit opportunities. The previous post covered finance and entrepreneurship. Graduate school (MBA, JD, masters & PhD) Percentage: 25% Many undergraduate consulting hires pursue graduate school after a few years. Often paid-in-full by their firms (with the agreement to return post-matriculation for several years), it…