Month: May 2009

After several years in finance, I’ve decided to transition into consulting. How do I start?

No direct experience here, but the parallel/experienced hire process is similar across professions. It's best to have "internal champions" - those within your target firm that forward your resume to recruiters internally, write positive recommendations, help get the ball rolling. Headhunters play a role - but less so in management consulting than in private equity/hedge…

I’m still too young to apply for management consulting jobs but want to get a head start. What types of jobs teach you the skills that will be helpful in consulting?

Anything business-oriented where you can show the following things: ability to manage people and teams; capacity to learn sophisticated concepts; ability to drive measurable impact in your team/group/division. The firm's brand-equity is important (eg, Goldman Sachs is more valued than Wachovia).

Should my Facebook and Myspace accounts be on my consulting resume? What about my blog?

Be careful when managing these resources. To be safe, remove all sensitive information and embarrassing photos. Even if you great control of privacy settings and your friend list, you never know how recruiters may wind up with potentially damaging information. As to your blog - it can be a plus to mention that on your…

Write a Management Consulting Resume from Scratch

The art of the Management consulting resume is a frequent topic here. For one, about 50% of reader emails are related to resumes. For two, you can't land a consulting job without a good one. While we've covered resume topics like key tips, tactical errors, and even how consultants read resumes, today's post will be…

I missed the summer recruiting cycle here at my university. What can I do now?

The short answer is that you've missed out on your best shot at consulting internships. Its worthwhile now to initiate contact with your school recruiting office, recruiters at consulting firms that come to campus, etc - and explain your situation in brief with a resume attached. At the same time, I'd look into alternative summer…

For companies like McKinsey, Bain, Booz, and BCG – are certain offices “easier” to recruit for?

This myth is partly true, partly false. It's partly true because selectivity varies by office at GMCs. Smaller offices may prefer a weaker candidate who ranks them #1 and has a rationale for that ranking (eg, it's their hometown, they're interested in the region's dominant industries) to a stronger candidate who doesn't rank them at…

Since graduating from college/graduate school, I’ve worked in several jobs and have built a strong work resume. Unfortunately, my educational background is weak – I didn’t go to a “target school” and had a low GPA in my time. How much will this affect my chances?

I've received many people asking variations of this theme. Here's my advice: If you have strong work experience - world-class firms, multiple promotions, a record of accomplishment, leadership, and risk-taking - the most important thing for you now is not your undergraduate GPA, but how you can get your resume in front of recruiters and…

I’m a senior in college and applying to consulting firms fulltime. Unfortunately, I have a really low SAT score from high school. Will this hurt my chances? Should I retake the SAT?

If your SAT score is below 1300, it could hurt depending on the firm. I would strongly recommend against retaking the SAT. There are better uses of your time. However, if you believe you can take it right now with no practice and score a 1500, no one will stop you. If you have a…

Why did you start this blog?

I've been helping prospective management consultants (friends, colleagues) for years with their resumes, cover letters, interviews, and recruiting questions. It's personally and professionally fulfilling for me. Given that experience (and the experience inside McKinsey helping recruit new employees and seeing how the hiring process worked), I decided to start Management Consulted to share the knowledge…

Can you tell me more about your background and how you broke into management consulting?

See the About page for background info. I became a management consultant through the traditional recruiting process - extensive rounds of resume submissions and countless phone and in-person interviews. McKinsey was my top choice - it was a straightforward decision once I received the offer to join their New York office. Prior to McKinsey, I'd…