Building up the skills before you apply for any job and then
being able to demonstrate them is vital to ensure a successful
application. But what are the skills employers look for in
future consultants?
Key Skills
In an interview with Adam, a Management Consultant Analyst, he noted that
‘organisation, communication, planning, leadership’ are the most important
skills for his job on a daily basis and were also the skills required upon
recruitment. An interview with a Quality
Assurance Consultant emphasised ‘people management’ which clearly supports
Adams advice. However, she went further
saying that ‘keeping up to date with’ and being knowledgeable of ‘developments
and opportunities’ were also vital. This
definitely connects to having a commercial and global awareness!
Looking broader, Targetjobs provides a concise resource on
the ‘skills consulting recruiters are looking for’ drawing from interviews with
leading consulting employers. Analytical
skills, initiative, flexibility and communication, influencing skills and
interpersonal skills were the most important.
Prospects is another great resource which lists the entry requirements
to be a management consultant. Further
to the ones already mentioned, it also included creativity and innovation,
problem-solving and strategic planning ability, ability to cope with pressure
and challenges and a commercial awareness.
Summarising these four resources, being able to work with and manage
people is evidently a vital skill which need to be demonstrated during the
application process. However, I think
the words from Alexandra Usynina on a graduate profile (Inside Careers)
reassures students well – only an aptitude for these skills needs to be
demonstrated for the job will mean they are strengthened. It therefore seems more important to focus on
developing yourself a little bit in all of these areas as opposed to being
particularly strong in one.
It is always worth checking the exact requirements that your
future employers looks for. On their
graduate recruitment page, IBM offers a list of skills under ‘What we look
for’. These include adaptability,
communication, client focus, creative problem solving, drive, teamwork, passion
for IBM and taking ownership.
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