Transferring from the freedom and frivolity of university
life to the big-wide-world can seem a most daunting prospect for many
graduates. But rather than hiding your
head in the sand, there are a few things that can be done to prepare yourself
for moving into the consulting sector and embracing the world of work.
Firstly, it is reassuring to hear a current Management
Consultant Analyst, Adam, remark on how ‘people-focused consultancies are’ and how
line managers tend to invest time into ‘building the skills of their people’. However, there is a more proactive approach
that should be taken to ensure the transition happens, and happens
successfully.
Know the timeframe
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Many undergraduates wanting to go into the Consulting sector will be looking to join one of the top consulting companies on their graduate schemes. However, these companies tend to follow a pretty rigid annual plan so it’s important not to get caught out. According to the Targetjobs ‘consulting timeline’ for 2015 the year can be split into 4 quarters, starting in September when final-year students can start submitting applications. Whilst it seems early, many consulting schemes close mid-November, with a lot closing once they have received all the applications they need. Following the companies you are interested in on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook could be ideal ways of staying up to date with their application deadlines but equally useful are website which display the job vacancies. Inside Careers enables users to search specifically for Management Consultancy graduate jobs, or alternatively work experience opportunities, with the top firms. The latter part of final year needs to be reserved for…studying: in a Guardian article the founder of the specialist recruitment firm Mindbench said ‘it is quite rare for people with a 2:2 to go into the larger management consultancy firms’ so it is important to get a 2:1 or above in order to move straight into the consulting sector.
What does the application procedure involve?
Inside Careers notes that for the first stage of application
some companies with require an online form completed, others will ask for a CV
and cover letter whilst others will want both.
In the interview Adam recommended ‘spending more time on one or two
applications of high quality’ which I think is valuable advice for any student
juggling study with job applications. The
selection process tends to have several stages though these will vary depending
on the company. CHP Consulting use a
telephone interview followed by two face-to-face interviews with different
level employees whilst IBM follow an online application form with an online
test, assessment centre and final interview.
Through this whole process BLT’s (recruitment company, Beament Leslie
Thomas) pages ‘Interview Preparation’ and ‘Tackling Tests’ are great resources
to refer to. An important message given
was the reminder that you won’t have been offered the interview without the
employer thinking you already have the ability to do the job – a confidence
boosting idea to hold onto. A common
mistake used is referring to ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ – a subtle language change
which will demonstrate what you personally achieved.
CHP Consulting, The Guardian UK 300, 2014/15, p200
ICM, The Guardian UK 300, 2014/15, p268
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