A career in management consulting is a dream for many people. Ashlyee Freeman shares a bit of her consulting recruiting journey with us, so you’ll know where to start and where you should end (hopefully with an offer)!
1. “Circles of death”
You’re at the Comm School and Bain & Company is holding a networking event. Everyone is vying to eruditely cozy up to one of the two Bain representatives. Twenty wannabe consultants, two representatives, and then there’s you. You panic. We’re here to tell you to relax and that feeling this way is normal. However, it’s really important to expose yourself and be bold in these “circles of death.” Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is the only way to make it through these events and finally make some valuable, genuine connections. Management consulting recruiting is an art with a little bit of science mixed in!
2. It’s all about cases
Once you’ve made a couple of good connections, it’s time to start preparing for your case interviews. There are tons of resources to help you prepare for these, so don’t fret. It is important to not feel overwhelmed when something seems unsolvable. With grit and sustained motivation, you’ll learn from your mistakes and cases will become natural for you. Oh yeah, make sure to keep networking during this phase so you get onto “closed lists” for interviews.
3. The last stride in management consulting recruiting
You’ve come across all the firms, seen every practice case, and now you’re ready to conquer the interview, bagging that offer. It’s crucial to keep morale high at this phase and understand that you will face rejection in some form. Learn from “getting dinged” and tweak your approach for your interviews to come. If you’re strong, there’ll be a hard-deserved offer waiting for you at the end of the rainbow.
Loosely knowing about these three phases for management consulting recruitment can take you a long way. Connect, study some cases, and get ready to interview!
Questions about management consulting to discuss:
- What are the best management consulting resources you found so far?
- Which are the best management consulting firms to work for? Why?
- What is the best way to prepare for case interviews?
- What’s the best networking platform to use for collegiate job seekers?
- What can consulting provide you in terms of long-term career prospects?
