Considerations in Hiring Management Consultants
There are many qualified applicants vying for a single position at BCG, Bain, or other management consulting firm. To determine the best of the best, recruiters look at a number of considerations to help them make their decision.
Firm Characteristics
Each firm possesses unique characteristics that distinguish it from the others. In assessing applicants, recruiters give substantial consideration to the individual goals, needs, and priorities of the firm because they must hire candidates who can adapt to these characteristics. If the recruiter places an applicant with a firm in which he or she is ill-suited, the oversight will cause:
- Employee dissatisfaction;
- Lack of focus;
- Less productivity;
- Disloyalty; and
- High level of employee turnover.
Recruiters must strategically match applicants and firms. For firms that value leadership, the recruiter looks for applicants with management skills; for firms that randomly assign employees to various parts of the globe, an employ who is willing to travel and relocate; and for companies that place an emphasis on achievement, the recruiter hires candidates who are goal-driven.
Nature of the Consulting Job
Hiring management consultants also require the recruiter to assess the capability of the applicant to assume the responsibilities of the job. The recruiter evaluates whether the candidate can meet the following demands:
| Intellectual Activities | Capability to engage in highly intellectual activities. Management consultants are hired to identify problems and find solutions. |
| Long Work Hours | Willingness to work more than 50 hours per week in order to deliver timely output, which means less time for friends and family. |
| Frequent Travels | Readiness to travel from one town, city, or country to another. Traveling can be exciting at first, but after a few years weekly business travel can cause physical fatigue. |
| Other Demands | Ability to handle all aspects of the position — from data gathering with potential customers to presenting reports to clients and upper management. |
Applicants’ Competencies
Of course, a recruiter must ensure an applicant has competencies that will benefit the consulting firm. A few of the competencies which consulting recruiters look for in an applicant include:
| Knowledge | What knowledge does the applicant possess regarding business, marketing, and management consulting? Does he effectively apply case frameworks? Is he aware of mergers and acquisitions, company expansion, or product development processes? |
| Skills | What abilities has the applicant developed? Is he analytic enough to identify the central problem? Does she have the skill to communicate ideas confidently in front of many people? |
| Abilities | What innate capabilities does the applicant possess that can help him/her perform consulting duties? Is he open-minded to exploring various possibilities? Does she have a natural aptitude for managing stress ? |
Social Connection
Recruiters rely heavily on networking when hiring management consultants. They consult their contacts for referrals and testimonials of candidates they know. This strategy has been proven more reliable and cost-effective for many firms. This is the reason why applicants who have an extensive network have an edge over other candidates. The more people they know, the more recommendations they can get.