The competition in getting a consulting internship opportunity may be as tough as getting a job. Many students would like to get hold of and maximize this opportunity. To arm you for this endeavor, read this post and have a solid background about this program.

After years of intellectually feeding your brain with theories and principles at the university, you must be too excited to apply them in the real world. Your stock knowledge about the culture of business, nature of organizations and management strategies is never enough to make you an outstanding management consultant or analyst. You need the practical side of things; you need the experience factor. The internship program in a management consulting firm can be the answer to that missing piece.

What Is a Management Consulting Internship Program?

A management consulting internship program is a systematized on-the-job training that allows undergraduate or postgraduate students to be immersed in the field for a specified period of time, usually about 10 to 14 weeks. You are given a day or two for the company and job orientation but after that, you will be assigned to work on tasks like everyone else. A supervisor will be assigned to you to answer your inquiries, monitor you during the program and address your other concerns from time to time.

Should You Take a Consulting Summer Internship Program?

Management consulting firms offer internship all year round but the most convenient time to do it is during summer. Top tier firms like McKinsey, Bain, Booz and BCG have well-organized internship programs in summer, a perfect time for you to receive formal training and meet other consultants in social events. Recruitment usually begins in January and if you’re fortunate enough to qualify, the internship starts within June and ends within August.

What Do You Get from a Consulting Internship?

Consulting internships are quite popular because of the advantages they offer to students. Enumerated below are the perks you can enjoy from this short training.

You Can Build Your Competencies

The kind of training you get from management consulting firms will expose you to responsibilities that require your utmost knowledge, skills and abilities. You’ll be given tasks to explain organizational situations, go through documents and reports, analyze critical details and possibly recommend solutions to existing problems. These require your critical thinking aspect, positive work habits and high level of professionalism.

You Can Reflect on Your Calling

Within the short duration, you can realize if this is the career path you should follow. Being surrounded by people who are already there gives you an idea of the actual life you’re dreaming of. Do you feel motivated to get your tasks done? Do you take the pressure as a positive inspiration? Do you believe you can get along with people in a fast-paced, highly intellectual environment? If all your answers to those questions are in the negative after the internship, management consulting is not probably for you.

You May Get a Full-Time Job Offer After the Program.

This is probably the best prize you can claim after the internship. If the management consulting firm has a vacant post that is commensurate to your qualifications, most likely they will offer you an employment contract, a big break that any fresh graduate would love to have. It is then very important to produce quality output, establish smooth relationship with colleagues, get constructive feedback and participate actively in team projects. Act responsibly and proactively. Prove to them and most of all to yourself that you deserve it.

You Broaden Your Network

If you don’t get the offer for a full-time position, you can still be grateful for the opportunity to meet and work with management consultants and clients. Since these people have connections with big companies, they can give you recommendations and referrals to the best employers in town. In the future, if you stumble upon complicated challenges in your career, you may contact them and seek advice.

What Do Management Consulting Companies Get from the Program?

It’s not only students who benefit from internship programs. It’s actually a win-win situation for both parties. Below are two reasons why consulting firms continue to offer this training.

Effective Recruitment Strategy

During the on-the-job training, they can closely monitor who among the interns exhibit the competencies perfect for their vacant position. They can determine who has the leadership skills, analytic way of thinking, excellent communication ability and initiative. They’ll be able to evaluate candidates not only through their resume, interview and test results but also through performance, which is more reliable.

Form of Advertisement

Management consulting firms treat their interns as a team member because after the program, they will be returning to the university and will be sharing their experience. Further, in the future, if the interns get hired by companies that will require consulting services, they can recommend the consulting firm because of their fantastic experience.

How Do You Avail of Opportunities for Consulting Internships?

Not all management consulting firms offer internship programs. Hence, being always on the lookout will keep you aware of rare opportunities. Watch out for job fairs and other special programs where recruiters or representatives from consulting firms accept on-the-job training applications. You can also tap your contacts who can help, guide and recommend you for the program. You can also visit the websites of your target firms for updates.

If you get the internship opportunity at a well-respected firm like BCG and PWC, make the most of your experience. Your short stay will not only provide you ample insights but also wonderful encounters with different people. Enjoy every aspect of it. You might get too absorbed with the projects assigned to you to have fun at the workplace.

After reading this post, explore our website or download this guide for more practical tips on how to land an opportunity in management consulting.

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One of the common problems in management consulting agencies is the work-life imbalance of its employees. The nature of their job compels them to work for longer hours, a clear indication that there is less time to prioritize the simple pleasures in life. If you’d like to pursue a career in this field, find out how you’ll manage this issue.

The coin has always two sides. In the field of management consulting, employees enjoy a number of attractive benefits but they must also accomplish milestones for their clients by all means, even if it implies staying at the office for more than eight hours a day – and it does so almost every day. To elaborate this idea, below are the happy and sad sides of the consulting industry.

Compensation and Benefit Package vs Time

One of the motivating reasons why thousands of applicants would go for a management consulting position is the money that puts lavish food on the dining table and pays the costly bills. The annual base salary estimate for the fresh graduates ranges from $45,000 – $60,000, depending on the country and the size of the firm. This excludes the signing and year-end bonuses, the health care insurance, the reimbursed travel expenses and other promising incentives. Expectedly, the starting rate is higher for those who have earned a master’s or graduate degree and those who have relevant experience. The salary gets even more attractive on progression to senior levels.

However, this perk comes with a price so expensive that the monthly salary cannot even afford – demand for time in the office. Most management consultants have to work for 60-80 hours in a week because of the project requirements. At times, the regular working hours are only consumed by client and team meetings; hence the need for more hours to seriously study and analyze information. More often than not, consultants end up with bulky wallets and wealthy bank accounts without sufficient time to do their hobbies, go shopping and enjoy what they earn.

People Exposure vs Family Bonding

Another perk consultants get from working at management consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, Booz and BCG is the opportunity to meet a variety of people – from dynamic colleagues bringing in different cultures and work orientation to business-minded clients coming from different areas. This exposure doesn’t only hone their social interaction skills to the fullest, it also widens their professional network. The chatty enjoys every conversation, the observant has so much things to ponder and the impatient learns to wait.

On the other hand, because of the demanding schedule with other people, consultants have less time for their loved ones. They often end up missing their friend’s birthday bash or their weekend getaways with their kids or cousins. They feel so caught up with their work they’re unable to spend time with their family. Oftentimes, they need to travel for a few days in a week, making their absence at home more inconvenient and distressing to others.

Challenging vs Stressful Opportunities

Many applicants love the intellectual challenges of a management consulting position. The thinking aspect may drain most people but for those who are interested in a consulting career, going through numerical data, analyzing graphs and charts, generating options for problems and recommending strategies to top management are exciting sources of energy. Management consulting firms give their employees opportunities to learn and master new skills in every project. Consultants have to learn quickly and to be motivated enough to keep up with others.

Unfortunately, because of the prolonged hours of brain-utilizing, the responsibilities cause headaches to consultants. Stress becomes a constant companion with the deadlines they need to meet, difficult people they have to discuss with and long hours they have to endure. Only a few people are graceful under too much stress. This explains why the turnover rate in management consulting companies is quite high.

Venturing into Management Consulting?

If you’re embarking in this field, you should seriously consider the yin-yang situations cited above. The job has its own wonderful opportunities paired with alarming threats. However, if you’d really like to give it a try, then go for it. Many consultants who resigned from consulting firms would never trade their experience for anything else in the world. Sure their resumes look even more credible but on top of that, the learning process they underwent was priceless.

Here are some suggestions on how to maintain balance in management consulting.

Accept the Situation

Accept that work-life balance is hard to attain when you’re a consultant. This doesn’t really solve the problem but nevertheless, being aware lessens your unrealistic expectations. Distress occurs when the ship doesn’t sail as smoothly as you expected it to. Knowing the truth at least conditions you to prepare for work-loaded days.

Establish Boundaries

Do not be a family person and a consultant at the same time. For instance, during weekends, do not go on a family picnic with a laptop so you can check emails and continue making reports. Learn to draw a line between work and play. For a consultant with a hectic schedule, this may be too hard but still possible. It all boils down to your time management and organizational skills.

Make Use of Technology

With the advent of technology, communication has never been easier. While on the train to visit a client in another province, why don’t you bring your wireless Internet connection and check your e-mails along the way? When you take a break from work, why don’t you call your partner and kids and have a little chat about their whereabouts? When you’re often physically away from home, your family doesn’t have to feel you’re also emotionally absent.

Refuse, If You Have to

If you have valid reasons, you may say “No” to certain requests or demands. Your colleagues will most probably empathize with you. They understand that you have personal priorities as much as they do. In the same way, if your colleagues refuses for an important reason, respect their decision. Everyone in the management consulting team can always make a compromise.

Enjoy

Getting a summer internship program or being employed by a management consulting firm is a once in a blue moon opportunity. Though you’re expected to work hard, don’t forget the fun side of it. Love what you’re doing; it’s the perfect idea of combating negative forces at work. Get to know your teammates on a personal level. Know their stories and share yours, too.

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Networking is a wise way of landing a job in management consulting. By expanding your circle through joining organizations and attending activities, you’ll will encounter key people who can help you in the recruitment process. Continue reading this post and realize the relevance of networking in pursing a consulting career.

The concept of networking all started with man’s gregarious nature. Nowadays, it connotes a different meaning in various settings. In computer science, it’s the act of linking two or more units in a specific area for data sharing. In business, it happens when like-minded people build relationships and act upon a  business together. For management consulting applicants like you, it’s one way of getting the dream job.

Benefits of Having a Wide Network

Your network can give you either of the following:

Information

Consulting vacancies are normally not published on newspapers or posted on job boards. Recruitment is sometimes facilitated through university or college events. More often than not, assessment of experienced candidates is conducted when they get recommendations from the firm’s existing employees. Hence, the more people you interact with, the more updated you are with job openings, the more chances you can apply and be assessed for the position.

Recommendation

Recruiters receive piles of resumes for a single position only. For instance, in top management consulting firms like Booz and BCG,  candidates have a small probability of getting hired due to the large number of qualified applicants. However, if you get a credible recommendation from somebody in your network, the employer will more likely bank on your competencies.

Employment

Some people within your network might be job providers themselves. If they need your services or expertise, they can simply tap you for help. At times, you find a business partner in your network too. You can plan for a venture on putting up a quaint coffee shop or on providing management consulting services to local companies. The possibilities are endless.

Widening Your Network

Every day is an opportunity to add more people in your network. It just depends on how you maximize your time and deal with the people you meet along the way. Below are three proven ways on how to improve your network for a management consulting position.

Be Friendly

Sociable people tends to have a wider network because it’s their nature to reach out and befriend others. Friendliness paves ways for two people to establish rapport between them, build trust and comfortably exchange information. This characteristic isn’t difficult to develop at all. It usually begins with the habit of smiling, followed by sincerity and kindness,  and ends with a high five.

Join Clubs and Organizations

Being an active member of a club or an organization allows you to meet more people and make meaningful connections. As you consistently participate in the activities, you’ll get to know more about your new found friends, including their hobbies, profession and even their circles. When you start sharing your own world, they will also know that you’re particularly interested in management consulting. They might be able to help you land a job in that field.

Many consulting firms also facilitate on-campus activities to get in touch with potential applicants. Stay updated with your school career programs to maximize that opportunity. On those events, make it a point to dress professionally, meet consultants and talk with them. Ask them well-thought open-ended questions that can start your discussion. Don’t forget to introduce your name and ask for a business card. End the conversation with a firm handshake.

Explore LinkedIn to Your Advantage

Human Resources Departments have also shifted from using traditional ways of employee selection to paperless virtual recruitment. As a proof, many job advertisements are now posted on global marketplaces. For instance, LinkedIn, a popular professional networking site, is often used for hiring purposes nowadays. Many companies believe it’s an efficient and effective way of contacting candidates and filling vacant positions in their company.

To increase the chance of being contacted by recruiters on LinkedIn, complete and update your profile regularly. It’s your way of assuring them that you’ll reply to their message should they contact you. On that site, you can also join circles and connect with people in the same field. Be tactful in dealing with your virtual contacts. To keep your credibility, maintain a professional image.

Maintaining a Good Network

Establishing a connection with a person may be easy but maintaining it takes more effort. To help you keep the network you’ve started, here are three tips.

Build a Stronger Relationship

Do not use your network for a management consulting position as a means to an end. Your contacts deserve to be treated personally and sincerely. Regardless of the job opportunities they bring in, take time to communicate with them, update each other’s whereabouts through chat, call or email, and enjoy their company. Have fun listening to their wonderful stories and crazy ideas.

Be Grateful

Never forget to drop by and express gratitude for any favor they do for you. Avoid the mistake of disappearing like a bubble once you get their referral or recommendation. If you get the job, update them from time to time about how things are going. This will send them the message that you value their assistance.

Treat Kindness as a Two-way Street

The golden rule prevails. If you want assistance, you should extend some help as well. If you hear vacancies and opportunities that suit any of your contacts’ personality, inform them. They will certainly appreciate your effort.

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As an applicant for a management consulting position, you might wonder why you are asked to take an abstract reasoning test. At first glance, the items don’t seem to have a practical connection to the nature of the job you’re applying for. To give you a clear understanding on what this test is all about, read this article.

What Is an Abstract Reasoning Test?

An abstract reasoning test consists of visual questions that come in the form of shapes, figures, symbols and diagrams. The items are usually presented in a series and you have to identify the implied logical rule to know the right answers.

This test measures the innate ability of the person to recognize patterns, establish logical rules and use them in proving assumptions, predicting solutions and resolving problems. Some would call this fluid intelligence, which according to Raymond Cattell is “the ability to perceive relationships independent of previous specific practice or instruction concerning those relationships.” In other words, it refers to how a person logically approaches and manages a situation, regardless of education, culture, upbringing and prior knowledge.

How Come It Can Measure Intelligence?

To answer this question, let’s go back to the research of Charles Spearman, the British psychologist who discovered the positive correlation between two cognitive tests. In his experiment, he found out that those who score well in one intelligence test (e.g. vocabulary) will most likely have an excellent performance in another type of mental test (e.g. math). He attributed this relationship to the general ability of a person, which can be measured by an abstract reasoning test.

From his experiment, it can be concluded that an applicant’s score on an abstract reasoning test may predict his or her score in other intelligence tests and his potential performance at the workplace.

What Makes It Difficult in Management Consulting?

This test comes in different types. The simplest one is administered to applicants of rank and file positions. However, since you’re applying for a management consulting position, expect items with medium to high level of difficulty.

Easy test items usually come at the first part of the test and they gradually get complicated. You have to decipher more than two implied rules, which gets more complex as you move on. This doubles the pressure because you have to deal with the time limit. You are given only about 30 seconds to analyze the patterns and choose the answer.

What Are the Advantages of Using It?

Abstract reasoning tests are considered more objective and culture-sensitive because they do not include words and numbers. It therefore eliminates environmental barriers that may possibly affect a test taker’s score. A management consulting applicant whose native language is English will most likely have a higher score on a verbal reasoning test than someone whose mother tongue is an Asian dialect. This language factor, however, won’t affect both applicants’ score on this test since they’ll only deal with figures.

Why Do Management Consulting Companies Use This Test?

To score high in an abstract reasoning test, logic must be used. Logic is important for any position in a management consulting firm like Mercer and Bain because you can’t share professional advice if you don’t have it. Recognizing organizational trends, analyzing company issues and generating strategies all require critical thinking. Moreover, recruiters significantly consider your innate capabilities since you’ll be interacting with Chief Executive Officers, Financial Managers and other key personnel in the organization.

If you’re an associate or analyst in a management consulting team, you’re expected to be interviewing employees, creating financial systems and presenting effective strategies to clients. If you get a low score on this test, chances are you will fail to perform these critical responsibilities. Interviewing employees isn’t only a matter of asking and listening; it’s also about listening to unspoken messages. If you need to establish an efficient financial system, you must analyze the entire business flow. If you want to give recommendations, you must base them on well-thought facts, reports and studies.

How Can You Improve Your Score?

It’s impossible to change your general intelligence in just a week. However, you can still improve your score in an abstract reasoning test for a management consulting position. Here are the 3P’s you must keep in mind.

Practice

There are tons of free resource materials on the Internet. If you go over them, you’ll notice that websites offer exercises on different rules and levels of difficulty. Most of them provide key answers with clear explanation to guide you in the process. The more items you try, the greater the likelihood of encountering familiar patterns on the actual test.

Puzzle

Rubiks cube, sudoku, jigsaw and other types of puzzles are not only intended for leisure. They also encourage you to figure out relationships between colors and objects, which results to a sharpened mind. Further, you get more clever because your answers have to be logically deduced, not guessed or tricked. At times, you even have to try so many options you must think outside the box.

Patience

To be able to practice hard and complete puzzles, you need the value of patience. This is a very simple but highly effective tip applicable to any undertaking.

After reading the information above, you now probably understand the importance and contribution of abstract reasoning tests in the screening process for any management consulting position. If you need more excellent tips to pursue your dream job, download this step-by-step guide.

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A numerical reasoning test measures not only your mathematical skills but more importantly the way you analyze data, interpret graphical presentation and generate logical solutions based on digits. Since this is important in management consulting, read this article to know how to improve your numerical test performance.

As a management consulting analyst or consultant, you’ll be looking into inventory reports, financial statements, salary structure, operational data and other documents that contain numbers. These papers play a vital role as the growth of the organization is largely dependent on how they are utilized. The management regularly refer to them to determine the profit and loss of the company. However, if they are improperly dealt with, they lead to poor planning, unrealistic strategies and consequently, huge loss.

The rationale above is the reason why most management consulting recruiters require their candidates to take a numerical reasoning test. Through this screening strategy, they’ll be able to find out who among the applicants truly deserves to be hired. If you’re shortlisted for testing, take note of the following helpful tips:

Reinforce Your Mathematical Concepts

Questions on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division can be readily answered by anyone. However, for items related to word problems, percentage and progression, you need to review and master the basic rules. Borrow some textbooks from the library and get yourself familiarized with them again for this management consulting job. That won’t be difficult as you’ve already passed the subject years ago.

Practice Reading Graphs and Tables

Familiarize yourself with different kinds of graphs, charts and tables. Know when they are used and how they are usually interpreted. Read the description for each figure carefully and check the legend as well. This ensures accuracy of assumptions and answers. Many questions on numerical reasoning tests are related to this because data interpretation is one of the main responsibilities of those who pursue a management consulting career.

Improve Your Computation Speed

Mathematical problems are ideally resolved by following a certain process. However, since numerical reasoning tests for management consulting firms are time-limited, be aware of the shortcut methods in getting the right answer. If you visit this site, you will find a few helpful math tricks that can expedite your computation.  Another way of doing this is through mental math. By calculating in your mind, you waste no time in writing numbers on scratch paper.

Be Mindful of the Numbers Involved in Your Daily Activities

Have you tried asking yourself, “Why do I only have this amount in my savings account?” Have you tried computing a self-employed bus driver’s daily income after subtracting the expected expenses? Have you tried budgeting for the summer getaway you’ve always dreamed of? These are alternative and practical ways of enhancing your computation and critical thinking skills for a management consulting test. Use everyday situations to your advantage.

As you go through the management consulting numerical reasoning test, remember that what is being tested is how you critically approach a problem. If you concentrate on answering each item, stay calm despite the time pressure and follow the preparatory steps mentioned above, you have a higher probability of getting a high score and hopefully, getting the position.

To ensure that you’re the applicant the management consulting company will hire, check out more information on our website or download this useful guide.

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Emotional intelligence is a must for you to carry out the responsibilities of a management consultant. Your interaction with people every now and then requires your capability to handle your emotions in the most professional way. Read this post and know how important it is in the management consulting industry. 

Popularized by Daniel Goleman in 1995, emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the person’s extent of emotional awareness and control. The author said that it’s a primary predictor of success in the workplace. An indicator of this is the fact that there are many highly intelligent management consulting applicants who don’t get the job because they simply don’t have the ability to adapt to the nature of the consulting field. Some don’t last because they find it difficult to interact with people, they don’t understand the value of hard work and they can’t handle the pressure and stress. They have failed to develop the right attitude for the right situation.

As a consultant, you will be engaged in projects where you need to show a high level of emotional and social intelligence. For example, you might be sent to a client to help them restructure the organization. You will need to talk to different people, and quickly get along well with them so that they can help you with your project. You need to be emphatic and at the same time confident and decisive.

To go into this further, below are Goleman’s EI model’s four constructs, all of which are important in management consulting firms.

Self-Awareness

If you want to pursue a career in management consulting, you need to manifest this skill even before the start of the recruitment process. If you know yourself, you can easily assess if the job is meant for you. You can also readily answer the interviewer’s questions when asked about your strengths, weaknesses, abilities and limitations. Further, self-awareness is your key to self-development, a very important factor for any kind of job.

Self-Management

Signing an employment contract with a top tier management consulting firm like McKinesy and Bain will definitely bring heaps of changes to your daily activities. The pressure from analyzing organizational issues and generating recommendations for improvement will push you to your boundaries. This requires you to manage your stress under pressure.

Moreover, you will also be swamped with work; so you must exercise your drive to accomplish and achieve things. You might have to work on extended hours for consecutive days but if you understand the value of discipline and delaying self-gratification, you’ll appreciate the work results better.

Social Awareness

Since you won’t be working alone as a management consulting staff, you need to get a feel of the people around you. You can do so with empathy. Listen to your clients when they communicate to you. What are their non-verbal cues telling you? How about their facial expression and tone of voice?

This construct is also helpful when you analyze the unexpressed needs of your clients. For instance, the top management may instruct you to improve employee productivity through system review. But as you reach out to employees, you might realize that the pay, not the system, is the cause of inefficiency.

Relationship Management

As you climb the ladder of management consulting career, you must develop higher level of social skills. You will be tasked to coach, inspire and lead a team of juniors and interns. To be able to excellently perform this responsibility, you must know how to bring out the best in them. If there is conflict in the team, you have to spot and resolve it. You must handle them professionally and encourage feedback and open discussion. Doing these things will maintain smooth relations among the group members.

This kind of intelligence is not innate but acquired. Like learning a sports or language, it will take time for you to embed it within your system. So while you’re still preparing for a management consulting position, start preparing for the job cognitively and emotionally.

So you’re already confident of your emotional intelligence?

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Ready for your interview? Case study interviews may be the most frightening part in the process of becoming a part of top tier management consulting firms like McKinsey or Bain. However, that shouldn’t be the case. Read more in this blog post on how to prepare…

Management Consulting Case Interview Structure

Case study interviews generally involve finding increased revenue or profitability due to a change in the dynamics of an industry. Other examples may include entry to new markets, development of new products or attempting to figure out why specific departments (marketing, operations, etc.) are underperforming compared to prior results.

Case interviews take roughly 30 to 45 minutes, usually with a structure that includes the following parts:

Case Presentation

The interviewer presents a business scenario. With your diagnostic skill, you identify the areas that must be investigated. This stage is critical since no issues are resolved unless the main problems are pointed out.

Situation Analysis

During this stage, the management consulting  interviewer asks you specific questions related to the case. Thus, you’ll be able to dissect every factor for a thorough analysis. This will include integration of digits to back up your hypothesis.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The interviewer will ask you to come up with recommendations. Make sure you did not miss any important data or make any potentially wrongheaded assumptions. Most management consulting interviewers focus on the strategies and processes involved, so don’t worry if you can’t always come to an inordinately concrete solution.

Example of a Management Consulting Case Study Interview

One example used by Boston Consulting Group revolves around a Canadian retailer that has overtaken its primary competitor in a certain country. However, the largest U.S. discount retailer bought the competitor. You are then asked how to react to this new development.

Based on the given information, you can assess whether the success of the U.S. retailer can be addressed using their existing strategies. You can ask specific questions about their main strategy and calculate how much revenue they have earned from it.

After analyzing all aspects of scenario, you can conclude whether the U.S. retailer did the right thing. Then, you can generate recommendations on what both companies should do to sustain their businesses.

How to Prepare for Case Study Interviews

You will only feel confident during the interview if you have prepared for it well. Below are three things you must do to boost your performance.

Practice on your own.

Take management consulting case study interviews for practice. You can start on your own by reviewing the sample cases used by BCG, Bain, and Mckinsey themselves:

• BCG samples
• Bain samples
• McKinsey samples

Ask a friend to help you out

One important thing to remember in these management consulting cases is that you will not be taking notes and staring at a computer screen during the interview. If you have a friend, colleague or family member who can take the role of the interviewer, it may aid in your preparation, even if it feels silly at first. You can also use recent articles from the business press and make the headlines into your own case studies to analyze.

Familiarize some frameworks

Know the necessary frameworks for different types of management consulting case interviews. These frameworks will help you structure and analyze a problem, and give you more time to think about a recommendation. Take a look at our guide to Guide to Case Interview Frameworks, which might be helpful for you.

Things to Remember During the Interview

Even if you have prepared well for this challenge, you are still clueless about what will transpire during the interview. However, as long as you keep the guidelines below in mind, everything should go smoothly.

Ask questions

If you have relevant questions in mind, muster your courage to ask the interviewer and clarify your confusion. All data won’t be completely stated unless you utilize your probing skills.

Listen carefully

Some management consulting candidates come to the interview so prepared they have memorized a list of questions to throw to the interviewers. Because they’re occupied with asking what they’ve prepared, they fail to closely listen to the answers. This is a big no-no since you might disregard the right path that the interviewer is leading you down.

Think logically

Focus on facts and ideas and arrange them in progression. This way, you’ll see the underlying relationships behind them. Also, ensure that the method or framework you’re using is the most appropriate one you can think of.

If you want more tips on how to prepare for consulting interviews, then download a free guide. ConsultingFact.com offers guides for resumes, cover letters, case interviews, case frameworks, and other material that will help you land a consulting job.

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For many, passing the management consulting interviews of McKinsey, Bain, Booz and other firms means being able to clearly communicate your answers and thoughts. Though this statement is true, the words “clearly communicate” must be clarified. Read this article to get more advice…

Research says that 70% of what you express can be accounted to your nonverbal communication, the process of conveying and understanding messages beyond words. This short definition simply suggests that not all words that come out of your mouth mean as they are. When you say, “I can do the job” during a management consulting interview, the recruiter actually listens between the uttered words and comes up with his or her own interpretation.

Components of Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal messages are measured through body language, paralanguage and material possession. Body language refers to physical movements such as your gestures, posture, facial expression and eye contact. This aspect is what the management consulting recruiter sees when you are face to face with each other.

The paralanguage refers to your pitch, intonation and volume. This aspect goes with the words you speak. The “I can do the job” sentence above can be conceived as “I’m not really sure if it’s the job for me” if spoken feebly. The words need to be let out in a firm voice to imply conviction.

Material possession refers to your choice of clothes, accessories, and your hairstyle. These components add a sense of professionalism to your getup. You have to appear clean and presentable because your looks have an impact during the interview. Management consulting recruiters are generally not impressed with unkempt hair.

How to Behave During the Interview

Below are some reminders on how to move better when you are called for a management consulting interview.

Be interested

To show that you are interested in a person, you can adjust your posture and head movement. Sit up straight but in a relaxing position. Slouching suggests indifference and indolence. When the recruiter says something, nod your head to acknowledge that you understand the idea or to encourage the other to keep talking.

Be confident

The management consulting recruiter of outstanding firms such as Accenture and Monitor starts to observe your confidence from the second you walk to the room. Hence, you must dress smartly and appropriately and for women, put on light makeup. Don’t forget your pleasant smile. You will not only seem positive about your interview; you’ll also look grateful for the chance, easy to get along with and calm under pressure. Do the handshake when you introduce yourself. Do it firmly, not too loose, not too tight.

Be sincere

Eye contact has a lot to say about sincerity. Look at the recruiter when you are being asked or giving answers to convey that you are paying attention to your conversation. If you don’t, it will give an impression that you’re shy, you lack self-assurance or worse, you’re just making up answers. However, be reminded to look away from time to time. Gazing at the recruiter the entire interview causes fear and discomfort.

Be Calm

When you are nervous, you unconsciously manifest it through your body movements such as tapping your fingers on the table, jiggling your leg, fiddling your pen or other ways of fidgeting. Be sure you control these habits. Rest your hand on your lap when you’re not using them. Be aware of your anxiety tendencies and avoid them during the interview.

Non-verbal messages are often neglected by management consulting applicants without knowing that they make or break the performance. When you’re called for a consulting interview, make sure that you don’t commit the same mistakes again.

One of the sad realities that you and the other graduates have to face is not getting what you want. While the school is full of idealism, the real world is about survival of the fittest. Read more about the importance of a backup plan for your consulting career…

Even if you have finalized a five-year management consulting career plan before graduation, it may not be actualized when practical matters get in the way. It is then important to have backup plans to keep you going.

The Greatest Frustration in Management Consulting

The dying economy has not produced enough employment opportunities. More often than not, management consulting firms such as McKinsey, Bain and Boston Consulting Group receive huge amounts of applications. The competition is so high it causes frustration to numerous applicants. There are exceptional candidates to beat, challenging tests to take and thought-provoking consulting case study interviews to pass.

Importance of Backup Plans

While waiting for a break in management consulting, make use of your backup plans. Explore LinkedIn and the classified ads. Try out other jobs that fit your qualifications. There are two reasons for this. First, you need to make ends meet. Times are hard and you need to independently address the basic necessities in life. Second, it’s also a great way for you to build up your resume. Being hired to perform various duties and responsibilities gives you chances to enhance your analytical, leadership, communication and social skills in different settings. These are valuable for a wishful consultant.

Expanding Networks

Whatever job you land in, may it be in investment banking, finance, marketing analysis, or business development, treat it as an opportunity to meet people and expand your network. Your colleagues can always refer you to their contacts in management consulting firms. Also, though it’s not your ultimate dream, always keep up the good work. Never take it for granted. You’ll get more recommendations from your new network if they can attest to your commitment and ability to do your job well.

Flexible Part-Time Jobs

If you get hired in part time jobs, there’s one thing you should be grateful for: flexibility. While you’re off duty, you can go job hunting through job fairs, join clubs and organizations to enhance your competencies and comply recruitment requirements. If you prefer, you may also work double time and save up for further studies to push your resume to the top of the pile. While you still own your time, make the most of it. Spend it in a way that will prepare you for your dream job.

Management consulting is a perfect career area where fresh graduates like you can instantly earn way above the minimum wage. However, if the opportunity doesn’t fall on your lap as expected, it only implies you have plenty of time to prepare for the intense and long working hours. Remember that if you really deserve to be there, you will have it in your own time. Just stay positive!

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Our clients often ask us this question: what are some common misconceptions about getting a job in management consulting? As always we will be honest with you and provide you a picture of the real world through the experience of our team. Read on…

The biggest misconception and often most ill-conceived reason cited for applying for jobs in consulting is this imagined constant world travel. Applicants think it is cool to be able to travel a lot. Even if you are traveling like this all over the world, it is fun for a few months and then just becomes a routine part of your job. Applicants are attracted to travel, which is fine, but that is not an appropriate motivation to consider this career. You are not in your home very often – and in considering motivation, it is important to think about the lifestyle, where you are and want to be… is being away attractive to your career path?

A lot misinformation is about the nature of the work. People think they will creating savings and personal impact independently and immediately… but it is a team effort, and your role changes throughout your career, so an analyst may not have client contact or see results individually. Will you be happy doing analysis or leading teams and project work streams? Be granular in thinking about your actual tasks. All firms are impact driven, but you may overestimate or romanticize your direct, personal impact. But you may never even know or see what impact you had. You will spend a lot of hours driving toward a solution, you present your solution and walk away. It may or may not be implemented. Will you be ok with that?

We hope that this blog post gave you some new insights about the consulting career. Head over and download our guide on how to land a consulting job to get more insights.

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