Can an Online MBA Degree Prove to Be Useful for Aspiring Consultants?

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Most MBA candidates gravitate toward consulting jobs eventually. It’s a high-paying, fast-paced career path that needs a degree. Even the leading recruiters today are absorbing B-school graduates from the best MBA programs globally.

Interestingly, the demand and supply of MBA graduates at leading consulting companies is aggressive. The same applies to the interview process. It’s not a cakewalk for candidates to get recruited by famous consulting firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers or McKinsey & Company.

Most MBA candidates will face written tests, group discussions, and personal interviews with senior managers. All these procedures aim to test the potential candidate’s business skills, analytical abilities, intelligence, and interpersonal skills.

The process is highly challenging, but candidates get a job with a lucrative pay package once they pass these tests. For instance, salaries at companies like McKinsey, Bain & Company, and Accenture can be approximately $135,000 for MBA graduates.

This article will discuss how an online degree helps candidates get an excellent job in consulting.

Is an MBA Crucial to Get a Lucrative Consulting Job?

Victor Anzaldo, who worked in the sales and consulting domain and for brands like Cisco Systems Ltd. and SAP AG, considers MBA relevant for a consulting career. He opted for his MBA degree at Manchester to decipher the European market. He agrees that an MBA degree helps him venture into a consulting career. The network he had access to in his B-school enabled him to plan his consulting career well.

He also asserts that most MBAs opt for a consulting job because they have experience working in several industries. However, the reasons can vary from one person to the other. He wanted to attain industry experience and exposure and later make the most of it by working as a consultant.

Other reasons that prove the relevance of online MBA degrees for landing a consulting job are:

MBA Seals the Gap Between Your Job Experience and Consulting

Do you have a non-conventional background to apply for a consulting job? Or do you need to gain the skills that a consulting job profile requires? In both cases, an MBA degree offers you a consulting toolkit. It helps the candidates develop excellent problem-solving and analytical skills. You will also have an in-depth idea about the modern-day business environment and the relevance of teamwork.

These are highly important for consulting firms; if you have these skills, they will choose you over other candidates. The recruiters will know all that you’ve learned in the MBA program and will offer you a chance to execute the theories into practice by working for their brand. It will help you to fine-tune your learning beyond MBA classrooms.

You Develop Connections That Ensure Career Success

The moment you opt for an online MBA program, you have access to several people who might help you get a consulting job later. It could be the admissions employee assisting you in preparing for interviews. Even candidates with a consulting background are eager to help you by sharing a few relevant contacts.

Additionally, most MBA programs come with a consulting club that provides various resources to you. Here, you can study case interviews that can help you prepare better. Once you belong to a specific network, you will be surprised by how eager people are to assist you.

Some firms will provide stipends to sponsored candidates to socialize with classmates who apply to their firms. Even though the recruitment process is challenging, things become increasingly easy when you have access to a supportive network.

How Does MBA Help Transition to Management Consulting?

One of the best ways for this is to opt for on-and off-campus recruitments. Leading consulting firms value an MBA degree and are even willing to absorb candidates who need to gain prior work experience.

MBA candidates usually engage in multiple domains, including finance, strategy, human resources, operations, information technology, marketing, and organizational development. However, the tasks involved in this role comprise the following:

  • Optimizing business processes
  • Developing and formulating strategic plans
  • Carrying out market research
  • Recognizing cost-saving initiatives
  • Planning marketing strategies
  • Improving employee engagement and performance
  • Enhancing Supply Chain management
  • Promoting organizational change

Creating the base for such a wide range of responsibilities is challenging. And it needs several years of experience in the industry. However, when you enroll in an MBA program, you will receive thorough training in business principles and skills required to work and excel as a management consultant.

It can be accomplished within two years, and you can also add to your professional network bandwidth with the school’s alums. Spring Arbor University states that leading institutions that offer online MBA degrees ensure that the course has been designed to cater to the needs of the candidates. Also, it trains them based on the industry standards set by leading consulting firms. Candidates can opt for this course without a GRE or GMAT.

Furthermore, since it’s 100% online, it offers candidates the ease of participating in the program while addressing other tasks they have.

Is MBA Coursework Helpful for Consulting?

You can access rigorous coursework and practical learning scopes when you opt for an MBA degree. It will enable you to develop the necessary skills for a successful consulting career, which includes:

In conclusion, opting for an MBA course from a leading institution is a good idea if you intend to break into a consulting career. It will help you develop the skills needed to communicate with global clients, understand their business objectives and requirements, develop strategies, and share the same with them.

Furthermore, the candidates are also trained by industry leaders and expert trainers. They help them fine-tune their existing skills and learn a few new ones that will allow them to advance their consulting careers.

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