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Thinking Strategically: Careers in Consultingfeaturing

Ben Schumacher

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Thinking Strategically:Careers in Consulting

About BenOverview of the IndustryHow to Research the IndustryWhat are Firms Looking For?What to Expect in the Recruiting ProcessWhat to Expect in the InterviewQ&A

Hosted by: Career Advisors on Demand..com/webinars

About Ben

• Kentucky native – Go Wildcats• Washington University in St. Louis grad• 2006-2009 Deloitte Consulting, Strategy & Operations• 2009 Instituto Exclusivo, Bolivia, Internal Consultant• 2009 – 2011 Harvard Business School• Summer 2010 McKinsey & Company• Independent consultant for organizations such as Save

the Children and Achievement First Charter Schools• 2011+ Teach for America, Leadership Fellow and

Director of Strategy• Avid Words with Friends/Scrabble competitor

Hosted by: Career Advisors on Demand..com/webinars

Thinking Strategically:Careers in Consulting

About Ben

Overview of the IndustryHow to Research the IndustryWhat are Firms Looking For?What to Expect in the Recruiting ProcessWhat to Expect in the InterviewQ&A

Hosted by: Career Advisors on Demand..com/webinars

Overview of the Consulting Industry

The Elite

• McKinsey & Company• BCG• Bain• Monitor• Booz

IT & Implementation

• Deloitte• Accenture• IBM• Other accounting firms

Independents

• …Too many to name!

Boutique/Niche

• Corporate Executive Board

• Oliver Wyman• William H Mercer

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Thinking Strategically:Careers in Consulting

About BenOverview of the Industry

How to Research the IndustryWhat are Firms Looking For?What to Expect in the Recruiting ProcessWhat to Expect in the InterviewQ&A

Hosted by: Career Advisors on Demand..com/webinars

How to Research the Industry

• Company website• Vault Guides

– Career Guide to Consulting– Top 50 Consulting Firms

• Wetfeet guide• Career Services and Clubs• Classmates, alumni, family• Regional conferences and networking events• External news source

– The Economist– Wall Street Journal– Financial Times

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Thinking Strategically:Careers in Consulting

About BenOverview of the IndustryHow to Research the Industry

What are Firms Looking For?What to Expect in the Recruiting ProcessWhat to Expect in the InterviewQ&A

Hosted by: See the rest at evisors.com/webinars/webinar/5

What are Firms Looking For?

• A habit of excellence and impact• Evidence of strong leadership capability• Project and people management ability• Facility with analytics and critical thinking• Strong communication skills for client leadership• Global and/or industry experience• A proactive disposition• Immediate deployability• Ability to work hard, work fast, and work with a view to the “80-

20”• Cultural fit• Industry and Company Knowledge• The airport test• People that are awesome

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Thinking Strategically:Careers in Consulting

About BenOverview of the IndustryHow to Research the IndustryWhat are Firms Looking For?

What to Expect in the Recruiting Process

What to Expect in the InterviewQ&A

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What to Expect in the Recruiting Process

• The courting process – “it’s not you, it’s me”• Info sessions• Campus representatives – usually early consultants• Networking galore: phone calls, coffee chats,

happy hours, thank-you notes – proactive networking is critical for students at non-target schools

• Mock case interviews, depending on campus• A buddy system• Note: Really varies by campus. Some campuses

feature well-established relationships and methodical recruiting processes. Others require a more bottom-up network-focused job search

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Thinking Strategically:Careers in Consulting

About BenOverview of the IndustryHow to Research the IndustryWhat are Firms Looking For?What to Expect in the Recruiting Process

What to Expect in the InterviewQ&A

Hosted by: See the rest at evisors.com/webinars/webinar/5

What to Expect in the Interview

• 1st Round: on-campus for target schools; phone screening for non-target schools

• Final rounds in-person, usually a 45-minute 1-on-1 behavioral and case interview

• Fit/Behavioral questions– Walk me through your resume– Why consulting? Why our company?– Tell me about a time when…be ready for the drilling!– What questions do you have for me?

• Case Interview– Market sizing: What’s the market for beer in the UK?– Strategy: New market, new product, M&A, pricing,

competitive dynamics, etcHosted by: See the rest at evisors.com/webinars/webinar/5

Thinking Strategically:Careers in Consulting

About BenOverview of the IndustryHow to Research the IndustryWhat are Firms Looking For?What to Expect in the Recruiting ProcessWhat to Expect in the Interview

Q&A

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Questions & Answers

Question 1:

How do you compensate for a lack of math skills in an interview?

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Questions & Answers

Question 2:

What type of personality tends to be well-suited towards the consulting career?

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Questions & Answers

Question 3:

What are your thoughts on international relocation?

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Questions & Answers

Question 4:

What is the most important lesson from your consulting experience?

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Questions & Answers

Question 5:

What did you find most surprising about consulting?

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Thanks for Joining!

Book your session with Ben at www.evisors.com/expert/381

Check out Ben’s book The Best Book On HBS Admissions

at www.applyingtohbs.comHosted by: See the rest at evisors.com/webinars/webinar/5