Have you ever wondered how to get a job as a consultant? Well look no further, University Career Services is here to help you!
Consulting is known for its long hours, constantly changing projects, and tons of travel. But, it’s also a great way to gain new skills and develop professionally. Whether you’re a freshman interested in the field or a senior looking for full-time opportunities, landing a job or internship in the consulting industry can be a challenge. Consulting roles are highly sought after due to the prestigious nature of the companies and excellent pay and benefits. In order to break into the industry, you need to know where the jobs are and learning about the key companies that recruit at UNC-Chapel Hill. In order to be ready to break into the industry, you need to take the following steps:
- Join the Consulting Club
The Consulting Club’s mission is to help students get connected to employers and learn about the field. They do this by informing you about industry trends, connecting you to a wide variety of firms, and preparing you for the recruitment process through professional development workshops and social events. To learn more about this student organization, please visit http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/student-life/undergraduate/clubs#consulting.
- Prepare a strong résumé and cover letter
You may have all the required qualifications, but if you are having trouble presenting your accomplishments effectively then you will not get noticed. A strong résumé starts with your most relevant experience towards the top of the document along with strong quantifiable achievements. In order to really be noticed, you need to convey your accomplishments that are relevant to consulting. Outlining skills such as strong problem-solving, communication and leadership skills will set you apart. For more advice on résumés, and cover letters, visit the following Web sites:
- McKinsey & Company, Improving Your Resume:http://www.mckinsey.com/careers/apply/before_you_apply/improving_your_resume
- Accenture offers many short employee-written blog posts and articles on improving your résumé: http://www.accenture.com
- PricewaterhouseCoopers, 10 Tips to an Excellent Résumé: http://www.pwc.com/us/en/careers/pwctv/pbw/pbw-career-corner-10-tips.pdf
- Network like crazy!
Networking is key to breaking into this industry. Networking simply consists of reaching out to people – family members, friends, acquaintances you’ve met at career fairs and consulting club events – to exchange information about the consulting industry, build relationships, and learn about job leads. On the UNC-Chapel Hill campus we make it easy for you to start networking in the right places. Every fall and spring semester University Career Services hosts career fairs with several consulting firms in attendance. To gain more networking information, check out Careerolina and this resource page.
- Get an internship and excel at it
The ideal way to break into the consulting industry is to land an internship with a consulting firm. The benefits of interning at a consulting firm are: (1) you will learn the lifestyle and what it really means to be a consultant (2) you may walk out with a full-time job offer afterwards. To learn more about how to search for internship opportunities on Careerolina, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKdGmIejJIA.
- Prepare for case interviews
Having a strong résumé is important to get noticed by consulting recruiters, but it won’t get you the job. Employers rely on conducting case interviews in order to tease out the multi-faceted, dynamic candidates. In general, a case interview is the analysis of a business question. Unlike most other interview questions, it is an interactive process. To learn more about this interviewing style please check out the following resources:
- Many firm websites have practice cases available to the public (i.e. McKinsey, Bain, BCG, and Deloitte)
- McKinsey & Company – http://www.mckinsey.com/careers/join-us/interview-prep
- Bain & Company – http://www.bain.com/careers/interview-preparation/index.aspx
- BCG – http://www.bcg.com/careers/path/consulting/practice-interview-cases.aspx
- Deloitte – http://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/careers/articles/join-deloitte-preparing-for-the-case-interview.html
- There are several books that would be helpful to review:
- Vault Guide to the Case Interview, 8th Edition (full edition available via UCS Vault access)
- Vault Case Interview Practice Guide 2: More Case Interviews (full edition available via UCS Vault access)
- Case In Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation, 8th Edition
- Check out these helpful videos on how to set-up a case interview:
- Case Interview Workshop Videos 1 – 12
- Sign on to com through the University Career Services website
- Check out caseinterview.com to get tips and tricks about different case interviews.
By: Camille G. Mason, Sr. Assistant Director of Career Services, cgmason@email.unc.edu