From academia to consulting
I'm interested in consulting, but come from a somewhat untraditional background and thought someone could give advice about my chances. I am currently finishing an MA degree at a large, non-target research university in the social sciences (biopsych/evolutionary anthropology) with a quantitative emphasis, but rather than pushing on for a PhD I have decided to pursue other avenues. I have a BA from a small midwestern university (also non-target) with a 3.53 gpa, have strong standardized test scores both pre- and post-undergrad, and went straight into my current program where I have performed well (3.92).
I'm interested in consulting for many reasons, but I'm unsure of how to break in. I believe I have the analytic and problem-solving skills necessary to be a successful candidate; for instance, I am proficient in SPSS/R and have plenty of experience with data analysis and research/project design, acquiring funding, teaching, and have been pursuing a line of research that may be profitably spun to fit within the realm of human capital. However, I have no tangible business or management experience on my resume and a limited network to work with outside of the academic world.
Given my age (I'm 25) and lack of experience, am I in an appropriate position to compete with the cohort of fresh undergrad applicants for entry-level analyst positions? I know that some companies hire from the ranks of recent non-MBA/MSF masters holders, but I get the sense that coming from a non-target university may hurt me. Where can I use my background to make myself an attractive candidate, or at least spin it so as to not negatively impact my chances? I have summers off, which means that internships are also an option. Thank you.
You have a pretty specific background; I could see you breaking in at consulting firms that focus on specific industries (for example, healthcare consulting). You could also easily do consulting-like work at an analytics-based company.
If you're hoping to get to a generalist position at management consulting firms like MBB/OW/etc., you're best off going the MBA route.
You should look into HR consulting. Look at Mercer, Big 4 and niche firms.
If it helps, I actually talked to a partner a few months ago at one of the MBB firms that had a somewhat similar background to you. He had a PhD in anthropology and used the statistics / data analysis / research design he learned there and applied it to their sales / marketing practice. I can't speak to your chances, but one thing that could help is getting in touch with some of these guys and seeing if they can help you out or give you advice. Usually you can find them through LinkedIn or their profiles on the company web pages.
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