Questions about consulting and the general industry
Hey everyone,
I'm currently a sophomore at a non-target (big-ten so alumni base and recruiting for anything is still fairly strong) and I've been looking at consulting a little bit more now that I'm sure IB wasn't what I wanted to do. Specifically in management and strategy b/c I believe they offer more optionality as opposed to certain niches (thoughts?). Would appreciate any advice on how I can navigate the landscape or any perspectives / opinions you have.
A few quick questions I have:
- What does the general timeline look like for consulting recruitment, especially for internships? How do smaller firms in cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago compare to larger firms like MBB in terms of application processes and expectations? I've been told it's likely easier to land an email at a smaller firm.
- During coffee chats or networking events, should I ask directly about internship/job opportunities? How can I make a strong impression, especially since I’m still learning about the industry?
- What are the best resources for case prep, behavioral interviews, and understanding the consulting landscape? Are there specific books, platforms, or websites, etc.?
- I know consulting requires a lot of creative thinking, not the greatest at this so how can I start thinking / developing this skill?
- How do I identify a smaller firm that I know is reasonably reputable in their area? All google searches just lead me to firms that literally most people know about...
Appreciate everyone in advance!
1) timeline last year for junior summer internships depends on the firm. earliest firms had deadlines in may (oliver wyman) while bain and bcg had their first deadlines in early july. you can also submit to second deadlines in september. they claim there’s no difference but i think the earlier you interview the better. mckinsey had their deadline in september. interview for bain/bcg took place end of july-early aug, with offers going out early-mid aug. mck had interviews early oct and gave out offers mid oct.
while demand for bos/nyc/sf is higher, their intern class sizes are also larger. the bar is still the bar regardless of which office - this is esp true at mckinsey since they have a global staffing model. less popular offices also want you to have a good reason for why that city, and will take less interns too. so it’s still very competitive at all offices
2) to make a strong impression in coffee chats, come with a brief agenda and prepare a brief intro about yourself. act like you are genuinely curious and trying to learn about the other person as a whole.
for example you can structure it something like “just a brief agenda for the call today, would love to start by introducing myself for some context then would love to get to know a bit more about you. then i just had 3 questions regarding your experiences w x y z” then keep in touch with this person, give them updates every now and then and when the time comes to apply you can ask to call again and ask if they would be comfortable referring you
3) best resources to start for me were the crafting cases free course online and the hacking the case interview book. then i would watch mock cases on youtube (management consulted has a lot, crafting cases does as well) to have some model examples. then look up mba casebooks. my favorites were the wharton, darden, fuqua casebooks. do cases across a wide variety of industries and case types. and try to find a diverse group of people to case with - best to start by mock casing with people who have landed mbb offers so it’s not a blind leads blind situation.
4) i personally think listening to podcasts (morning brew, wsj) and hearing about business news and strategy helped a lot. also the more cases you do and mock cases you watch, the more ideas you get for what to add to your framework
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