Hey guys
Many consulting firms organize all kinds of case solving and other networking events. Usually in Finland people get a Masters degree here but if possible I'd like to avoid that and only get a Bachelors granted I can get a job in IB or MC. So I was wondering if I should start attending these events now or later as they are recommended for 2nd year students and up.
Thanks
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Completely disagreed. Going as a freshman will most likely not give you a good reputation--seriously, it's at least a full year too early. There's also a good chance that people you network as a freshman won't even at the firm by the time you're actually recruiting.
Take it easy, go have some fun, and keep the GPA up. Start dabbling in some ECs.
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But the OP is not asking about regular meetings or events that are hosted by your school's consulting/business club--I think he's talking about a much more specific type of networking events, those that are hosted by the firms. Those two are different. I'd recommend the OP to go to the former all he wants, but it's pointless to go to the latter.
When I'm at a firm-sponsored on-campus recruiting event (ones that the firms usually arrange via school's career services), I am usually there specifically to identify high-potential candidates for that recruiting cycle. This is especially true for case interview nights. So if I meet a freshman or sophomore student, I will answer his/her questions but will most likely not remember who he/she is or what we talked about even if the conversation was good. There are too many juniors and seniors to remember as is.
At the same time, if you do make an especially obnoxious/silly comment or have a terrible attitude for whatever reason, I will remember you. There won't be any formal consequences--you aren't really being tracked yet since you are not in the applicant pool yet. But it will come up during the debrief, and my colleagues will probably hear about it.
So there's really not much for you to gain by attending these firm-sponsored events. One could argue you're there to feel out what consulting is, but there are better ways to do that. Go to other networking events that are hosted by your school or your school's clubs--if your school is recruited for MBB, it probably has a decent enough career services center or consulting club that host more informal events for students to get to know the field and its various firms.
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Take it easy and focus on your studies and having fun! You can start preparing in a couple of years from now.
Yes, networking is good - but again there is no need to go crazy about it. Attend a couple of events and get a feel for the firms and its employees.
Firms use presentations and case nights for two reasons: (1) to promote their firm and (2) to find candidates they will invite for an interview.
First, you will learn almost nothing about the firm and consulting in general that you can’t learn online. In fact, pretty much any question that is intended to generate a meaningful answer is a question that they don’t want to hear and answer (for example: Can you list the companies that you work for? How much do you get paid? What do you dislike about your job?).
Second, solving cases has little upside potential and substantial downside risk. At best, you could get a first round interview, but you are not eligible for an interview as a freshman anyways. Very few people are placed on an interview list because they did well on a case and most of them would get an interview anyways. At worst, you might say something stupid and if there is anything that consultants love to talk about after these events is the stupid stuff people said. Somebody mentioned that consulting firms have a big turnover and he is right, but that is only one dimension of the probability of meeting the same consultant later down the road. You live in Finland where most firms have a small office, so you will definitely meet again the people who won't leave. Don't go anywhere close to them until you are sure you can leave a positive impression.
Better idea. Why not write whoever at your school is organizing the event and say that you're curious about the career path and would like to watch the presentations? That gives you some face time, with relatively risk of you saying anything stupid, and a chance to observe how the people at the company think.
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