I'm looking to break into consulting from finance (burn out), and I'm wondering what you consider to be the "creme de la creme" of work/life balance consulting jobs & why? Also, perhaps you can help me define the consulting service line that fits my preferences: Client facing & 1) not so much insane excel work 2) not so much client report writing 3) not so stressful 4) not so many hours 5) not IT related I figure, a line of work similar to those chilled out consulting gigs you hear about from bored consultants of reddit. Thank you!
30 Jun 2021
Hi friends. Recently left MBB after spending 2 years after college there. Always thought it was helpful reading Q&A when I was a student thinking about career-pathing, so wanted to offer this up. Busy in a new job, so will respond when available and might close this thread up early, but for now, please ask away. For context: Target college MBB big US office Based in the US Obviously please keep questions professional and I will try to provide as much insight as possible. Won't reveal anything though that is too personal. Still care about anonymity.
19 Sep 2019
Hey, I am an Indian student finishing my high school in Singapore (IB Diploma), and I am planning to apply to Mcgill (Desautels) for Intl Business/Strategic Management, Ivey AEO, Queen's commerce, Rotman commerce and UBC (Sauder). I just have a few questions regarding transfer to Ivey HBA1 in the case that I get rejected from AEO. I want to work in the USA in BB/EB or MBB. This past year I have fallen in love with Mcgill: its student life, social scene, downtown location, and obviously a very strong brand name. In the case that I am denied AEO status (which has become a very real possibility
29 Aug 2021
Hello, I'm a junior with two internship offers: 1) Business Analyst Intern at Capital One (McClean HQ) 2) Simon-Kucher and Partners Summer Consulting Associate (Chicago Office) Ideally, I'll be looking to leverage whatever role I choose in order to gain access to FT roles at MBB or a Tier 2 firm this time next year and eventually for MBA programs in a few years. I currently have a 3.7 GDP in Economics at a top 25 school; looking solely at the impact of these two different internships in terms of their exit opportunities and resume value. Essentially a less relevant role at a Forbes 100 firm vs
06 Nov 2021
Hello all. I am a first-year student majoring in Industrial Engineering (Concentration in Economic and Financial Systems) at a non-target school, which happens to be ranked very highly in IE. I am trying to figure out a solid degree plan for when I will be applying to finance jobs in the future. The goal is IB/PE/VC in a quant role, such as a Quantitative Researcher. I'm also open to the possibility of starting a career in Management Consulting or Tech, but I don't know much about those fields. I would like to ask for your help in choosing which degrees to best break into this quant field. I
24 Nov 2021
Hey everyone, I'm pretty new to the site; found it while researching some questions related to B-School admissions and really enjoyed some of the content. Anyhow, I saw plenty of users looking for more info on management consulting and thought I'd make myself available. I spent two years in Deloitte's S&O practice in DC working with Federal clients (mostly in the health care space). I then did some time at Booz Allen Hamilton, where I largely supported DoD clients but dabbled in some commercial work as well. I'm happy to answer any questions: breaking into consulting, federal vs. commercial
02 Mar 2018
I am applying to masters programs in management/politics at the following universities: LSE Cambridge Imperial LBS Given a degree from any of these institutions, how competitive is MBB and tier 2 management consulting recruitment? Also, how much of a premium would an LBS degree provide relative to LSE/Imperial? LBS is a good brand, though on the other hand they require the GMAT. The main pull though is that after a CV check, I was told I had a "great" chance at gaining acceptance if I applied.
03 Sep 2020
HEAR ME OUT. I've got an Investment Banking SA position for summer 2022, and a graduation date of May 2023. I'm wondering if I can also accept a FT Management Consulting job by graduating early (Aug 2022), and post-IB SA summer, I start working within Consulting FT. If I like it better than IB, I stay long-term and decline the IB FT offer. If I prefer IB, I work within Consulting FT until May, then join my IB FT position nine months later. Any potential issues that can arise assuming that I keep it down-low and nobody talks? I'm only asking from a perspective of potential legal issues &
04 Aug 2021
Mod Note (Andy) - This Q&A was originally posted last year but @SeekingAlpha180" said he can still take questions from you (+new questions about his transition) 3/7/16 update: WSO Monkeys - I just moved to a top MM IB doing M&A in one of the main sectors I covered in valuation; I'm happy to also answer questions about my transition As a long time reader of WSO, I want to take the opportunity to contribute to the forum. Since I started work in a big four valuation group, I have seen many posts on the forum that attempt to explain what these valuation groups do, what the exit opportunities are
07 Feb 2016
Hey guys, I've been following this community for a while now, and I really like the advice you have given out to others, so I come before you now, asking for some, as I kind of feel like I'm stuck in the CEE while hoping to move on to a more interesting place. Would really appreciate it if any of you took some time to read this post. I am 25 years young, and am currently looking at my options for the upcoming years. Below is a summary of my objectives and (anon) past experiences to help you better understand my position: Objective: Get into a solid MBA program in about 3-4 years. After school
08 Dec 2021
One of my biggest pet peeves is people giving bad career advice. It drives me nuts when I see worn-out cliches like this being passed on to ambitious young professionals. ![The only place where success comes before work in the dictionary.][The only place where success comes before work in the dictionary.] … … Well, no shit you have to work hard to succeed. So how does that help you solve a real, day-to-day problem that's limiting your success? In short, it doesn't. Most of the well-meaning career advice you get from your mentors, your friends, and your Mom is useless for one of two reasons: *
01 Dec 2016
Hi all, I am currently in the first year of my course studying global commerce in National University of Ireland, Galway. Our programme is partnered with Deloitte who give grants to students studying abroad and also offer work placements to students in their Dublin and Galway offices. Very often they offer students jobs after their work placement upon completing the course and occasionally a masters/mba which they also pay for. I would be confident of securing a job through my good grades and also contacts in Deloitte as my father has friends on the board and also knows the CEO of Deloitte
20 Aug 2018
Happy new year, folks! I'm a consultant at Kearney (still generalist) who joined out of undergrad in a North American office (with some promotions under my belt). Happy to field any questions you may have about the firm, recruitment, etc.!
01 Jan 2022
What are the employment opportunities in IB and management consulting like for Berkeley economics major? How competitive are they, and how inferior are they seen compared to Haas business majors? I've seen a few forums where people say that econ majors get plenty of opportunities, but I was recently looking at the Berkeley econ major employment report and there were very few people who actually got investment banking jobs. Can anyone shed some light on this? Also, what kind of jobs DO Berkeley econ majors typically get? I'm thinking about going to UC Berkeley, but i've only been admitted to
25 Apr 2021
Just got an offer for MSc in Management and Strategy at LSE. I went to NYU for undergrad, and am not super familiar with the UK system - since the LSE masters is only 1 year (september to september): How do I apply for internships? Do people generally do them during term time? Should I put the MSc on my resume now and start applying? Also, are consulting and finance recruiting cycles roughly the same as in the US? i.e. am I going to start recruiting almost as soon as I start the program? Thanks!
28 Jan 2021
I'd like to reach out to this forum for some advice, as I am currently in a tough position as I look to enter consulting. For a few months, I have been trying to enter the management consulting industry. I went to a target public school (top 15 undergraduate business school) and started my career with an oil & gas supermajor, supporting functions such as supply chain, procurement, and operations. I have been in this industry for ~3 years since completing my undergraduate degree. I am trying to leverage my supply chain experience & energy industry background to enter the consulting industry
07 Dec 2018
Same post from the Private Equity section but hoping to get more advice. Does it make sense for me to go from PE to Consulting now? A bit of background on myself: I got a computer science degree in Canada, did a few years of M&A and have been in PE for almost two years now. My PE exposure is very limited on the portfolio management side, but heavily focused on transactions (entry/exit). I'm burnt out with deals and don't see myself having a very focused career in finance, would like to explore operations, strategy, and more leadership roles. What complicates this matter is I'm also planning a
06 Mar 2018
I haven't really posted on WSO before, but this community was extremely helpful to me during my job search and interview process, so I thought I would make myself available to answer questions about my experience for others out there. As way of background, I graduated from a target school > management consulting > boutique investment bank > currently PE (larger end of middle market, think >$2.5B fund). I definitely took a less traditional path to where I am, and I also went through HF interviews, so I'm happy to answer any questions (or at least share my personal perspective) about recruiting
16 Jan 2016
A client organization invited us to a business oriented cocktail party. I made decent conversation with one of the clients and a group of the clients and I (with no one else from my firm) went to a bar for drinks. The client in question left with me after the first bar so that we could continue drinking at other bars while the other clients went home... I ended up having a night of wild sex with the client at her place. If someone finds out about this, could I be fired? I'm concerned that some of the other clients from the client organization might have inferred what was going on since the
20 Dec 2014
I'm a freshman at IU Kelley interested in pursuing a career in management consulting, based on prestige, lateraling, and work culture which type of consulting is better? I personally feel like Big 4 companies like Deloitte/PWC take the edge compared to companies like LEK/Kearney. But please feel free to give your input. It is early in my college career to be thinking about this but I would like to get an idea of which direction to head in. MBB is my goal but I may need to have a backup plan. Thanks
07 Sep 2021
In light of the posts I've seen here and there regarding federal consulting, I figured I'd give a shot at a Q&A We all know that commercial consulting has all the glamour, but federal consulting *can* be just as glamorous. I say *can*, because it is very easy, in my experience, to get trapped in pretty drudgery federal consulting. Background on me: I've been a consultant in the federal space for 6 years, the first 4 years at a boutique firm and the last two years at a Big 4, all in the technology space. Prior to consulting, I was a financial analyst at a hospital for a couple of years
09 Mar 2015
Hello All, I am exploring next steps for my career and would love to get this community's advice on what would make sense for me if I wanted to work more directly in real estate. I currently am a 2nd year analyst at a top non-MBB consulting firm, and have gained a good amount of project experience optimizing company footprints and real estate portfolios, either sparked by mergers or a general desire to cut costs. I will also have the opportunity to work on site selection and workplace strategy projects as well. I have a background in residential real estate too. The way I see it, I could aim
07 Jan 2016
Hey guys, I was wondering if someone who has done consulting can give me some opinions on what skills are most important for being a good consultant. Also is there any way to find out if it is an okay fit without an internship? I am a rising senior at an Ivy who is doing software engineering this summer. I am not amazing enough at coding to be a top Google engineer, so I'm looking for another place where my skills and interests might fit better. Consulting seems to have a lot of the properties that drew me to software engineering; Problem solving, numerical analysis, and constant learning. I'm
07 Jun 2018
I was recently accepted to the MSc Econometrics (EME) program at LSE. It will cost me about $70,000 to attend. I am one year out of undergrad at a top 50 university. I majored in math and had a GPA of 3.83. While I had a prestigious internship my junior year, I have no experience in banking or consulting. I have a job now that is tangentially related to finance. My goal is to use my masters at LSE as sort of a reset where i can build skills and take advantage of on campus recruiting to apply to management consulting and economic consulting jobs. My questions are: Do you think this is a good
02 Apr 2018
Hello everyone, First, I want to say THANK YOU to the entire WSO community. I have leaned heavily on this forum to guide me through college and could not have made it to my current role without WSO. I am in my 6th month as an analyst at a top non MBB consulting firm (Oliver Wyman, Deloitte, PwC, Accenture Strategy, etc.) and am loving it. I have always enjoyed reading the success story posts on WSO, so I thought I would write one as well and offer to answer any questions from people who are in similar positions as I was. This is a new WSO profile only because I was not discrete enough with my
16 Feb 2015
I was interviewing last week (Wednesday) for my final round at a local McKinsey EMEA office. They had a decision the same day, and called to inform me, but my native phone number wasn't working properly in the country I was interviewing at, so I couldn't receive the call. Next morning, I wake up to an email from the recruiter saying the partner who interviewed me was trying to reach me yesterday, and then she asked me if I had another working phone number by any chance. I told her the story about my phone, and gave her the hotel number to call me at until I checkout at noon. She replied to
17 May 2018
Not from a target school; dad went to the ivies. Instead I went East, first to India for ten years and am now in Myanmar. Went to school for design and for 25 years, I've ended up in several strategic international marketing positions turning companies around since I seem to have a knack finding the gold in shitty little startups. My first one was sold to Nokia for 54MM in 1999 and I never looked back. Question. Myanmar has completely open markets, but the politics is a significant downside. Most of the startups are run by idiots who don't know their way around a P&L statement. It's
03 Sep 2018
Hi Everyone, This is my first post ever here at WSO. I've started as a Business Transformation Consultant at IBM last fall after graduating from Northwestern. I realize most of the projects here are in tech, and I really want to move into real Operations/Strategy consulting instead. Does anyone know if it's possible to move to MBB (entry level?) within a year or two of working experience without MBA? If so, what are the things I should be aware of/how should I position myself? Please let me know if you do! Thank you.
13 Jun 2017
In need of some advice/guidance from anyone who might've made a similar jump, or knows someone who has. I graduated from a top tier school with an Economics degree, and the desire to join the Navy through OCS and then enter the Special Warfare community. Covid changed things and made this "plan A" not possible. I am now working at a Big four in their Tech Assurance practice (this was my "plan B" and yes I know they couldn't be more different from each other), and am looking to switch into either Management or Economic Consulting. Does anyone have any experience in making this transition, or
03 Nov 2020
I'm a rising junior who just got an offer for public finance investment banking at a bb (j.p./ms/cs/gs), which I'm curious about but I don't know if I want to do it full time. Management consulting is something that I'm pretty sure I would find interesting, so I'll likely recruit for it full time. I know that it's hard to get consulting internships though and I'm not sure that I don't want to do pubfin ib. Would it make more sense for me to reject this offer and recruit for consulting internships or accept this and recruit for consulting full time if I decide I don't like public finance ib
03 Jul 2018
I started my career with a 2-year middle office rotational program at a BB bank. I'm hoping to head to a management/strategy consulting or corporate strategy for a media and entertainment company. The program wraps up in July and, ideally, I'd like to start somewhere in September. 1) When should I start applying? 2) When should I start recruiting (i.e., reaching out to people on LinkedIn, setting up informational interviews, etc)? 3) How realistic would a September start date be considering the one month gap? Thanks!
25 Sep 2020
Hey everyone, I just discovered this forum and oh my it is such a gem - glad to be a part of it now! So anyway, I'll briefly introduce myself and would be happy to get to know some of your stories as well. I am 23 years old and I'm from Eastern Europe. I just finished my undergrad in the UK and worked a dead-end job for the last year since my graduation. This is when I decided to pursue a career in consulting. Long story short, last month I managed to land a consulting job in the energy trade risk management field and I am on my way to be staffed on projects with big energy companies in
07 Nov 2019
"Fund houses turn against investment consultants" I don't work in AM or any form of the consulting branch for that matter but there was a discussion in the area which I listened with great interest. In the UK, the FCA is seeking more regulatory powers over investment consultants from the concerns of the amount of influence from the sector. l In your industry, how is the pricing determined in the subjective / consulting / advisory side of the operation (let's say solely the advisory services to make the argument easier)? l Do you agree with (broadly) the tighter regulation than as it is now in
05 Mar 2017
Hi, I'm a newbie to consulting and have been reading Taylor Warfields Hacking the Case Interview and also Victor Cheng's Case Interview Secrets. Cheng's book emphasizes having a hypothesis while Warfield's book doesn't mention anything related to that and suggests presenting a structured framework right after the introduction in a case interview. I was wondering which approach is technically better? I know that Warfields book is also more up to date. Thanks so much!
05 Jun 2021
What are some names and examples of internal consulting groups at American companies? I've heard of in-house consulting arms at companies like American Express, Citi, and P&G. I these groups have become commonplace in business. Looking for further insight on the role they can plan within a company and some examples of names for the groups.
11 May 2017
Hi WSO, I got my MBA from a top 10 school in 2013. 'am currently working in corporate finance at a not-so-well-known company and would like to break into management consulting within the next year. From what I hear getting into a consulting firm is tough for experienced hires. My questions are: 1. What types of experiences/activities make experienced candidates stand out from the rest for top or middle tier consulting firms? 2. Is there a recruiting "season" for experienced hires? 3. Any advice on the best way to network with consultants at your target firms. My understanding is that they travel most of the time and generally try to avoid "networking" unless their firm makes them do it. Thoughts?
30 May 2014
Hello WSO community, I have an aspiration to be a Management Consultant at a top tier firm but really need to start laying out the groundwork and goals for this to be a reality. I am looking for advice and tips on what you believe the best way/methods for me to achieve this. I recently graduated from college (non target) and want to know what I need to get into an Elite school and an Elite firm afterwards. Currently: I am 22 years old 3.3 GPA 2 years of work experience (internships) B.S. Management Information Systems Due to being an international student I am limited to Business Analyst/ IT
02 Aug 2018
I've been accepted to the Michigan (Ross) Los Angeles satellite campus as well as USC Marshall. So far I am leaning towards accepting Ross as the LA campus (held at a top notch hotel), students, format (heavy experiential) and class visit were quite impressive. USC on the other hand is a private school where the network tends to be die-hard loyal and they have connections in entertainment. In getting my degree I hope to open doors into areas like management consulting or into parts of tech where I have not yet worked. Ross Pros: Top-ranked - impressive reputation (not quite M7 but in striking
21 May 2018
Hey guys, student in Canada looking for some insight about the finance industry up here. I'm looking for a more long-term career in finance rather than jumping firms. I've heard a lot about IB in Canada being good for career bankers which is exactly what I'm leaning toward but I wanted to know a bit more about other areas of the industry. 1: Is MBB or Big 4 consulting a stable, well-paying, long-term career choice up here in Canada? 2: I've also heard about other jobs such as Asset Management and Corporate Development but I hear much less about it at my school. Last year I think around 50% of
16 Apr 2018
Hey guys, So I've been trying to get into finance/investment banking/equity research for quite some time. I have an undergrad in econ and a master of accountancy from a CSU that isn't too high on anyone's radar. I think I've hit the point to where I can admit that I've failed and I will continue to fail unless I do something to drastically change my life position. After speaking with professionals in the ER space, they left me with the inclination to take the CFA exams and use those channels to break in. I'd registered, bought the expensive exam material, studied, and have a test scheduled in
26 May 2016
Hey guys, Got a message for a position with the aforementioned company through a headhunter. What they do is apparently consult top management on corporate governance / difficult market situations: "Our client advises the executive suites and boards of Fortune 500 companies on a wide range of events including contested merger situations, hedge fund activism, director elections, compensation matters, difficult shareholder proposals and more. CamberView Partners' team is comprised of some of the most prominent individuals in the corporate governance, which has undeniably become one of the most important trends currently impacting public companies."
16 Dec 2014
So I received an offer to internally transition into Management Consulting within my firm. I received my formal offer, and about a week after not hearing back from the recruiter, I followed up with her to check on the status of the offer, to which she responded, "I am still waiting for the final approval for the transfer. I will follow up as soon as I hear back." It has now been three weeks since I reached out to her (4 since I received the verbal offer) and decided to reach out to the recruiter again, to which she responded, "I am still waiting for the final approval for the transfer. I will
12 May 2015
I'm currently at non-target university, which is literally not even on the radar. I have a double major in Biology and Psychology. I have a stellar GPA (3.85), a great deal of research (a year of which was with a well-known non-profit), a long-standing leadership role with a organization I started, a few consistent jobs in sales and teaching, and currently an internship with an editorial team of a medical journal. This is all the product of me being a pre-med up until a month ago. Now I'm looking for new career opportunities. I have always been interested in the business side of healthcare
03 Dec 2017
Hi Guys, I know there are a ton of posts out there already about Accenture MC, but I wanted to get some opinions on my current position. I go to a private university that is very well-regarded regionally but perhaps not on as much on a national scale. In the past I have interned at a F500 company in a corpfin role (corporate finance is not for me at all) and also had a role as an intern at a small PE firm. GPA ~ 3.8. I have received an offer for Accenture MCDP and the salary is really great for a first job. 85k + 10k signing bonus. I also really like the idea of MC and the exposure that I
18 Feb 2016
I am 31 years old and live in Florida. I have a nontraditional career/education path and need some advice. After I graduated high school I became a firefighter paramedic. It was a great job. The schedule was amazing pay was good and I got to give back to the community. During my time at the FD I start my own business and became interested in a more formal business education. Business does well, makes a couple hundred grand a year and has a handful of employees. I leave the FD to work at the business and go back to school full time. I end up selling the business while in school and making a
30 May 2015
Avid reader here. Many thanks to the community for the insight, advice, and laughs. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I recently graduated with a BS/MBA from a non target with a 3.8/3.97 (full ride if it matters). I thought accounting would be my best bet coming from a non-target to move onto bigger and better things. Man do I feel stupid. Not knocking accounting, rather, the lack of thought given to my career. But hey, you live and you learn. In the ensuing scramble to figure out what I wanted to do I kept circling back to management consulting, the end goal being corp dev/strategy
16 Sep 2018
I will start with a couple assumptions and conclusions I have reached through my research and would greatly appreciate any corroboration or corrections you guys might have for me. Georgetown as a whole would be a low target to a high semi-target for the overall financial services and consulting sectors, correct? Now, what kind of recruiting/niche areas do MSB and SFS get separately? Most of the data and opinions I have seen point to SFS doing better with consulting and MSB doing better with IB. Is this apparent difference due to the preferences of the students in each respective college or
02 Apr 2016
Recently, I was thinking of gaining some international exposure by moving to London. But the salary differential is really too large for it to be a consideration considering London is as expensive as where I'm based out now. In NYC, fresh graduates in big 4 consulting start on 70+k and MBA SC hires start on 135k. In London, fresh graduates start on only £32k which is equivalent to 50k. Managers in the big 4 I'm working start on only £60-65k, thats less than 100k. There is no noticeable difference for IB and Biglaw. Do you guys think it is possible to ask the big 4 in London to match my salary
30 Jun 2015
Hello all, feeling very very lost and hopefully can get some career advice here! I have two job offers in front of me currently, both very different from each other. My short term goal is going to B School within the next 2 years and leverage that to break into management consultancy. 1st job offer: Internal audit role at a MNC (pays ~US18k/year more, travels a lot) or.. 2nd job offer: Restructuring/insolvency advisory at a smaller firm (more insolvency assignments than restructuring, very niche, more challenging) Any thoughts?
21 Aug 2018
tldr: what's the MBB to PE interview process like? I've seen some WSO content on going from MBB to PE and the concensus seems to be that MBB to PE is possible. However, there doesn't seem to be much content on WSO regarding the actual interview process from MBB to PE. I'm curious what it's like and how (if at all) it differs from the IB to PE process. Especially with IB to PE recruiting happening so much earlier than in the past, have comparable changes happened with the MBB to PE process? Mainly curious about the process for PE deal teams (most comparable to IB to PE) but would love to hear
29 Jul 2018
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