Tom Spencer(Source: Flickr) In the consulting interview, your interviewer is likely to ask you the following straightforward question, “why consulting?” Relevance of the question The question is relevant for two reasons: Your interviewer is likely to ask it in the interview; and You will be much more likely to succeed (in the interview and afterwards) if you […]
(Source: Flickr) There are six types of questions that you may encounter in the consulting interview: Behavioural interview questions; Guesstimate questions (aka market sizing); Math questions; Brainteasers; Factor questions; and Business case questions (these form the cornerstone of the consulting interview). [For more information on consulting interviews, please download “The HUB’s Guide to Consulting Interviews“.]
(Source: Flickr) Case questions form the cornerstone of the consulting interview, and reading this blog or reviewing the case prep resources listed below will not be sufficient preparation. If you want to perform successfully, then you will need to do a lot of practice. Many experts recommend at least 30 mock case interviews with friends, […]
(Source: Flickr) It will help your consulting application if you have prior business experience, however if you come from a non-business background all hope is not lost. You can strengthen your consulting application by showing how your experience demonstrates team work, leadership, and an ability to achieve positive outcomes. Use ‘action-outcome’ language in your résumé. That […]
(Source: Flickr) I recently had a conversation with a friend who is studying a PhD here in Oxford. She is originally from China, and her intelligence is only exceeded by her work ethic and desire to make her PhD supervisor happy. She confessed to me with a look a mild despair on her face, “I am making slow progress. […]
(Source: Flickr) Are you keen on management consulting but have poor grades? If you have poor university grades, you may face an uphill battle getting an interview at a top consulting firm. But don’t despair just yet. There are two steps you can take to combat this hurdle. You can highlight your most impressive work experience in […]
I recently had the chance to correspond with Georgia Hewett who handles Corporate Communications for Accenture in Australia/New Zealand. Georgia was extremely helpful and was kind enough to answer some questions I had about Accenture and its recruitment process. If you are a student, recent graduate or aspiring consultant looking to land a consulting job […]
(Source: Flickr) It is a figure of speech that “empty vessels make the most noise”. And for verbal conversation this would appear to be a good observation. People who are not thoughtful are likely to say whatever comes to mind since they don’t think to filter good thoughts from bad, obnoxious thoughts from nice ones. In self defense, these people will often be […]
I recently had the chance to talk with Stephanie Green, Manager of Talent Acquisition for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at IMS Consulting Group. If you have an interest in life sciences, either through your studies or previous work experience, then IMS Consulting Group could be the perfect place to enhance and grow your […]
(Source: Flickr) Top consulting firms receive thousands of applications per year, and so your cover letter and CV form a crucial first step in your application that will determine whether you secure a first round interview. You need to tailor your cover letter and CV for each application and highlight your most impressive and relevant […]
Before taking decisive action, it may be a good idea to assess the lay of the land According to Sun Tzu, the quality of decision “is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.” And much like a circling falcon overhead, a company needs to take a […]
(Source: Flickr) Applying for consulting roles in Australia, or thinking about it? We have updated our list of Australian consulting firms, which includes a list of firms along with information such as firm background, services, sectors, office locations, and links to the most relevant careers websites. It might come in handy. To download the document, click here (it’s free).
(Source: Flickr) This post considers how to build consulting relationships. Some people appear to believe that the goal of attending networking events is to collect as many business cards as possible. This was always the wrong approach, however in a world with LinkedIn, it is also absurd since a person’s business card will contain much less information than […]
(Source: Flickr) AS an aspiring consultant, the purpose of networking is to gain industry contacts, learn about your target firms, and obtain names that you can use in your application cover letter (e.g. “I am applying to Bain following my discussion with your Associate John Citizen at the recent New York University careers fair.”). There are various ways to […]
May amuse. [Hat tip to Roger Look.]
WE have updated our free guidebooks which outline key details of the most prominent management consulting firms in America and the UK. If you are an aspiring consultant with an interest in the USA or the UK, then this will probably be of interest to you. You can download the free guidebooks here and here.
(Source: Flickr) IN this post we look at researching consulting firms. Why, how and what should you research? Below we provide some ideas to help make your research as effective and efficient as possible. 1. Why should you research? Take control of your career. Researching consulting firms doesn’t just help you prepare your application and […]
WE were grateful for the recent opportunity to talk with Amanda Melo, recruitment manager at Partners in Performance. Partners in Performance is a global management consulting firm and we were interested to learn more about the firm and its recruitment process. Please read the edited transcript of our discussion with Amanda below. This will be of particular […]
(Source: Flickr) IN this post we consider some consulting interview basics: what to expect, what to wear, and what to bring. 1. What to Expect Consultants are the public face of a consulting firm, and firms need to be able to trust consultants to interact with senior clients including CEOs and executive board members. As a result, […]
(Source: Flickr) ARE you preparing for consulting interviews? In this post we provide 10 tips for nailing the case interview, written in stone. 1. Practice, practice, practice When it comes to the case interview, preparation is crucial for three reasons: The interview process is extremely competitive. You are unlikely to succeed without a lot of practice; […]
(Source: Flickr) In this post we look at the stress interview. If you’re interviewing for consulting positions, then you may be subjected to one. The aim of the stress interview is to put you under pressure in order to see how you will react and whether you can calmly defend yourself. Your interviewers might do this in […]
IN this post we look at the structure of the consulting interview. Firms will normally conduct two or three interview rounds, and each round will consist of two or more interviews back-to-back. The case question is the cornerstone of the consulting interview, and some firms will employ a fixed structure for the case question, asking each […]
ARE you an aspiring management consultant? If so, then you’re in luck. Over the coming months we will be posting about the consulting interview. In this post we look at the purpose of the consulting interview. The purpose of the consulting interview is twofold. Firstly, it is a test of client readiness. Management consultants are hired by senior executives […]
All too often partners in professional service firms know how to issue orders, but forget about the need for kindness. Employees develop fear rather than fondness for their managers, and quickly learn how little they can produce to keep people happy. In professions where the quality of the final product hinges on the quality of the thought process used to develop it (e.g. […]
ORGANISATIONS hire management consultants to help them solve their most challenging business problems. Senior management are busy people, and so consultants need to communicate their message clearly and concisely, preferably accompanied by some colourful powerpoint slides. The irony, though, is that consultants have gone on to develop an industry jargon which is often completely incomprehensible to industry outsiders. Below […]
ARE you an aspiring consultant with an interest in pursuing a career in the management consulting industry? Breaking into the management consulting industry is extremely difficult, and so with this in mind we have produced a number of free consulting resources to improve your chances of success. Where To Apply? The first problem that applicants face is knowing where to […]
The problem with being a social climber is that you erode your base of support. Your customers or boss may love you, but if you actively disdain your subordinates, employees, suppliers and other members of the community, you will erode over time the foundation upon which future success can be reliably built. All stakeholders have value, not just the ones who can reward you most immediately with money, […]
ARE you an aspiring consultant looking to work India? Or perhaps you are just interested to know more about the leading consulting firms in South Asia? What ever the case may be, we have just produced, for your benefit, a guidebook which provides an overview of the most prominent consulting firms in India. The guidebook is free. No member sign […]
ALL too often, and especially when starting out on a new project, the things we don’t know outnumber the things we do. We may know very little and, in the absence of knowledge, we can become stuck. Paralysis, our inability or unwillingness to make forwards progress, is the surest road to stagnation, difficulty and ultimate demise. What can be done […]
Is Booze Muhkidney hiring?
A country famous for its sheep and for being used as the backdrop for the Lord of the Rings movies, New Zealand also has some quality consultants. We have prepared a guidebook which provides an overview of the most prominent management consulting firms in New Zealand. You can download it for free here, no member sign […]
When the business landscape changes, how can you turnaround a failing company? (Source: Flickr) RADIOSHACK, an American consumer electronics giant of yesteryear, faced chaotic trading on Wednesday as analysts predicted the company would report it’s 10th straight quarter of losses. RadioShack has hired a law firm to provide restructuring advice in an attempt to avert bankruptcy. Assuming […]
Growth strategy begins with identifying the source of the problem – you will want to look at customers, products, the company and its competitors (Source: Culturamix) THE frequently used term business growth simply describes the process of improving some measure of an enterprise’s success, ranging from promotion, product development, new market entry or improving employee productivity. How can we more closely […]
America’s friendly neighbor to the north, Britain’s daughter, Australia’s cousin, the United States of Canadia, or perhaps just the place you call home. How ever you think about Canada, this week we are sharing with you a guidebook which profiles the country’s most prominent consulting firms. You can download the guidebook here. This is a […]
Another week, another guidebook for you, dear reader. This week’s guidebook profiles the most prominent consulting firms operating in Old Blighty. Where is Old Blighty you ask? Well, if you need to ask, then this week’s guidebook is probably not for you. “Blighty” is a slang term for Britain, popularised during World War I and still used (or […]
Are you applying to consulting jobs in the good ol’ U.S. of A? Wanting to pursue prosperity, success and a better life? Do you believe in truth, justice and the American way? Are you faster than a speeding bullet? … But seriously, all jokes aside, we’re not entirely sure whether anyone who reads this blog has an interest […]
A natural and unstructured process that results from doing the work LAST week we looked at the value of breaking with experience, which followed on nicely from our initial article on the Experience Curve. This week we focus on learning from experience. What does it mean to learn from experience? And what role does management have to […]
ARE you an aspiring consultant interested in working in Australia? Or perhaps a practicing consultant who wants to better understand the industry? Or maybe a partner/owner who wants to suss out your competition? What ever the case may be, we have produced a new guidebook which provides an overview of the management consulting industry and the most prominent firms in the […]
Three strategies to achieve above-average performance: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus In order to understand Porter’s Generic Strategies, it is helpful to take a step back and examine the two things which determine a firm’s profitability in the long run. The first is industry attractiveness, which is determined in any industry by the five competitive forces: […]
Why you’ll often miss the best opportunities – and biggest upcoming problems – when they are right in your face (Source: Freaking News) Suppose for a moment that I were to walk into your office, right at this minute, dressed as a gorilla. Yes, a gorilla – stay with me here. Now imagine I start […]
The definitive 2014 List of Strategy Consulting Firms in Sydney (Source: Flickr) Below is our 2014 list of strategy consulting firms in Sydney. This list will be of interest to you if you live in Sydney (or you would like to live in Sydney), and: you want to become a strategy consultant, or your company, non-profit or government agency […]
The logistics industry provides opportunities for both movers and shapers (Source: Flickr) BACK in the good old days, before the PC and Macintosh, if you wanted something done you would often just do it yourself. Companies sent their own trucks to the factory to pick up supplies, and the local department store could do “home deliveries” if you were happy to […]
See why “simple is better” in this short video from the Boston Consulting Group
The profitability framework can help executives, consultants and entrepreneurs to diagnose and respond to falling prices, declining sales volume, or rising costs BUSINESSES sometimes experience reduced profitability. This is not necessarily a problem if the decline was expected because a business is sustained from cashflow, not profit, and long term growth can be pursued through capital appreciation, which shows […]
Consultants best serve their clients by being consistently seen as approachable and interested in the client’s business problems (Source: Flickr) This guest post is from Tat Biswas, an IT consultant and blogger based in Sydney. He works with organisations to help them implement software and undertake business process improvement. I would like to share my […]
RIP Booz & Company PwC completed its acquisition of Booz & Co today. Regulators approved the deal, as we expected. They appear to have conveniently overlooked or ignored the large conflict of interest issues posed by a merger of this size between an accounting firm and a consultancy. We outlined these risks in an earlier […]
Understanding the big picture can help reveal hidden opportunities and threats 1. Background In 1967, Harvard Professor Francis Aguilar wrote a book entitled “Scanning the Business Environment” in which he identified four important factors – Economic, Technical, Political, and Social – that a business can use to better understand the big picture. While the ordering […]
Management consultants thrive in the fertile middle ground, a place where new understanding and being easily understood are both essential YOU may have had the experience of talking with a technical expert like a computer programmer and, at the end of a long conversation, being left with the overwhelming impression that you have absolutely no idea what […]
The deal will almost certainly result in post-merger headaches As we learnt at the end of October last year, PwC and Booz & Co are planning to merge. PwC Chairman Dennis Nally and Booz CEO Cesare Mainardi were very upbeat about the proposed deal. Nally stating that the merger will strengthen the scope and quality […]
Consultants can provide genuine expertise, tested methodologies, and quality resources on a variable cost basis In the previous post, we highlighted 6 reasons why executives hire management consulting firms. On reflection, we may have implied that there are only 6 reasons when in reality there are many. Tim Jeffries, experienced Sydney based management consultant, sent […]