I Want To Work In … Management Consultancy

 

Management consultancy is "The service provided to business, public and other undertakings by an independent person...in identifying and investigating problems concerned with policy, organisation, procedures and methods, recommending appropriate action and helping to implement those recommended."

Management consultants may advise on: organisational structure and development; production management; marketing, sales and distribution; personnel management and selection; systems analysis and design, and economic and environmental studies.

This is a very popular career choice for students, but is not easy to get into as a new graduate. You will need a strong academic background; good numeracy, analytical and communication skills, confidence, determination and a strong interest in business.

PROFILE: Management Consultant

INVOLVES: The service provided to business, public & other undertakings by an independent person in identifying & investigating, problems concerned with policy, organisation, procedures & methods, recommending appropriate action & helping to implement those recommended. Working with all kinds of business to enhance their short - term or long - term performance. Projects may last anything from 1 month - 1 year. Management consultants may advise on: organisational structure & development, production management, marketing, sales & distribution, personnel management & selection, systems analysis & design, economic & environmental studies.
EMPLOYERS: strategic consulting firms, software consultancies, divisions of accounting firms.
RELATED JOBS: Freelance consulting & contracting work.
SATISFACTIONS: Varied work, important jobs, good pay, excellent career enhancement.
NEGATIVES: Long hours, pressure, and little support: need to be independent & self - motivated. Primarily based in London. A few vacancies in chartered accountants' management consultancy divisions in other large cities. Much travelling is likely to be involved on assignments to clients, both in the U.K. & overseas.
SKILLS: spoken & written communication, analysing, investigating, persuading. Personal qualities required: good academic record, flexibility.
ADVANCEMENT: May move up through the firm to achieve partner status or use experience to move outside after 2 - 3 years.
DEGREE: IT related degrees are often sought after, but a number of consultancies will provide training in this field to graduates in ANY discipline.
POSTGRADUATE STUDY: MBA
TIPS: Consultancy firms like practical business experience. Relevant experience includes training as a chartered accountant & then moving into consultancy. Few vacancies for new graduates - except in I.T. consultancy (which recruits graduates in any subject). Otherwise, postgrad. qualifications may help. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. After relevant work experience, e.g. in personnel, finance, systems, production, marketing, O.R.

"A word of warning: we have been inundated with applications from very high calibre candidates for all consultancy vacancies ....we will finally recruit less than one per cent of the applicants we consider." (Recruitment Manager for large firm of Accountants).

 

Employers

include specialist consultancy firms, management consultancy divisions of chartered accountancy firms (see above) and IT consultancies such as Logica and Accenture.

Getting in.

Consultancy speak?

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Useful information sources

Firms

 

Questions asked at interviews for management consultancy jobs

MARKET SIZING questions

These evaluate your temperament and analytical skills and are often used in CASE STUDY interviews by consultancy and banking firms. They test your logical, analytical, numerical and problem solving skills. A lot of the skill in answering these questions involved making reasoned estimates of the market size.

For help with answering these see our page on CASE interviews

Other questions

Tips from interviewees

Last fully updated 2011