As an analytical person with strong interpersonal skills to boot, you are already highly marketable. As a consultant, you will partner with your clients to provide innovative and practical solutions to meet their business needs. In this industry, your thirst for problem solving and ability to remain focused in a deadline-driven, detail-oriented environment should already be one of your trademarks because there will be intense crunch times during the lifetime of your projects that will require you to give your best to exceed your client's expectations.
Life as a Consultant:
Most consultants don't have a typical day, but then again, that's hardly why anyone would choose this demanding yet rewarding job. As a consultant, you are a jack-of-all-trades, who will specialize as you grow in specific skills and knowledge areas, such as media and entertainment, technology, or change management. You will partner with teams of the most hard-working, self-motivated individuals to perform such services as, in-depth quantitative and qualitative analyses of already recognized client issues and complex research on numerous technologies and processes to create practical yet innovative solutions for your clients. Convincing your clients to act on your solutions, however, will remain your biggest challenge.
Consultants can travel a lot, with some individuals reporting they spend over 75% of their time away from home. However, as many consulting firms are trying to regionalize and attract a variety of individuals to their practice, don't be too surprised if your client site is only 25 miles away from your home. Regardless of your travel schedule your team may well become your surrogate family, as you work long hours and socialize while on your engagements. Your time, however, is rewarded with reported starting salaries totaling $75,000 to $150,000, just out of B-school.
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Myth Only people with exceptional skills and in-depth industry knowledge can become a consultant. |
Employment Authority Who says that you don't have exceptional skills and knowledge? Consulting firms can spend thousands a year on training and tooling individuals to meet their client's demands. The market constantly changes, and they need individuals with broad-based skills as well as the proven ability to learn in a deadline-driven environment. You wouldn't be where you are at if you didn't have these skills. Your education has real value, because it proves you have the ability to learn and communicate complex business concepts, that's why the consulting industry is one of the largest employers of MBAs around.
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Myth Going through my school's on-campus interview program is the only way for me to land a position with the firm I want. |
Employment Authority There are hundreds of business consulting companies out there in various areas across the globe, and trust us, a number of them are probably not recruiting at your school. Schools can sometimes neglect to invite them to participate in on-campus events, many may not be able to send their recruiters to smaller areas/schools, and some may simply forego recruiting events all together due to budget constraints. Many firms are just too busy, and a number of them want to be contacted. Consultants need to be proactive and aggressive while managing their resources properly. Employment Authority is that resource. Our trained teams of professionals work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you in your quest to begin your career.
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Myth With the current downsizing that is happening, it will be impossible for me to find a position. |
Employment Authority This is simply not true. Over the last two years consulting revenues increased by more than 40%, and the trend does not seem to be slowing down. Additionally, almost 50% of all consultants leave after the first two or three years, meaning that positions exist that need to be filled by qualified people like you throughout the entire year. Employment Authority can help you find a consulting position with a number of small-, mid- and corporate-sized firms during any time of the year, and will not constrain your search to when your school's recruiting season begins. |
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