Hi All,
Sounds like there has been a lot of success this year with those of you looking for jobs...seems like this was a great year for hiring, a trend I'm sure everyone hopes will continue.
Congratulations to those of you who received offers!! To those of you who fell a little short...don't give up, the perfect job is out there!
I recently got an email that offers a new service for those of you still looking for a job...I haven't done any extensive exploration of what they are offering, but it is free!
The site is: http://www.consultingbench.com/
It looks like this service uses your resume/profile to match you to consulting jobs that are in their databases...management consulting, IT consulting, boutique consulting jobs are all included. Additionally, they will send you emails when a consulting opportunity that matches your skills becomes available.
While I can't really endorse a service that I haven't tried, it looks like it might be another way to make sure you aren't missing out on an opportunity. For those of you who give it a try, please post a comment or two with what you think.
Happy Holidays!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Interview Updates
Now that everyone is in the middle over interviewing..I had the suggestion that I should open up a new posting because the discussion was taking up so much space on the previous posts that it was getting a little tough to follow. Truthfully, I hadn't really realized that you had all been posting so often....for the sake of making it easy to follow the discussion, please post comments after this post! Thanks and good luck!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
New Job...
Good news all! I recently accepted a new position....I know you will all be disappointed to find out it is in banking and not consulting, but the position is a great fit for me. As a result, I won't be making a lot of personal posts regarding my experiences in the quest for a job in consulting. I will, however, continue to maintain the blog if you all believe that it is helpful....this would mean that I would rely more heavily on requests for content as well as you all sharing your experiences with me so that I can share them with others.
From the emails I'm receiving, it seems like there are a lot of folks with offers and/or moving on to the next rounds in the interview process...seems like we might have a lot of offers handed out this year...GOOOOOOD LUCK!
From the emails I'm receiving, it seems like there are a lot of folks with offers and/or moving on to the next rounds in the interview process...seems like we might have a lot of offers handed out this year...GOOOOOOD LUCK!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
McKinsey 3rd Round Interviews
Hi all, Just a quick post that won't involve too much brainpower from my end, but might help if some of you can add some of your experience. A reader recently wrote to let me know they have been selected for a 3rd round interview at McK (congratulations to you by the way) and they are looking for some insight from any of you who may have had 3rd round interviews with McK in the past. This also might be a good time for any of you with any general 1st or 2nd round experiences to chime in as well to build a body of knowledge before interviewing for the "Big 3" begins in earnest in the next several months.
Thanks for the help!
Thanks for the help!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Deloitte Consulting
Just went through an interesting experience with some of the folks at Deloitte Consulting. I actually hadn't considered looking at Deloitte before because of the strong association as a Big 4 accounting firm; however, a friend encouraged me to reach out to one of the recruiters there and see what they had to offer. As it turns out, they have a pretty good system in place for those of us with a strong background in the life sciences and healthcare.
Deloitte is a huge firm and self-admittedly this can make it a hard place to navigate and network. What they have done to combat this kind of feeling is to segregate their consulting teams into very specific groups. For example the life sciences group can be farther broken down into a life science strategy and operations group. Then within that group can be broken down into R&D teams, or operations teams, clinical teams, etc... By the end of the day you are working with a highly focused and much more manageable group of individuals, which by definition should make the networking process much more manageable. While this might not provide you the breadth of experience you are looking for, it makes it a great place for those of us who know exactly what we want to do.
I talked with a few managers at Deloitte only to find out that they really love my background, but are only hiring at the manager level and up (equivalent to an engagement manager or project leader level)and that kind of position requires some previous experience as a consultant. I have a feeling that once the economy turns around that hiring at the lower levels will have to pick up to support business, but that will probably be the same industry wide.
Just thought I'd throw another nugget of information out there for those of you who are interested and weighing the pros and cons of the different firms...just another taste of what kind of things you can consider...
Deloitte is a huge firm and self-admittedly this can make it a hard place to navigate and network. What they have done to combat this kind of feeling is to segregate their consulting teams into very specific groups. For example the life sciences group can be farther broken down into a life science strategy and operations group. Then within that group can be broken down into R&D teams, or operations teams, clinical teams, etc... By the end of the day you are working with a highly focused and much more manageable group of individuals, which by definition should make the networking process much more manageable. While this might not provide you the breadth of experience you are looking for, it makes it a great place for those of us who know exactly what we want to do.
I talked with a few managers at Deloitte only to find out that they really love my background, but are only hiring at the manager level and up (equivalent to an engagement manager or project leader level)and that kind of position requires some previous experience as a consultant. I have a feeling that once the economy turns around that hiring at the lower levels will have to pick up to support business, but that will probably be the same industry wide.
Just thought I'd throw another nugget of information out there for those of you who are interested and weighing the pros and cons of the different firms...just another taste of what kind of things you can consider...
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Bridge to BCG follow-up
I just wanted to share a response from a reader who had e-mailed me with a more detailed description of their experience at the Bridge to BCG program in SF. They had encouraged me to share their e-mail with my readers so I will paste a portion of her account below. I hope this helps some of you get a better idea about these summer programs!
"Just want to share something i found through the BCG bridge program: everyone admitted to the program actually has to reapply to BCG for a full time position and i assume will be interviewing with the general applicants (non bcg bridge) if they got selected. So the reason you didn't get selected is likely because you had prior contacts with BCG - I don't think people who got selected are any better than people who didn't.
You might have gotten the same information from people who have attended the BCG Bridge sessions at boston or new york. The format is probably very similar. I attend the SF session. We are working on a real BCG case that was from the new york office a few years ago. It is very different from the case interviews i have been to (McKinsey for summer associate positions). During the team meetings, we are asked to come up with a hypothesis about what went wrong and how we could solve the problem - even before structuring our responses which i find really odd and difficult. After coming up with a hypothesis, each team of 6 people are split into 2 groups where 1 group look at more financial analysis data and 1 group interviewing some "clients". I am definitely going to ask them tomorrow if coming up with a single hypothesis b4 or after structuring our response is something they expect us to do in actual interviews. I guess with Mckinsey, it is more like laying out the structures/ the frame works first, then going down each branch for possible explanations."
"Just want to share something i found through the BCG bridge program: everyone admitted to the program actually has to reapply to BCG for a full time position and i assume will be interviewing with the general applicants (non bcg bridge) if they got selected. So the reason you didn't get selected is likely because you had prior contacts with BCG - I don't think people who got selected are any better than people who didn't.
You might have gotten the same information from people who have attended the BCG Bridge sessions at boston or new york. The format is probably very similar. I attend the SF session. We are working on a real BCG case that was from the new york office a few years ago. It is very different from the case interviews i have been to (McKinsey for summer associate positions). During the team meetings, we are asked to come up with a hypothesis about what went wrong and how we could solve the problem - even before structuring our responses which i find really odd and difficult. After coming up with a hypothesis, each team of 6 people are split into 2 groups where 1 group look at more financial analysis data and 1 group interviewing some "clients". I am definitely going to ask them tomorrow if coming up with a single hypothesis b4 or after structuring our response is something they expect us to do in actual interviews. I guess with Mckinsey, it is more like laying out the structures/ the frame works first, then going down each branch for possible explanations."
New Consulting Forum
One of the more prolific bloggers when it comes to consulting and a blog I often read for my own personal edification is Tom Spencer's blog.
Tom is starting a new consulting forum for discussion that might be very beneficial to some of you down the line. Here is the link: http://www.tomspencer.com.au/forums/
I think that Tom and I have very similar goals, to help folks interested in consulting navigate the waters and land the job of their dreams...because of this I am more than glad to help a friend get the word out. Tom would like me to share his description of the forum with all of my readers...so here it is:
"New Consulting Forum
The discussion forum will be a place where students and other people with an interest in the consulting industry can discuss:
1. how to get into the industry, and how to succeed
2. which firms are the best and why
3. other general discussion
I think this will be a valuable tool for students and others who are preparing for interviews to pool their knowledge and collective experience, and the more people who get involved the more valuable the discussion forum will become."
The forum just launched today so there hasn't been a whole lot added to it yet, but I think we both hope it will be a valuable resource for you all moving forward.
Tom is starting a new consulting forum for discussion that might be very beneficial to some of you down the line. Here is the link: http://www.tomspencer.com.au/forums/
I think that Tom and I have very similar goals, to help folks interested in consulting navigate the waters and land the job of their dreams...because of this I am more than glad to help a friend get the word out. Tom would like me to share his description of the forum with all of my readers...so here it is:
"New Consulting Forum
The discussion forum will be a place where students and other people with an interest in the consulting industry can discuss:
1. how to get into the industry, and how to succeed
2. which firms are the best and why
3. other general discussion
I think this will be a valuable tool for students and others who are preparing for interviews to pool their knowledge and collective experience, and the more people who get involved the more valuable the discussion forum will become."
The forum just launched today so there hasn't been a whole lot added to it yet, but I think we both hope it will be a valuable resource for you all moving forward.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Consulting Resources
Someone had recommended that we share some resources to prepare for consulting season. This is probably a good idea, but is something that will take considerable effort to accomplish and might be outside of the scope of what I am trying to do. That being said, Tom Spencer (another blogger) has some posts with links to resources that may be useful. I have posted links below:
A link to practice problems provided by the various consulting firms:
http://www.tomspencer.com.au/2010/06/12/online-case-interview-practice-questions/x
A link to several valuable case books that may be useful for your case practice:
http://www.tomspencer.com.au/2008/06/08/case-interview-guides-books/x
I hope that this is at least a start and that it may build the foundation for others to add some resources down the line.
A link to practice problems provided by the various consulting firms:
http://www.tomspencer.com.au/2010/06/12/online-case-interview-practice-questions/x
A link to several valuable case books that may be useful for your case practice:
http://www.tomspencer.com.au/2008/06/08/case-interview-guides-books/x
I hope that this is at least a start and that it may build the foundation for others to add some resources down the line.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Need some help...
Hi all. As you may have read in the comments section for the latest B2BCG and Insight post, I was not selected for Bridge. I am a little frustrated and confused because I had such a positive response from BCG in the past, worked hard to improve myself and my resume this year, and then was rejected. Regardless of the outcome, I am glad that so many of you had success with this process.
Since I will not be attending any of the summer programs this year, I hope that a few of you who do go will be able to add a few comments about the programs and let us know 1) what they were like 2) what you found most useful and 3) anything else you want to add!
To those of you who aren't going to summer programs, keep working on interview prep. There were a lot of people that got jobs last year who didn't get into these programs!
Since I will not be attending any of the summer programs this year, I hope that a few of you who do go will be able to add a few comments about the programs and let us know 1) what they were like 2) what you found most useful and 3) anything else you want to add!
To those of you who aren't going to summer programs, keep working on interview prep. There were a lot of people that got jobs last year who didn't get into these programs!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
APD Hires at McK
Let me first say that it is great to have so many readers who participate in the blog. I got an anonymous tip from an APD who is doing an internship with McKinsey this summer. From what he/she says it looks like business is pretty good at McKinsey right now and they are looking to hire some new APD associates for 2010. They are asking around for recommendations for people who might be interested in starting sooner rather than later. I'm guessing that they are asking current employees for recommendations because it adds an extra layer of legitimacy if you come recommended as opposed to those who just randomly apply through the website.
That being said, it might be a good idea for those of you with contacts to see if they can recommend you to a recruiter. Additionally, it might be a good idea to contact your favorite McKinsey recruiter yourself and let them know you heard they may be looking to build up their APD pool for 2010 starts and let them know you are interested.
McKinsey is also offering another summer program in addition to the Healthcare and Engineering Insights...this is an insight program for those of you who might be interested in positions with McKinsey in Asia.
Here is the link if you are interested:
http://www.mckinsey.com/careers/apd/opportunities/insight%20asia.aspx
That being said, it might be a good idea for those of you with contacts to see if they can recommend you to a recruiter. Additionally, it might be a good idea to contact your favorite McKinsey recruiter yourself and let them know you heard they may be looking to build up their APD pool for 2010 starts and let them know you are interested.
McKinsey is also offering another summer program in addition to the Healthcare and Engineering Insights...this is an insight program for those of you who might be interested in positions with McKinsey in Asia.
Here is the link if you are interested:
http://www.mckinsey.com/careers/apd/opportunities/insight%20asia.aspx
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Group-think ...lessons from "the wave"
One of the things I believe to be very important and often undervalued is one's ability to influence others. As a consultant this is especially important because no matter how good of a solution you offer to a problem, the implementation WILL FAIL without the collective group buying into the ideas.
That being said, how does one person or a small group of people get an entire organization to do something they may not be too excited about?
I've been thinking about this some and I'm sure there are dozen's of books on the subject, but I've taken a different approach to gathering information that may or may not have broad implications.
So I've been going to a lot of Red Sox games this year...and there's a lot to think about when you're in a stadium for 3 hours without much else going on. Every game around the 6th inning something happens..."the wave". I started thinking about it and wondered, how does the wave start, who starts it, and how does a small group get an entire stadium to stop paying attention to the game and do "the wave."
In the last 5 or 6 games I've been paying closer attention and trying to figure this out and have made a few key observations:
1) The wave is usually started by a single person or a small group of VERY motivated individuals.
2) The wave is most effectively propagated when the game is slow.
3) The wave begins with a small group and spreads over time.
4) A successful wave with everyone working together is actually pretty fun.
I think that this is probably a general pattern that holds true for implementation of new ideas in a business too.
1) Ideas are implemented by a single person (CEO) or a small group of people (management team). If the management doesn't buy in, than the likelihood of success was nil from the beginning. This is why it is crucial to work with management in developing solutions so that they buy into the ideas from the beginning...making them feel that they were part of the solution is a great way to accomplish this.
2) New ideas will be more readily adopted if business (the game) is slow or if there is a problem with the status quo. If the perception is that things are going great and business is vibrant and exciting, there won't be any incentive to change. In the case of implementing a change it is therefore vital to make stakeholders realize that the status quo is unacceptable and that change is required.
3) The first attempt at the wave is never successful and requires multiple tries until it catches on...such is it with implementing new ideas as well. It is tough to move people from status quo to a new way of doing business. At first there will be a small group that is rapidly adapt a new way of life and there will be those that resit. An idea has to be continually pushed forward time and time again until a majority sees the light. Even then not everyone will comply, but if the overwhelming majority is moving in the right direction, it is hard to notice those who aren't complying and their decent no longer effects the end result.
4) Seeing an good idea take on a life of its own is a good thing...especially to those who developed the solution. At the game, it's always the one ultra-motivated (or drunk) guy that started the wave that gets the most satisfaction from seeing it move around all of Fenway!
That being said, how does one person or a small group of people get an entire organization to do something they may not be too excited about?
I've been thinking about this some and I'm sure there are dozen's of books on the subject, but I've taken a different approach to gathering information that may or may not have broad implications.
So I've been going to a lot of Red Sox games this year...and there's a lot to think about when you're in a stadium for 3 hours without much else going on. Every game around the 6th inning something happens..."the wave". I started thinking about it and wondered, how does the wave start, who starts it, and how does a small group get an entire stadium to stop paying attention to the game and do "the wave."
In the last 5 or 6 games I've been paying closer attention and trying to figure this out and have made a few key observations:
1) The wave is usually started by a single person or a small group of VERY motivated individuals.
2) The wave is most effectively propagated when the game is slow.
3) The wave begins with a small group and spreads over time.
4) A successful wave with everyone working together is actually pretty fun.
I think that this is probably a general pattern that holds true for implementation of new ideas in a business too.
1) Ideas are implemented by a single person (CEO) or a small group of people (management team). If the management doesn't buy in, than the likelihood of success was nil from the beginning. This is why it is crucial to work with management in developing solutions so that they buy into the ideas from the beginning...making them feel that they were part of the solution is a great way to accomplish this.
2) New ideas will be more readily adopted if business (the game) is slow or if there is a problem with the status quo. If the perception is that things are going great and business is vibrant and exciting, there won't be any incentive to change. In the case of implementing a change it is therefore vital to make stakeholders realize that the status quo is unacceptable and that change is required.
3) The first attempt at the wave is never successful and requires multiple tries until it catches on...such is it with implementing new ideas as well. It is tough to move people from status quo to a new way of doing business. At first there will be a small group that is rapidly adapt a new way of life and there will be those that resit. An idea has to be continually pushed forward time and time again until a majority sees the light. Even then not everyone will comply, but if the overwhelming majority is moving in the right direction, it is hard to notice those who aren't complying and their decent no longer effects the end result.
4) Seeing an good idea take on a life of its own is a good thing...especially to those who developed the solution. At the game, it's always the one ultra-motivated (or drunk) guy that started the wave that gets the most satisfaction from seeing it move around all of Fenway!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Bridge and Insight Introductions 2010
So I have now attended both the McKinsey introduction to Insight and the intro to Bridge to BCG. Both programs were interesting. None of the information was too new, but I find the more people I talk to, the more confident I feel about how I fit into the cultures of each firm. It is for this reason that I would encourage you to go to these types of events even if you don't think you need to hear "another pitch." I won't elaborate too much on where I personally feel more comfortable because I don't want to influence anyone's thought process.
Briefly, I have always thought the McKinsey programs felt a little bit too structured and felt a little standoffish (it might actually be that their presentations are just more formal and very professional), but this last program was very welcoming. The folks giving the talks were all very personable. Most of the McKinsey events that I have been to in the past were run by men and this program was predominantly run by women, which may have accounted for the more welcoming feel. I don't know if that was a strategic/planned decision or not, but whatever the reason, I got a better feel at this talk than I have at ones in the past.
The introduction to BCG program was actually extremely impressive. I am always impressed by the view from their 32nd floor office (overlooking the Boston Harbor). The speaker was the newly appointed head of the healthcare practice for the Americas and was very enthusiastic about the work they do there. It is nice to see someone that is still so excited about consulting after 16 years. It seems like business at BCG is really great. Some of the other firms are delaying their new hires start date while BCG is actually trying to push it up and from talking to the folks last night, it seems like hiring will be up significantly this next season. There were plenty of consultants around to talk to after the presentation which was nice...they are all quite nice people and very easy to get along with...overall this event was enough to really get you excited about the upcoming recruiting season.
I will probably get back to working on my resume this weekend. I have really reworked the resume since last year just to make sure it has the impact I am looking for...but that's a topic for another day.
Briefly, I have always thought the McKinsey programs felt a little bit too structured and felt a little standoffish (it might actually be that their presentations are just more formal and very professional), but this last program was very welcoming. The folks giving the talks were all very personable. Most of the McKinsey events that I have been to in the past were run by men and this program was predominantly run by women, which may have accounted for the more welcoming feel. I don't know if that was a strategic/planned decision or not, but whatever the reason, I got a better feel at this talk than I have at ones in the past.
The introduction to BCG program was actually extremely impressive. I am always impressed by the view from their 32nd floor office (overlooking the Boston Harbor). The speaker was the newly appointed head of the healthcare practice for the Americas and was very enthusiastic about the work they do there. It is nice to see someone that is still so excited about consulting after 16 years. It seems like business at BCG is really great. Some of the other firms are delaying their new hires start date while BCG is actually trying to push it up and from talking to the folks last night, it seems like hiring will be up significantly this next season. There were plenty of consultants around to talk to after the presentation which was nice...they are all quite nice people and very easy to get along with...overall this event was enough to really get you excited about the upcoming recruiting season.
I will probably get back to working on my resume this weekend. I have really reworked the resume since last year just to make sure it has the impact I am looking for...but that's a topic for another day.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
PhD Consultant Blog
As some of you may have seen in the comments from my last post, one of my readers is a PhD who is in the process of making the transition into consulting (sounds familiar). As far as I can tell, she has just accepted a position with one of the "Big 4" firms, but won't start work until September. She will be blogging about the transition from science to consulting and will be sharing some insight about what it is like to start out at her new job. She has also added a little perspective about her experience with applying to firms, which may be of interest to those of us still in the process.
While the blog is new and not fully developed yet, it looks like it could be a promising resource in the future and I would recommend checking in on it every now and then to see what kind of firsthand knowledge you might be able to pick up! Shee already has comments from Steve Shu, which is a pretty good seal of approval!
Here is the link:
http://phdconsultant.wordpress.com/
While the blog is new and not fully developed yet, it looks like it could be a promising resource in the future and I would recommend checking in on it every now and then to see what kind of firsthand knowledge you might be able to pick up! Shee already has comments from Steve Shu, which is a pretty good seal of approval!
Here is the link:
http://phdconsultant.wordpress.com/
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Bridge to BCG and McKinsey Insight 2010
So it looks like the consulting recruiting season is already starting to begin again. It seems like the last year has gone very quickly (which is both a good and bad thing)...all in all, I'm very excited to get back to this whole process. It might seem a little twisted, but I actually enjoy practicing cases and helping other people through the process!
I had some folks ask about the Bridge and Insight programs, deadlines, locations, etc...last week I didn't have all the info and promised I'd post it once I had it in hand. For those of you who aren't familiar with these programs, I have a post on them from last year that can catch you up on the details. Briefly, they are 3 day programs that the companies sponsor to give you a taste of what consulting is like. From what I hear, they are a great chance to learn and network.
So here's what you all wanted...the info:
Insight Healthcare (you can use the same link for Engineering and Science Insight)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
June 17 – 20, 2010
Application deadline: April 25, 2010
http://www.mckinsey.com/careers/apd/Opportunities.aspx
Bridge to BCG
Workshop deadline: Friday, May 7th
Workshop dates
* July 8-9 in BCG’s Boston office
* July 22-23 in BCG's Chicago Office
* July 22-23 in BCG's New York office
* July 29-30 in BCG’s San Francisco office
If you have any questions, please email them to Bridge2BCG@bcg.com
For application info, use the following link:
http://www.bcg.com/careers/adc.aspx
For the Bridge program, I think that they schedule you to attend the program at the office that is most local for you...this may be different this year, but last year there wasn't a lot of flexibility with this policy.
I had some folks ask about the Bridge and Insight programs, deadlines, locations, etc...last week I didn't have all the info and promised I'd post it once I had it in hand. For those of you who aren't familiar with these programs, I have a post on them from last year that can catch you up on the details. Briefly, they are 3 day programs that the companies sponsor to give you a taste of what consulting is like. From what I hear, they are a great chance to learn and network.
So here's what you all wanted...the info:
Insight Healthcare (you can use the same link for Engineering and Science Insight)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
June 17 – 20, 2010
Application deadline: April 25, 2010
http://www.mckinsey.com/careers/apd/Opportunities.aspx
Bridge to BCG
Workshop deadline: Friday, May 7th
Workshop dates
* July 8-9 in BCG’s Boston office
* July 22-23 in BCG's Chicago Office
* July 22-23 in BCG's New York office
* July 29-30 in BCG’s San Francisco office
If you have any questions, please email them to Bridge2BCG@bcg.com
For application info, use the following link:
http://www.bcg.com/careers/adc.aspx
For the Bridge program, I think that they schedule you to attend the program at the office that is most local for you...this may be different this year, but last year there wasn't a lot of flexibility with this policy.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Where consulting is hot
So I have been collecting information from google analytics since I started this site and finally have over 23,000 hits. I think that this is a big enough sample size to start drawing a few conclusions.
Before I give you some data, it has to come with a caveat that traffic to my blog probably isn't the BEST indication of who is interested in consulting, although since you probably have to dig a little bit to find me, it might be a good indication of who is really serious about consulting and is searching hard for information.
First, the US is by far the biggest reader of my blog, which probably has to do with a few things....high levels of education and interest in consulting, my blog is written in the English language and is relevant to US recruiting. The next biggest reader is the UK with about 33% of US readership, then surprisingly Turkey is a close third, followed by India, Switzerland,France, Canada, Australia, Germany and Russia.
I will breakdown the interest within the US in a little more detailed fashion. I will use 1 as the nationwide average for hits...so a score of 5 would be five times the average hit rate for a state. Here's the data:
NY- 14.5
MA- 6.6
CA- 5.3
IL- 4.1
MI- 2.9
TX- 2.2
PA- 1.6
VA- 1.3
MD- 1.3
GA- 1.3
It all makes pretty good sense when you think about the target schools for consulting firms and where they are located...Columbia, NYU, Cornell, etc in NY; Harvard and MIT in MA, Stanford and some of the tech heavy colleges in CA; Northwestern and U of Chicago in IL; U of Mich and Ross in MI....I'm a little surprised that PA didn't score higher with all of the Wharton folks that end up with consulting gigs, but the data is the data.
Just thought I'd share a bit of that with you to let you know where your competition is coming from. Looks like the stiffest local competition is for those of us in NY and MA...lucky us!
Before I give you some data, it has to come with a caveat that traffic to my blog probably isn't the BEST indication of who is interested in consulting, although since you probably have to dig a little bit to find me, it might be a good indication of who is really serious about consulting and is searching hard for information.
First, the US is by far the biggest reader of my blog, which probably has to do with a few things....high levels of education and interest in consulting, my blog is written in the English language and is relevant to US recruiting. The next biggest reader is the UK with about 33% of US readership, then surprisingly Turkey is a close third, followed by India, Switzerland,France, Canada, Australia, Germany and Russia.
I will breakdown the interest within the US in a little more detailed fashion. I will use 1 as the nationwide average for hits...so a score of 5 would be five times the average hit rate for a state. Here's the data:
NY- 14.5
MA- 6.6
CA- 5.3
IL- 4.1
MI- 2.9
TX- 2.2
PA- 1.6
VA- 1.3
MD- 1.3
GA- 1.3
It all makes pretty good sense when you think about the target schools for consulting firms and where they are located...Columbia, NYU, Cornell, etc in NY; Harvard and MIT in MA, Stanford and some of the tech heavy colleges in CA; Northwestern and U of Chicago in IL; U of Mich and Ross in MI....I'm a little surprised that PA didn't score higher with all of the Wharton folks that end up with consulting gigs, but the data is the data.
Just thought I'd share a bit of that with you to let you know where your competition is coming from. Looks like the stiffest local competition is for those of us in NY and MA...lucky us!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Consulting in 2010
Happy New Year to all the consultant-wannabes out there! Like you, I am hoping that 2010 will be a much better year than 2009 in terms of getting a job in management/strategy consulting. 2009 was definitely better than 2008 and I'm sure everyone is hoping that trend will continue.
While things on my end have been pretty quiet on the consulting front there are a few new developments. I have decided to continue to help run the consulting club in 2010 and will continue to run a 12 week mini-MBA class. I think this was a really beneficial experience for a lot of folks in '09 and helped some of my colleagues get jobs in a tough environment. As an aside, the feedback from the top firms was very positive regarding our applicants this year..."they were better prepared for interviews than any group in the past." While I can't take credit for that, I think everything we did last year contributed to the success of our club members so I am anxious to help out again this year.
As we move into a new year, I am curious as to what people want to know. I am trying to build up a reading list for this year to get a little more knowledge under my belt and am glad to hear suggestions about what material I should look into....any ideas? Also, any ideas on what to post about or what kind of info I can provide is appreciated. I'd love to spend more time providing helpful information, but just want to make sure what I'm posting is actually useful to others.
Thanks for the input...it's what keeps me going!
While things on my end have been pretty quiet on the consulting front there are a few new developments. I have decided to continue to help run the consulting club in 2010 and will continue to run a 12 week mini-MBA class. I think this was a really beneficial experience for a lot of folks in '09 and helped some of my colleagues get jobs in a tough environment. As an aside, the feedback from the top firms was very positive regarding our applicants this year..."they were better prepared for interviews than any group in the past." While I can't take credit for that, I think everything we did last year contributed to the success of our club members so I am anxious to help out again this year.
As we move into a new year, I am curious as to what people want to know. I am trying to build up a reading list for this year to get a little more knowledge under my belt and am glad to hear suggestions about what material I should look into....any ideas? Also, any ideas on what to post about or what kind of info I can provide is appreciated. I'd love to spend more time providing helpful information, but just want to make sure what I'm posting is actually useful to others.
Thanks for the input...it's what keeps me going!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
