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please send me the best books for management consultancy training.
thank you for helping me get into consultant field.

Appolinaire – I appreciate your interest in consulting. There are tons of articles here – as well as recommended books in the “Recommended Reading” section – which should address 90% of your questions. Thanks again!

Hi Kevin,

I am a recent graduate from a engineering undergraduate degree and would like to get into a role in management consultancy. But I am a bit concern with my lack of experience in any particular industry or function and wonder how much in-depth industry knowledge can a consultancy job offer for a fresh graduate (as what I understand is a lot of experienced consultants come from the industry they specialized in). And whether this will become a problem in my career in the long term. So I am weighting up between 2 options: 1. Apply for a consultancy firm straight away or 2. Apply for an engineering firm so to gain in-depth industry and product knowledge first for a couple of years before I go for a consultancy role. I will really appreciate if you can provide some advices/insight into this. Cheers!!

Hey Kevin,

I’m a reader of your blog and would like to say that I’ve really enjoyed it so far; as a current undergraduate interested in consulting, I appreciate your meticulous attention to detail (e.g. what ties to wear) as well as interesting blog topics.

I had a quick question regarding senior-year recruiting: as a junior, I simply wasn’t ready for the internship recruiting cycle (I landed an interview at Mercer, but ended up trying to cram Case in Point at the last minute- in vain). At the moment, I’m pursuing other internship opportunities but still have consulting in my crosshairs and am preparing for the next round by practicing case interviews. my question to you is, what type of internship, bar a consulting one, would increase my chances of making the resume drop next season? Are there any particular industries (for example, finance) that would look better than others? Also, would an international internship help my chances?

Thank you in advance.

Hi,
I am currently completing my Chartered Accountancy from KPMG UK. Could you tell me what the job prospects are for me in the consultancy field once I am done with my CA.

Thanks alot
Azam

Hey,

I was looking at the sample estimation problem (How many PCs) and I noticed that when you estimated the number from a top down approach, you started with PC sales revenue (25 billion if I recall). Wouldn’t the interviewer ask you how you got that number? How would you address that question?

~S.

Hello. I am a reader of your blog and let me first thank you for all the helpful tips you wrote.
I had my second round interviews today at L.E.K. Consulting but I was dramatically bad. I honestly could not do worse. Do you think I should write a thank you e-mail to my interviewers and use this occasion to mention that I am aware of how bad I was ? Is there a hope I go through the third round ?
Thanks a lot.
M.

Mark, I would recommend against doing that unless:

1. You are absolutely CERTAIN that you bombed the interview

2. You know the person well or felt a strong connection during the interview (but given your sense of how it went, I’m guessing not)

Unless either of those 2 situations apply, you’re not helping your case by sending an email like the one you suggested.

Good luck.

Kevin,
Thank you very much for your piece of advice. I guess I will stick to it.

Hey Kevin,

I am a British Citizen who dreams of working for one of the top 4 U.S consulting firms. I have an undergraduate Bachelors degree in Business Studies with Management. I am thinking of doing a two-year Masters degree in Industrial Management. It is a unique degree in the sense that you spend 6 months each in Spain, Italy and Sweden (all teaching activities will have a strong reference to those respective nations), with the last 6 months being spent on the master thesis at a location of your choice. Do you think the international education of this masters degree will be considered a valuable asset to these consulting firms? I hope I would at least be considered as a summer intern initially.

Hello there,

Thank you very much for your website.
I just discovered it and I am looking forward to exploring it more.

I am very impressed with the book offer (as well as the continuous free updates) therefore, I purchased a copy. However, I am unable to find the link to download it. Whenever you have a chance, could you please give me some pointers on how I may access the file?

Thank you in advance for your time on this,

~T

Tracy, thanks for your note. You should have received a unique download link directly to the email addressed you provided with purchase. If you do not receive that within 10-15 minutes after purchase, please email me and let me know. Thanks!

Hi,
I am a consultant with Deloitte, and im based in India. I do a lot of process improvement projects ( been a consultant for 4 years now) and I would like to make the transition towards growth strategy advisory work.
I figured out the best way to do this would be to gat a top flight MBA. So i took the GMAT and got a 750. Heres the question: Am i right in thinking that INSEAD is one of my best bets?
Add-on : is the career change I want to make impossible?

I am bang in the middle of INSEAD app. preparation time, and so it would be great to hear back … thanks!!

Hi Joydeep – INSEAD is definitely one of the top schools for management consulting recruiting. It’s one of the few where your primary experience is global/non-US that still competes very well both in the U.S. and internationally in management consulting recruiting. The career change you want to make is not impossible at all – particularly with a great GMAT score like yours and prior work at a big branded firm.

Good luck!

Hello Kevin,

I just ran across your site and found it extremely useful. Thank you for this wonderful tool.

I will be interviewing with the directors of Booz and Company and McKinsey in Seoul this week. I received these interviews by networking through a collegue of a family friend. I have over 12 years of government experience (strategy, policy, law, and negotiations) and have held relatively senior level positions for the US goverment and am a trained lawyer.

Now the downside — My Korean is good conversationally, but not native level. I believe I can learn quickly based on my foundation, but it will take some practice (something I have not had an opportunity to do working in an English language environment). I also went to average schools, both undergrad and law (although I graduated first in my class in undergrad — I did not do as well in law school).

Kevin, how will my language ability affect me? Also, does it matter what school I went to after all of my years of experience? Is there a real chance that my government experience in policy and strategy can translate into the business world? Lastly, since I will be interviewing with the directors of the office, should I still assume the case study interview format?

Sorry for the long email and thanks so much! I interview with Booz tomorrow and McKinsey on Friday, so I am a little nervous about the time to prepare.

Charlie, thanks for your email. I can only be brief (as you can imagine we get a lot of questions on the site and through our contact form), but here are some thoughts.

1. Your language ability will affect you, simply because in some countries (such as Korea), the dominant operating language will be that native tongue. While many presentations will be given in English, language requirements are necessary to provide great client service. I can’t judge how much of a factor it will be in your particular situation, but I’d take it as a good sign that you were able to land the interview, and it should not be the dominant concern

2. I don’t have a great handle on international recruiting, but I imagine that it plays a relatively small role given your 12+ years of experience

3. Absolutely. McKinsey, as well as most other strategy consulting firms, is pushing hard to expand its talent pool beyond the standard MBA/business background

4. I assume that will be at least a significant portion of the interview, although it may not be as structured as would be typical for a recent college graduate. At any level, though, they’ll be interested in testing your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, and solve problems analytically

Good luck!

Hi — you seem to be on vacation and not taking new clients in the meantime. Would you be so kind as to email me as soon as you’re taking on new clients.

Thanks

Hi JP – thanks for your email. We’ll be back in a few weeks, and will let you (and all other readers) know as soon as we’re taking on new clients again. Thanks!

How does one express a “sudden awakening of spirit” as I put it?

I went to college to go with the flow, never really cared where in the beginning . Did very poorly on my SAT (40th percentile) for various reasons, mainly not caring at the time.

Recently I “woke up” and have been doing much better.

Total cumulative GPA will be 3.25ish. HOWEVER, I project my cumulative GPA for the last 1/3rd of my academic record (40 units) will be just shy of 3.7, and the last 25 units will have a 3.85-3.88. I have a long list of non profit leadership history traced back to high school that involves overseeing large groups of people, key decision making positions, and even founding and managing a scholarship fund.

I’m not attending a top tier school, nowhere near but it is a reputable school for communications which is what I chose to major in, and my major course cumulative is north of 3.6.

How does someone like myself account for a sudden uptick in academic performance and ambition, coupled with a substantial increase in responsibilities outside of school on top of the past experiences? Do I just come out and say I “woke up” one day? Would taking the GMAT and scoring in the 720+ range balance out against the poor SAT and early low GPA when coupled with my recent GPA.
Is it unwise to apply right out of college? Would it be better to work for a while? Take more courses at a local JC to add to academic history?

I can’t be the only person who woke up somewhere in their undergrad.

Suggestion for us “late bloomers?”

I am in the same boat my friend. I sent an email to dear Kevin. I hope he replies.
Good Luck.

Dear Kevin,
Thank you for a great site providing me (us) with invaluable information!

I need a small pice of advice, I have a MSc in biomedicine from a top 40 (world ranking) medical school and am at the moment doing a PhD in stem cell research ( at a top 30 uni., european ranking).

I have developed a strong interest for management consulting and believe that this is the right career choice for me after the PhD.

My question is: Would an “on-line” MBA at a low ranked B-school done simultaneously with my PhD improve or impeed my chances to get a job offer at the top3 firms.

I hope that you will find time to answer my question.

Many thanks,
DC

Kevin,

The website has provided an amazing amount of information. Currently, I am a classroom teacher and I am interested in pursuing work as a consultant (preferably with Deloitte or Bain).

My career/education background is not business related (B.A., english; M.A., curriculum and instruction, M.Ed., educational leadership and policy studies). However, I have 8 years of experience and my graduate work is from UCLA. Am I shooting for the stars in trying to “break into consulting” or do I have a shot?

Thanks,

Torray

Hi, I had a internship at mid-tier consulting firm (Accenture, Booz Allen,Deloitte) and received an offer. I go to a top 10 school with a 3.3 GPA. I’m wondering whether to take the offer or interview with M/B/B? I’m figuring my GPA is too low for MBB

Hello Kevin,
I am an undergraduate(Junior First semester) student at University Of New Orleans. I have a major GPA of 3.3. I am really interested in Corporate Strategy Management. But i am worried that my GPA is bad, I m not in the top 50 university and I don’t have a Internship. I am an Indian Citizen. I would be grateful if you could give me some tips to get a internship so that i could have a strong resume to attract top companies like McKinsey Or Bain.

Hey Kevin,

Already filled in the contact form, but thought I’d just pop a comment here, to say how much I like your website, and how helpful your consulting bible has been!

To quickly recap (in case you didn’t receive my previous communication), how would you rank these Plan B options if an aspiring consultant failed to get an offer from a big consulting firm (eg. Bain/BCG/McKinsey/Deloitte/LEK/Booz)? Which would be the best stepping stone to consulting or to an MBA (and then consulting)?

-> Commercial law firm
-> Investment Bank (M&A hopefully)
-> Small nationally-based boutique management consultancies (about 20 people per location)?

Might be a good idea for a future article! Thanks heaps!

Hello Kevin,

Initially I just wanted to send an email, but I guess there might be people facing the same problem as I do.

I am a penultimate year undergraduate student from Latvia (Yes, the country few people heard of). We don’t have any major management consulting firms present in our country; however I am really looking forward to start serious career in management consulting. I found your website the most useful source, though a bit too American for my situation, and I’m even considering to purchase a book, since this year I intend to get summer internship in one of the offices.

I would like to ask about my chances to land an intern position at some major or even 2nd tier firm in London’s office. I believe I could make an attractive resume, since I have some interesting and relevant experience and I come from a good, though not really recognized Stockholm School of Economics in Riga. I have some relevant work experience as an intern in Deloitte Latvia and Euromonitor International (I even saw this one in McKinsey Quaterly issues and Financial Tmes as a source). I also can prove my international exposure by internship in one logistics firm in Moscow.

Alternatively, perhaps you could express your opinion on offices in Moscow, Kiev and Alma-Ata regarding the competitiveness of application procedure as well as possible benefits of working in those offices. I believe I would have more chances there, as I am a native Russian, but I’m not sure whether it would worth it working there. What is your perception of offices in those cities?

I would appreciate your advice on my situation.

Thanks again for such a wonderful website!

Hello Kevin,

I recently had a third round interview with one of M/B/B (unsual, they wanted to get another opinion after my final round). I’ve emailed my 3rd round interviewer to ask for feedback and she agreed to call me, but it’s been 2 weeks and no response (I send one in between to remind her).

Do you think I should pursue this? I don’t have her phone number, but I’m thinking of asking one of my second round interviewers for her phone? Would this be too pushy? Or should I just drop it, given that I’ve already received feedback from my final round interviewers?

I think after 2 weeks, assuming you’ve only followed up once, the best thing to do is first contact the recruiter/HR lead for an update. If you get no response, then ask one of your second round interviewers. Right now, it could either be that they’ve decided to reject you but are icing you in case they don’t get the right yield rate, or it could just be that they want to interview more candidates before making a final decision.

Hi Kevin,

As this is my first time posting, allow me to thank you for your excellent coverage of the consulting world.

On another note, I was curious to hear your opinion on my position, as I think it is a unique one. After finishing undergrad in ’09 from a good liberal arts school, GPA 3.4 and varsity athlete, I was given a great opportunity to work as a volunteer consultant for TechnoServe – a company which I know has a very strong relationship with McKinsey (would you agree with this?). I was very lucky to get it due to a good connection, but made the most of it and did well enough to receive 2 additional short-term contracts the last of which I am finishing up now for a total of 2 years with the company. If I leverage my consulting contacts that I have established here and network over the next 5 months while I finish my contract, I feel that I have a decent chance. From what you see, do you agree? Any suggestions on improving my chances?

Thank you in advance.

Think you are doing the right things – the key with networking is building relationships with the RIGHT people, not just anyone. In this scenario, the most important people for you to meet and impress are going to be senior partners and/or other people who have a formal relationship with McKinsey – only they will have the sway and connections inside the firm to really introduce you to the right people and get the recruiting/interviewing process underway. In addition, focus on kicking ass with all of your projects – your case work is the single best indicator and will be your strongest asset should you get the interviews.

Wow, thanks for the quick response. One more question, if you don’t mind…I have recently looked into the possibility of doing a business certificate program at Columbia, which I would be able to complete over the summer. On the one hand, I am genuinely interested in expanding my business/finance knowledge and it would also allow me to strengthen my resume a bit (if I do extremely well in the classes – which I know I’m capable of – it would help address my low-ish GPA?). Beyond that, it would give me the chance to network extensively while located in NYC. It can be a challenge trying to network from East Africa!

Do you think people would look at that positively or is it a waste of time and money?

Somewhat positive. It’s a business certificate program – not a 2 year MBA, so the value is lower. However, if you spend your time wisely and aggressively, it can help.

Great, thanks again.

Hi Kevin,

I recently had my third round of interview with KPMG with on of its directors. I would say the first 2 rounds were very good and third one was not so good.

what are the chance of me getting a positive call having done very well in the first 2 rounds? I am very nervous and expecting a feedback soon.

Thank you very much in advance for hosting a brilliant site and helping people with their queries.

JD

Hello Kevin. I have been out of college for five years now and have been with the same sales organization ever since. I began as an account executive and worked my way up the ladder to running my own branch. Over the last five years, I have managed enterprise accounts, but primarily providing solutions, analyzing problems, developing solutions, and implementing new procedures company wide to drive increased sales. I love working with groups and conducting presentations as well. I have no consulting background, but am deeply interested in pursuing a consulting career. In your opinion, is this something I should seriously pursue? I value your opiniona nd look forward to hearing from you.

PJ

Dear Kevin,

I really like your website and the work that you are doing. I have a few queries please answer them urgently, it will be a great support.

1. I am a PhD candidate from the top B-School in India, if I miss the campus recruitments for big consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain etc. (vising my college in Feb, 2011) due to last moment completion requirements of my PhD can I apply on my own online later (in aroud March, April 2011)? Will my chances by affected due to this?

2. What position should I apply for if I apply online same as MBAs or for PhDs and Advanced Degree holders?

3. What are the Management consulting salaries for PhDs that the top 3 firms M/B/B offer in India, as they at par with inernational offers or vary significantly?

4. Let’s say I apply online for Chicago Office, would I need to visit Chicago for the interview or can the interview be held in Indian (i.e. Delhi or Mumbai) Offices of the firm?

Please help me with these answers, as I need the information urgently. Also I would like to buy the consulting Bible and Resume and cover letter help, but th eprices quoted on your website seem quite expensive when converted to Indian Currency (INR), so are there any special prices for International students esp. from developing world?

Best Regards,
Reearch Scholar

Dear Kevin,

Many thanks for your informative website! I understand that McKinsey and other firms recruit people of advanced professional degrees. I have a health sciences background (Masters in Global/Public Health). What would make a strong resume and skillset do you think, especially with a background in academia (versus actually medical practice, or a full-fledged biomedical PhD)?

I’d love to hear your insights.

Well, I am coming up on my last year and a half of undergrad
(I was part-time last year so I am a few credits behind, so I will take an
extra semester, graduating in December 2012.)

For the last three years I have been pursuing an undergrad
Bachelor of Commerce in Honours Finance. 
I have a 3.8 GPA and am in the top 15% of my faculty at an alright
university, but not one where McKinsey and such recruit.  After taking my introductory finance course
and spending a large part of the summer reading the strategic consulting books you suggested, I
know that this is exactly the job I want.

This summer, I was too late applying to internships and too
uncertain on my focus, and ended up with a summer job at a market research call
center, which we survey top business executives and investment professionals.

Besides my high grades and vaguely related job experiences, I
have no extra-curricular activities at school, as I simply studied and worked,
and did not do much else.  This year, I
no longer need to work, and need to rack up on extra-curriculars, before I miss
my shot at next summer’s internships.

My questions are:

1)      1) What would be my best shot now in regards to
extra-curriculars?  (I was planning on
joining the Toastmasters group to develop further speaking and presenting
skills, and if possible, one of the on-campus finance clubs.)

2)      2) Aside from taking relevant courses, keeping up
to date on the news, and reading strategic consulting books, what other sources
would you recommend to improve my knowledge and my chances?

3)      
3) If 3) If all this fails, and I can’t get a summer
internship in the consulting industry, what would be a solid back-up plan in
this case?  I do plan on getting an MBA
after a few years of work, so I am thinking that a summer internship at one of
the big banks, then working for a few years in a pseudo-consulting role (maybe
become an industry expert in a certain field), then going on to an MBA, would be
my best chance to break in after business school.

As an aside: I am in Canada, which probably calls for a few
small variants (less “classes” of universities and programs) but I would
imagine that most the same would apply.

Thank you sincerely,
for any advice you can share with me, I have finally found my calling, I just
need a bit of direction to getting back on the path.

Well, I am coming up on my last year and a half of undergrad
(I was part-time last year so I am a few credits behind, so I will take an
extra semester, graduating in December 2012.)

For the last three years I have been pursuing an undergrad
Bachelor of Commerce in Honours Finance. 
I have a 3.8 GPA and am in the top 15% of my faculty at an alright
university, but not one where McKinsey and such recruit.  After taking my introductory finance course
and spending a large part of the summer reading the strategic consulting books you suggested I
know that this is exactly the job I want.

This summer, I was too late applying to internships and too
uncertain on my focus, and ended up with a summer job at a market research call
center, which we survey top business executives and investment professionals.

Besides my high grades and vaguely related job experiences, I
have no extra-curricular activities at school, as I simply studied and worked,
and did not do much else.  This year, I
no longer need to work, and need to rack up on extra-curriculars, before I miss
my shot at next summer’s internships.

My questions are:

1)     
What would be my best shot now in regards to
extra-curriculars?  (I was planning on
joining the Toastmasters group to develop further speaking and presenting
skills, and if possible, one of the on-campus finance clubs.)

2)     
Aside from taking relevant courses, keeping up
to date on the news, and reading strategic consulting books, what other sources
would you recommend to improve my knowledge and my chances?

3)     
If all this fails, and I can’t get a summer
internship in the consulting industry, what would be a solid back-up plan in
this case?  I do plan on getting an MBA
after a few years of work, so I am thinking that a summer internship at one of
the big banks, then working for a few years in a pseudo-consulting role (maybe
become an industry expert in a certain field), then going on to an MBA, would be
my best chance to break in after business school.

As an aside: I am in Canada, which probably calls for a few
small variants (less “classes” of universities and programs) but I would
imagine that most the same would apply.

  Thank you sincerely,
for any advice you can share with me, I have finally found my calling, I just
need a bit of direction to getting back on the path.

Kevin, I really enjoy the punch you put into your writing.  Your economy of words goes such a long way!  Can you offer some insight to a more senior experienced hire since I’m not one of these younger MBA-clad readers?

About me: After graduating from a Tier 2 college, I built a 13-year career as a technology and sales trainer.  Then I became a stay-at-home mom for 6 years but kept my skills warm by actively volunteering on school committees. 

In 2003, I on-ramped myself back into the workplace part-time as an expat consultant in NY for 5 years.  Life was truly great with a steady post at a top French bank and simultaneous smaller gigs at JPMC, Alcoa, KPMG.  Once the recession hit, our clients did not renew their contracts so it became a struggle just to find the occasional training project during 2009. 

Being in my 40s did not help matters in what was becoming an increasingly difficult job hunt. After many months of dead-end interviews,  I finally lucked out in early 2010 - thanks to LinkedIn – and landed a full time job as a corporate trainer at a global bank.  In the 18 months I’ve been there, I’ve delivered 12 training programs both locally and to our regional offices.

So why am I here?  I love my job but worry about the banking industry’s future.  And as an empty nester now, I know I can convert my training/consulting experience plus meet all the travel demands to become a performance consultant or thereabouts for one of the Big 4.  

My question: how would these firms typically view the mid-career woman who has substantial experience to offer but, in my case, none of the encumbrances of daily family management?

Hi Kevin,

Will you be doing 2012 Salary comparisons this year?