Happy 2009, readers! Thanks for being patient during the previous few days. I’m back and ready to continue helping people get a job in management consulting.
This is the first of my series on entering consulting from “non-business” backgrounds – future posts include entering from liberal arts/humanities degrees and non-MBA grad schools
It’s very common for engineers to be interested in consulting – a professionally demanding, well-compensated job which opens many doors in business and beyond.
Another popular field is finance. Read more on the differences between consulting and finance here
As an engineer – whether thats electrical engineering, computer science, civil engineering, or any of the other quantitative and analytical fields – you may have the following concerns:
- You don’t have enough business experience on your resume
- You don’t understand the consulting industry sufficiently
- Recruiters won’t give you a fair shot since they assume you have no people-skills – preferring numbers and analytics
- You don’t have any recruiting preparation – in particular, how to tackle consulting interviews and case studies
In this post, I’ll address each of the above concerns, discuss what strengths you should market and develop, and share tips that will serve you well during the management consulting recruiting process.
What options are available as an engineer?
- Global management consulting firms – increasingly quantitative, increasingly analytical, and some of them (eg, McKinsey) have a reputation for hiring engineers, particularly in regions that serve high-tech clients
- Boutique consulting firms – especially those with technology-focused industry specializations (eg, semiconductors, telecom)
- Technology consulting firms – firms such as Accenture and IBM Business Consulting provide technology-heavy support and solutions to clients
What are your strengths as an engineer?
- Quantitative/analytical skills – applicants that have strong analytical capabilities are at an advantage. These skills are helpful with modeling (financial, operational), statistical analysis, and just basic analytical reasoning
- Success in a “tough” undergraduate major – generally speaking, engineering majors are tougher to complete – there’s more work involved and the academic content is more complex. Having a strong GPA in an engineering major shows recruiters that you work hard to accomplish your goals
How do you mitigate perceived weaknesses as an engineer?
In the order listed above:
- Business experience – if you’re still in college, find business-related summer internships and part-time jobs during the school year (provided you can manage the workload). If you’re not, tailor your resume to focus on skills and experiences that consultants look for, such as people-leadership, quantitative impact, and entrepreneurial initiative
- Insufficient understanding of management consulting – its your responsibility to learn as much as you can. Check out Management Consulted; email me with questions; read the Vault Guide to Management Consulting; network with contacts in the industry
- Recruiting biases against engineers – you can counter this by focusing on the following: presentation skills (practice interviews as much as you can); have a strong story about why you want to enter the industry; show a clear understanding of business news and current events; highlight your people-skills and teamwork/leadership experiences in resume and interviews
- Insufficient recruiting preparation – like the second point, it’s dependent on the time and effort you invest; I offer a coaching service that you can look into; read this article and follow its advice
Like what you’re reading? Subscribe to my RSS feed here. Read my guide for consulting interview questions.
I offer resume/CV editing and interview preparation to help people break into management consulting. We’ll help you stand out from 1000’s of other applicants and land consulting job offers
Related posts:
- How to get consulting jobs from a liberal arts and humanities background
- Since graduating from college/graduate school, I’ve worked in several jobs and have built a strong work resume. Unfortunately, my educational background is weak – I didn’t go to a “target school” and had a low GPA in my time. How much will this affect my chances?
- I’m still too young to apply for management consulting jobs but want to get a head start. What types of jobs teach you the skills that will be helpful in consulting?
- Why you should do engineering or business if you want to break into consulting: return from hiatus plus a slew of reader questions
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
You’re a Rock Star! … thats what i can say after reading most of your posts…. I bumped into your blog accidentally and then could not stop reading for next few hours….
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Thanks Kunal for your comment. Glad to see that you’re getting a lot out of it. Cheers.
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Do firms like Accenture, CSC etc. also come under the category of consulting firms. Is it the same if I do an internship or get a job there? Thanks.
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Yes. It really depends on what you mean by “is it the same”. Accenture is a great firm and one that will provide a great career and great skillset. Everything depends on your ultimate goal or longer-term career objectives.
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hi….thanks for all the efforts you have put in to tell us so much..its a great source and inspiration! im due to start my masters in computer engineering..i wanted to ask you something, do you think that after doing my undegraduate and masters in computers, would it be feasible for me to persue consultancy right after i complete my masters?
hoping from a reply from your side..came to your blog accidently, and have been glued to it since morning..cheers !
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I have master of science in aerospace/mechanical engineering with 4 years of experience (GPA 4.0). Currently I’m perusing my MBA (GMAT 650) at USC as a part-time student. My goal is to switch career upon graduation (2012) and move into mamanegment consulting.
My question is the following: given my experience/credentials, what should be my strategy within the next two years to reach my goal?
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