The recruiting process

Similar to the fulltime process. Summer recruiting typically begins in January/February at college campuses for undergraduate and MBA. Expect a standard succession of information sessions/mixers/company presentations, then resume and cover letter screens, then multiple rounds of interviews focused on fit/personality and case studies.

The process may be less rigorous than fulltime (eg, one fewer interview round, less challenging case studies) but the competition is equally tough

What if consulting firms don’t recruit for summer interns at your school

I plan to write a full post on this later as its a common concern. You have 3 options:

• Find contacts at target firms through your school’s alumni database. Get in touch with them to learn more about their firm and express interest in working there
• Find contacts at target firms through your school’s career center/career development office. This is typically alumni-based as well, but the career officers may have additional resources (eg, headhunter/recruiter databases)
• Submit resumes and cover letters through each company’s online application process – not all firms have these. Big ones like McKinsey and Accenture definitely well, but you may need to get creative with smaller ones like Katzenbach and LEK

In this situation, your best bet is to network, network, network. Friends, family, university alumni, try to build connections to your target firms and dialogue with those people. That’s the best chance you’ll have of recruiters and HR taking a serious look at your resume

Further reading: What if consulting firms don’t recruit at your school

The goal of summer internships

To receive a fulltime offer! Everything you do over the summer should be geared towards helping you reach this goal. In the process, you’ll learn plenty about the job itself and even if you decide management consulting is not for you, options never hurt.

The standard summer internship structure

You’re assigned to one project that should occupy your entire summer (ranging from 10-14 weeks). There is a very short training period (1-2 days) after which you’re expected to function like a regular consultant – complete with your own workstream and deliverables.

You’ll have several “managers” – someone junior (such as an early analyst or early associate) as well as the standard team leader/engagement manager. There will be an endless stream of social events – designed to help you network with the rest of the office and the fellow “summers“.

How to ensure a return/full-time offer

• Do your work well. This is an absolute must. Doing your work well comes down to three things: #1, understanding directions and clarifying when you don’t; #2, checking and double-checking and triple-checking your work; #3, expressing your opinions often. Participation is critical to a consultant’s job, and if you don’t speak up, you won’t move up
• Network, network, network. The more senior consultants that you meet at the firm, the better your chances of receiving a fulltime offer. Strike up conversations based on shared backgrounds, career goals, personal hobbies, whatever!
• Build a strong relationship with your team leader/engagement manager. They have the biggest influence on your return offer prospects. Create one-on-one time with your manager – setup weekly coffee times to discuss your work, get advice about the job, and so forth
• Ask for continual feedback. This is a great way to not only improve your business skills, but to build rapport with your colleagues and managers
• Impress the lead partners. There are usually several partners who are closely involved with your project and client. Through the summer, you’ll have opportunities to get in front of them – whether that’s presenting a small piece of your work, or chiming in during brainstorming and team sessions. Capture these opportunities – the sooner they know your name and the more times that you impress them, the better your chances of landing that valuable offer

Further reading: 6 secrets for summer interns to secure a return offer

Stay connected:

I offer resume editing and interview prep. I’ll help you stand out from 1000’s of other applicants and land consulting jobs

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For my new readers, here are some recommended and popular articles for you to browse:

• Management Consulting and the Consulting Industry 101
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• Management Consulting versus Investment Banking
• Top 10 Resume Tips
• Top 10 Interview Tips
• Overview of the Management Consulting Recruiting Process

I’ve been receiving emails from readers of Management Consulted that had similar themes and wanted to address a few to start building my FAQ page:

#1 Why did you exit consulting?

After 2+ years at McKinsey, it was time to move on. I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart – the risk-taking, the ambiguity, the fast pace and the journey of creating something from nothing. I went into my McKinsey tenure with the mindset that entrepreneurship would come after my time at the firm. I spent the next two years learning as much as possible so I could take those skills and start my own company.

It was an incredible experience – there are a few things that really stuck out for me:

• The caliber of people was unparalleled. It showed me the “benchmark” that I need to meet in order to be successful in business. People were friendly, intelligent, ambitious, and willing to share
• The training – both on the job and formal – was continuous and applicable far beyond management consulting
• The responsibility from day one is stressful but immensely rewarding. Nowhere else is a recent college or MBA graduate with limited business experience given 3 months to get to par with senior executives who’ve pored over the same problems for decades. It really teaches you to focus on the things that matter

#2 Why did you start this blog?

I’ve been helping friends/colleagues looking to enter management consulting for years with their resumes, cover letters, interviews, and questions. It’s personally and professionally fulfilling for me. Given that experience (and the experience inside McKinsey helping recruit new employees and seeing how the hiring process worked), I decided to start this blog to share the knowledge accumulated – and am looking forward to meeting others on a similar journey.

It’s an effective avenue for selling my own consulting services. In future weeks, I plan to release case studies, interview guides, and the like. All with the same aim – at helping people become as prepared as possible for a career in the consulting industry.

#3 Can you help me…

I’ve gotten many emails with questions about recruiting; requests to help with specific aspects of applications; and so forth. While I try my best to be helpful, I do have limited time. In addition, even the people I do help, I can barely scratch the surface through email. If you really have tons of burning questions or need my undivided attention, by far the best way is to sign-up for a coaching session with me – I’m flexible about the amount of time needed and when. This way, everybody wins!

Thanks for reading!

UPCOMING POSTS: More detail on each component of the recruiting process

Good luck! Subscribe to my RSS feed here. I offer hands-on coaching sessions to help people break into management consulting and top business jobs – from re-writing your resume to simulated interviews/case studies to thorough Q&A. You’ll learn everything I know about recruiting for and working at the top businesses in the world