Previous interviews featured consultants from Booz Allen, AT Kearney, Nortel, and McKinsey.

Disclaimer: I did not personally conduct this interview. Both the questions and answers were sent to me by a kind reader. I found the content to be insightful and thorough, so enjoy!

I’ve bolded parts that are helpful for consulting applicants, and have additional comments in gray paragraph boxes at the end of each question

What do you do?

Celerant is a virtual company, in that we don’t have regional offices. Our consultants live anywhere in North America that they wish and the project sites become their office. Typically I will fly out Monday morning and return on Friday evening every week of a project which tend to last anywhere from 4-12 months at a time. Upon arrival on Monday morning I go directly to the client site where it is expected I will begin work no later than after lunch that day.

My typical day (averages 12 hours long) is spent facilitating a client team through identification and development of solutions. Another large portion of my time is spent helping this team explain the value of our solutions to key stakeholders in the organization. I’m working with people from the ground floor up to top management in order to fully implement sustainable change in the organization. Implementing change includes helping them to see the value of change and how it will benefit everyone in the long run, and getting the key people to feel so good about new ways that they are carrying out their business that they would never want to go back to the old.

The value we offer our clients first and foremost is that of an outsider with experience in their field with ideas and alternative solutions to the way that work is currently being done. We are change agents. It is our job to help stretch the clients thinking of what is possible and drive them to implement new or improved systems and processes which will in turn streamline the workflow and rationalize the work being done by those people in certain functions and decision making roles. Typically we take a hard look at things like:

• Identifying & picking up ‘quick wins’ (financial and cultural improvements that can happen within minimal effort or approval) that can gain momentum for the client & the project
• Reviewing how the client manages its inventories, organizes & executes activities across departments, and responds to market demands.
• How effectively the client is forecasting, planning, executing and reporting the work that is taking place
• Realigning the roles, responsibilities, and structure within the organization in alignment with the value chain for the company

What sets Celerant apart from other consultancies is that we are an Implementation and Operational Strategy consultancy. We are on the ground with the people doing the work and achieving cost savings & process optimization which link directly to the bottom line. Also, as a result of the program that we come in offering and the typical project duration we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver sustainable behavior change to our clients which will assure a culture of continuous improvement has been institutionalized.

Read my post on a day in consulting and additional thoughts on consulting travel. Celerant is focused on operations work – intense, daily client interaction with folks up and down the org chart is typical

What steps have you taken to get to where you are today?

This was my first job after graduating from college. It was through much conversation with professors, friends, and career services that I identified the field of Management Consulting as the field I wanted to enter. I realized up front the rigor of the job (travel, lifestyle, etc) but was enticed by the opportunity to see the inner workings of many different companies and learn first hand the ‘Don’t and Don’ts’ of business so that one day my company won’t make the same mistakes.

I entered Celerant at the consultant level and was promoted 1.5 years later to the title of Senior Consultant. With the promotion I have taken on much more responsibility and expectations for output and thought leadership. I have spent time in many different areas of our company learning about offerings such as Asset Management, Supply Chain, and most recently Organizational Effectiveness. I see the experience of diversifying experience in the first few years as a ‘Must Do’, for it helps ones marketability as well as helping you avoid becoming pigeon holed when looking for future jobs in that industry or if you were to change industries all together.

Consulting affords a broad business education, but you can’t take it for granted. Strive to learn a diverse set of skills to keep options open. More on consulting skills here

What qualities do you and your company/organization find most attractive when hiring?

Years of experience in related industries and/or consulting are a big plus when applying. But I think the following characteristics about a candidate are also very appealing to Celerant:

• Experience facilitating, coaching, and driving groups to solutions and outputs
• A “Whatever it takes” mentality
• Self Confidence
• The ability to present and speak with confidence about ones convictions and ideals
• Not just an understanding of the problems that companies face or the solutions to improve their current situation, but the ability to take the client from the old to the new (Facilitation)
• Creativity to solving problems and the ability to communicate with others

What sort of academic and professional experiences would be helpful in landing a job in your field?

I think that the following were all very important in preparing me to land a job in the consulting field:

• My focus on Management & Organizational Behavior “Why do people act and behave like they do in given situations?” or “What do good organizations do?”
• Experiences in coaching and leading in many different arenas in and out of college. I spent 4 years coaching basketball, took on many leadership positions within volunteer organizations, and was forced to develop & implement solutions within all of those experiences
• Ability to understand at a high level those buttons that impact the bottom line and financial viability of a company
• Utilize your professors/mentors/friends in industry as advisors that you keep in touch with. I have continued to keep my 2 college advisors as well as some close friends (both peers and from my parents generation) abreast of my endeavors, thoughts, concerns, and new ideas on given basis. People you have a connection with are receptive to listening and want to offer advice.

Having had no prior “long term” industry experience when entering this job it was these past experiences that helped me to relate, adapt, and find solutions to problems I encountered along the way.

The above points emphasize leadership and business knowledge. Read every consulting resource you can find and edit your resume to demonstrate you have a consulting skillset

Where would you recommend that people interested in this occupation begin to look?

• Use the college and grad school alumni network – Call, e-mail, take them out to lunch
• Use the network of family and friends you have – they know you the best as far as your credibility, although you may need to show them that you are definitely ready and qualified to enter the industry you are looking at
• Go knocking on doors & find ways to talk to people in companies you are interested in
• Have a mantra/story that you are always talking about. Not just a clear picture of what you want to do, but why and how excited you are about finding an opportunity. It is amazing how powerful it is when one keeps their goal mind at all turns, and how opportunities begin to present themselves

Network and network some more! It’s key to landing consulting jobs. Learn how to network at presentations and consulting networking basics from previous posts

What are your future professional plans?

I will own my own business someday soon down the road. Risky? Yes, but I’m very clear that I want to be the one ultimately accountable for my success and that of my company.

I also look forward to working in executive development one day coaching CEO’s and top level management teams through transitions, tough decisions, and new opportunities.

I’m very excited to return to coaching at some time in the future and work developing and mentoring young people through athletics.

Lastly, I hope to one day be able to be a sounding board and Angel investor for young people and the business ideas and plans that they want to get off the ground.

I think that I will need to be a CEO in order to coach CEOs (credibility). To that point I believe that getting my MBA will be critical as well.

Entrepreneurship and venture capital are two attractive consulting exit options

Any last words of wisdom?

• Keep your goal in mind at all times. Let it emanate from you in all you do.
• Take every opportunity to learn and increase your frame of reference
• Do what you like, define success for yourself (don’t let others) and become comfortable with the reality of what it will take to achieve that success. If you are doing something you don’t like, it will be clear to everyone you work with.

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UPCOMING POSTS: Consulting exit opportunities – Part 2 of 2

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

This article is part 1 of 2 that will “deep dive” into the topic (with a precise estimate of the percentage pursuing each).

I considered bumming on a beach in Koh Samui when I left consulting, but for more ambitious folk, here are the main paths:

Private equity

Percentage: 12%

Mergers and Inquisitions briefly covers this topic in its private equity recruiting post. Consultants are well-suited for private equity jobs – but they need to pick their spots.

• Most consultants exit to middle-market PE firms that are operationally-focused on portfolio companies and leverage consulting skillsets well
• Most consultants exit to PE firms with a tradition of hiring consultants. Golden Gate Capital is one example. Others include Audax and Capstone (the “consulting arm” of KKR)
• Larger shops like Carlyle and TPG prefer consultants with corporate finance project work or prior banking experience (eg, a summer internship at Morgan Stanley)

What are the benefits of leaving consulting for private equity? PE offers better pay, great prestige, and an opportunity to work on industry-shaping deals.

If you want to work in PE and have the opportunity, take it now. It’s easier to enter the industry before business school than after

What are the best consulting firms to enter private equity? Target the big guys (McKBain Group) and those with a financial sector focus (eg, Oliver Wyman).

Hedge funds

Percentage: 7%

Like private equity recruiting, consultants can break into the hedge fund industry but opportunities are limited. Focus on funds where consulting skillsets are valued. For example, equity long-short and macroeconomic funds emphasize market research and operational due diligence in investments. Specialized funds (such as mezzanine debt) would not be a good fit.

What are the benefits of leaving consulting for a hedge fund? Like private equity, hedge funds offer better pay and industry-changing opportunities. This is another industry where entering before business school is easier than after.

Asset management and equity research

Percentage: 9%

Business consulting skillsets are a great fit for jobs in asset management and equity research. Work for the best consulting firms and target modeling-heavy projects.

With all consulting exit options into finance, your path is made easier by taking a finance job to begin with. Investment banking with prestigious M&A groups offers a better shot at strong private equity and hedge fund exits

Entrepreneurship

Percentage: 16%

Consulting provides a strong platform for entrepreneurs – you’re exposed to multiple industries, complex business problems, and a wide network of business-savvy people. I took this path upon leaving McKinsey.

There are 2 options:

• Start a company – this is common across tenures. In fact, Bain was started by a former BCG partner! A colleague of mine is CEO of GiveReal, if anyone wants to send me a drink
• Join a startup – consulting firms are full of entrepreneurial people, and usually have strong startup communities helpful for recruiting

That’s it for now. Expect the concluding part 2 on Consulting Exit Opportunities tomorrow (topics include graduate school, Fortune 500, and more).

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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

In this post, I’ll highlight the key steps to take when this happens. Not a fun post – but a necessary one.

The advice applies equally to industries like investment banking

1. Follow-up the rejection and ask for feedback

This is priority numero uno. You’ll typically receive a rejection call after the interview. If the caller is one of your interviewers, politely ask him/her for feedback on your performance. Don’t come across as bitter, upset, or anyway emotional – simply interested in receiving feedback for future improvement. Example questions to ask are:

• “Mark – thanks for the call. Can I get your honest assessment of where I could’ve done better?”
• “Janice – I appreciate the response. It felt to me like I didn’t perform well in summarizing the cases. Were there other areas that were weaknesses?”

If the caller is not one of your interviewers – send an email (another time when business cards come in handy!) to schedule a quick call for post-interview feedback. 8 times out of 10, they’ll agree. The other 2 times, they’ll most likely respond directly to the email with some feedback. Here’s how you should phrase that email:

Hi Yoda, I appreciated the opportunity to interview with you last Thursday. Unfortunately, Danielle at HR just called to inform me that I won’t be receiving an offer. Could I give you a ring to get some post-interview feedback? It would help me in future interviews and to understand how I can improve through this process. Feel free to call me anytime (123-456-7890) or leave a number. Sincerely, George

Short and to the point.

Once you’ve received feedback, take it to heart! Practice will only help for future interviews or next year’s recruiting cycle.

If you don’t make it past the resume stage, don’t ask. It’s rare that they’ll give comments, and if they do it’ll be very generic. Here are some possible criteria for resume rejections

2. Focus on upcoming interviews

If this isn’t your last interview, prepare doubly hard for the next one. No surprise here. Internalize feedback about your shortcomings (”you were unstructured in your approach to the case…you had an insufficient understanding of the underlying business drivers…we didn’t feel that you were a good fit for our company culture”). One of the most common mistakes people make is to practice alone. Do it with another person – it’s 5x more valuable. Ask your family as a last resort.

3. Re-evaluate and broaden your pipeline

Steve Shu is on the mark here when he suggests “casting a wide net”. Applicants suffer from tunnel vision – the whole “Bain or Bust mentality”.

I’ll say it here: getting an offer to any of the top 50 management consulting firms is a major accomplishment

Apply to whatever is available and take interviews even if you wouldn’t accept the offer. Practice is key and options are valuable.

There simply isn’t a consulting firms database comparable to what exists in investment banking. I’m in the midst of building one; until then – Vault has a good starting point here.

As discussed previously, online consulting applications should be a last resort. Networking will be a key differentiator.

4. Explore alternatives such as grad school, finance, and entrepreneurship

Ultimately, you may still be rejected from the industry. But the game’s just started!

There are plenty of other options – ones you should’ve considered from day 1 anyway. If your heart is still set on management and strategy consulting, the best thing you can do is recruit for jobs with the best combination of brand recognition and skill-development. Suggested areas include finance (eg, investment banking and sales & trading) and the corporate track (eg, corporate management and product management). Not a particularly innovative list – but you get my point.

Consider grad school. Particularly if your undergraduate institution is not a “target school” – a top tier grad school can be a solid reset button. Masters programs are shorter and less selective than other alternatives. Important disclaimer – don’t get a masters degree just for recruiting purposes.

Finally, there’s entrepreneurship. I’m clearly a big fan, but startups won’t allow you to break back into consulting unless you consider post-graduate education. There’s no clear network and no channel into management consulting. It is a viable path, however, to venture capital.

5. Network, network, network

Never stop networking. It makes a difference, particularly in tough economic times when there are 10 equally qualified candidates for 2 positions. It comes down to who you know and how well. If you’re in school, network at information sessions, social mixers, business conferences. If you’re out of school, network through school alumni, colleagues past and present, family and friends. Online media (in particular, blogging and forum discussions) can be another great way to meet people with overlapping interests.

6. Prepare for next year

This particularly applies to summer internship applicants. Driving factors for resume rejection include low GPA, lack of leadership experiences and initiative taking, and lack of strong work experience. Work on them however you can. Interview rejection can include factors above, plus lack of preparation.

7. Finally, continue kicking butt in your current role

Don’t slack off. Many complaints that people have about their current jobs are fixable – insufficient responsibility, lack of challenging work, no upward movement. The solution to these topics belongs on another blog, but my advice is to take initiative wherever possible. This applies for current students as well. Your track record of promotions, driving impact, skills learned – will be critical when you try to land consulting jobs!

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UPCOMING POSTS: Why companies employ consultants; The 5 things you can do during school that can guarantee a consulting job offer

I offer resume editing and live interview prep to help people break into management consulting and top business jobs. We’ll prepare you to master the recruiting process, stand out from the 1000’s of other applicants, and land job offers

If you’re interested in finance and investment banking, the best article on this topic can be found here. The Inquisitor does a great job explaining how the sausage is made.

Without reinventing the wheel, this post will shed light on how consultants read resumes. There are some important differences between consulting and finance

Resume screening is identical for summer internships and full-time positions.

So who calls the shots?

With resume review, it’s a team of analysts, associates, and managers. You can bet that:

• There will be a review team of at least 3-5 persons looking through your resume independently and in groups
• Most of this team will be graduates of your school (undergraduate, graduate, and MBA)
• Final decisions are made by committee

Similar to finance, senior folks don’t get involved until interviews and offers. I’d like to think it’s because they have faith in the junior folks, but its mostly a question of time and value.

On your resume, the most respected input comes from someone who shares your background. So if you’re a Columbia engineering undergrad, a fellow Columbia engineering graduate on the review team will be looked to for insight on your GPA, student group involvement, and so forth

How does the process work?

Each member of the review team will get a pack of resumes. This can range from 50-300 resumes per member. Often, consulting cover letters are removed from this pack – yet another reason why you should focus your energies on a top-notch resume.

Consultants spend more time on each resume than bankers. 30 seconds may be par for finance, but you can expect at least a minute in consulting

One minute is still really fast. This places a premium on attention-grabbing bullets; concise, results-oriented experiences; clean formatting and styling.

After reviewing the resumes independently, the team will review each resume as a group, comparing notes and sharing insights. This is when decisions are made.

Specifically what are they looking for in each resume, and if I don’t get an interview, what could be the reasons why?

As mentioned in this post on consulting resume tips, it comes down to 3 buckets:

1. Academic success: good signs include high GPA and standardized test scores, challenging courses of study (eg, multiple majors, technical degrees)
2. Work experience: good signs include brand-name companies, jobs where you took initiative and demonstrated impact, breadth and depth of work experience
3. Leadership and entrepreneurism: good signs include founding companies and campus groups, experience leading teams

The specifics vary by company, and it’s tough to elucidate specific benchmarks or cutoffs. But your resume needs to demonstrate strength in all 3 categories to get an interview at the best firms.

If you don’t get an interview, it’s typically lack of one or more of the 3. Often, low GPA and standardized test scores (this is not an ironclad rule) are the primary factor – particularly if you have solid work experience and leadership/teamwork experience.

On borderline candidates

There are always borderline candidates – those who have one clear Achilles Heel (ahem, Ms. very low GPA), or whose resumes just lack a knockout blow. For these candidates, the group takes a closer look at your resume.

This is where a great consulting resume is the difference between getting an interview and receiving a dreaded denial

Why? Because when review teams apply a microscope, they really look to see what I’ve recommended to readers this entire time: meaningful results in your experiences that show hard-work, initiative-taking, and impact.

If review teams can see #1, your story makes you a fit for consulting, and #2, you demonstrate success in a variety of situations – you’ve got an interview.

Is there a secret waitlist?

The answer is yes and no.

Yes, because specific offices, groups, and departments occasionally need to fill a gap. And to do so, they review applicants from previous recruiting cycles who didn’t make the cut.

No, beacuse this usually happens if you make final round interviews and didn’t receive an offer. It rarely happens at the resume to first round interview bridge. But if 10 first round interviewers from your school fall sick with the flu, you may receive a call.

Click here for more on management consulting resumes

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I offer resume editing and interview prep. Through one-on-one sessions, I’ll help you stand out from 1000’s of other applicants and land consulting jobs