What skills consulting recruiters want from graduates
Employers from management consultancies reveal the core skills, qualifications and competencies they expect from successful graduate job-hunters.
Management consulting is a competitive industry to enter into and candidates need to stand out from the crowd.
Every candidate has the potential to be successful – but it requires preparation. It’s important to do your research on an employer and find out what skills, competencies and experiences they expect candidates to possess. Use all available resources – the internet, your careers service, open days, employer campus presentations, and graduate recruitment literature among others – for insights as to what these might be. The more you know about an employer and the position the greater the advantage you possess. Here's what consulting recruiters suggest...
Commercial awareness
Strategy consulting is intellectually demanding, requiring an inherent understanding for commercial decision making combined with an ability to translate complex data into useful insights. Being comfortable with commercial concepts will enable you to think creatively during case study interviews. On your CV, describe commercially focused work experience, attendance at business insight days/seminars or your involvement in a university project that required commercial insight. At a case study interview, provide commercial justification for any assumptions you make.
Holly Johnson, associate recruitment coordinator, L.E.K. Consulting
Problem-solving skills
As management consultants we advise clients on how to approach challenging areas within the business. We use problem-solving skills on a daily basis, assessing the situation and presenting recommendations on how to move forward. During our recruitment process we test candidates' problem-solving skills in the first round by looking at their analytical skills. At the assessment centre, candidates are tested on how they identify the issues, structure the problem and draw conclusions both individually and as a team exercise.
Claire Caw, manager, A.T. Kearney
Personal drive and initiative
To succeed in economic consulting, you need to be creative, hardworking and committed to producing excellent work. We look for people from all backgrounds with a genuine interest in applying economics and finance to the real-world problems faced by our clients. You need to have the drive and tenacity to persevere with challenging problems, even when things don't go to plan, use your initiative, show that you can actively influence events, act on opportunities and motivate others to succeed.
Chris Osborne, head of EFC EMEA, FTI Consulting
Show recruiters that numbers don’t scare you
Almost all the work that is done in consulting has a quantitative element, so to be able to show that you are confident with numbers is essential. This means demonstrating that you can structure a problem logically, and do calculations quickly and accurately. Writing things down during the interview is good way of highlighting the steps of your thinking and will help when sense checking the result before giving the answer.
Anna Gustavsson, senior consultant at Corporate Value Associates
Show you’re able to get on well with people
You always need to cultivate reciprocal relationships with clients in a consultancy environment. Show a genuine interest in them as a person rather than just someone you have been thrown together with. This allows you and the client to have work conflicts but not to let it affect the overall project. Think of a time where, had you not had a great relationship with someone, you would have been unable to find a solution to a task or get to your end goal.
Gillian Bray, manager, human resources, CHP Consulting
Business sense
Business sense is not about demonstrating at interview that you know all the latest business stories, although we obviously expect an awareness of front-page news.
Business sense is about having a feel for how business works, being comfortable with making assumptions to fill in the blanks (without being paralysed by detail), and being able to explain how you could go about refining your assumptions.
Jolanda Birchall, recruitment manager, OC&C Strategy Consultants
Creativity
Our consultants work alongside our clients to solve their most complex and challenging problems. Off-the-shelf frameworks rarely apply and each client's situation is unique. To stand out at interview, you will need to demonstrate creativity and problem-solving ability when faced with an unfamiliar case study.
We look for consultants who analyse and think around the problem rather than forcing a particular way of thinking. Strong candidates will work with the interviewer to understand the issue fully and then come up with a practical solution.
Shane Richardson, EMEA recruitment manager, Oliver Wyman
Showing passion
Many candidates come to us and give competent answers, but without showing sufficient dynamism or being sufficiently memorable. A key interview skill, which will make you stand out, is the ability to talk with passion about a topic. You should, of course, be passionate about the job, but you can also show passion about many other things – your studies, your gap year or your hobbies. I often question candidates about their dissertation, as this is something they should be knowledgeable and, just as importantly, passionate about.
David Rogers, senior consultant, FTI Consulting
Conviction
Consultants are brought into clients for a wide range of reasons, from highly technical to highly political. A strong advisor, while always mindful of a client’s particular circumstances, must be prepared to take a position and defend it rigorously, even if this is not what the client wants to hear.
Consulting firms will look for consistent, strong-minded candidates, prepared to make a decision and stick to it, whether in a case-study interview or when choosing an employer.
Edward Rutherford, senior manager, Corporate Value Associates
Personal impact
Throughout the applications process we look for candidates who can demonstrate a high level of personal impact. You should look for opportunities where you personally can have a positive impact in areas that you are passionate about. This could be during a summer internship, through voluntary work or participation in team sports.
When discussing these examples focus on your own contribution and demonstrate how you have successfully built relationships or managed conflict to bring about change.
Emma Harper, graduate recruitment manager, McKinsey & Company
Core management consulting skills and competencies
Management consultants work on all aspects of a business and recruiters are looking for candidates who understand how businesses operate in different markets. Work experience within a commercial environment, involvement with relevant organisations and reading industry journals and financial newspapers are all good starting points for demonstrating your awareness and industry knowledge. You’ll also need to be flexible and cope well with pressure and unexpected challenges. Travelling during time out is highly regarded by recruiters as it demonstrates that you’re self-sufficient, independently able and can adapt quickly to new circumstances and cultures. Consulting is a social profession so it’s crucial that you can interact with clients and colleagues at all levels. Leadership, drive and motivation are other skills recruiters look for so be sure to mention any team participation in clubs or societies, as well as any extracurricular activities you’re involved with.
Skills for consultants
We asked the graduate recruitment teams across a range of firms what other skills and aptitudes they look for in candidates. Here’s what they told us:
• academic ability
• entrepreneurial spirit
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• a ‘big picture view’
• confidence
• flexibility
• initiative
• a genuine interest in consulting and business
• the ability to work as part of a team
http://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors/management-consulting/283359-what-skills-consulting-recruiters-want-from-graduates