1. Consulting in the Real World:
A Rewarding Career in Management
& Technology Consulting
Carnegie Mellon University
Business and Technology Club
September 6th, 2013
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Larry Gioia
Director, Health Industries Advisory
IT Strategy & Enterprise Architecture
larry.gioia@us.pwc.com

2. | 2
Hi, I’m Larry (HNZ ‘05)
• Director, IT Strategy & Enterprise
Architecture
• 7 years ‘doing the consulting thing’
• Health Industries – Pharma & Life
Science
• Focus on IT Strategy, emerging
technologies, multi-channel
strategies, social / mobile / analytics
/ cloud technologies, and innovation
management
• Perpetual dabbler and serial
entrepreneur (in training)

3. | 3
Why are we here?
• WE ARE NOT HERE to recruit for PwC
• WE ARE NOT HERE because CMU is paying us lots of money
• We are here as a proud CMU/Heinz/Tepper Alums
• We are here because we really enjoy what we do for work
• We are here to provide you with an overview of the consulting marketplace
• We are here to give you our perspectives on a career in consulting
• We are here to provide you with real-world examples of what we do as a
consultants
• We are here to answer your questions
WHY ARE YOU HERE?

4. Consulting At a Glance1
A consultant (from Latin: consultare "to discuss") is a professional who
provides professional or expert advice[1] in a particular area such
as Information Technology (IT), management, accountancy, law
(tax law, in particular), human resources, marketing (and public
relations), finance, engineering, or any of many other specialized fields.
- Wikipedia
A consultant is an individual who has established an expertise in a
particular domain, can connect with clients, understands the nature
of their problem by asking intelligent questions, and can assist them
in developing a cost-effective and sustainable solution
- Larry Gioia

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What is this consulting thing all about?

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I’ve heard there are different ‘types’ of consulting? Who are the players?
Execution
Strategy
Business Technology

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How are consulting firms typically organized?
• Very common to go to market across a set of horizontals and verticals
• Most firms build their reputation for a on a given horizontal or vertical
For Example …

8. | 8
What kind of work do you?
Business
Strategy
Technology
Architecture
Strategic
Planning

9. What Make’s a Great Consultant?2

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What do consulting firm’s look for in new hires?
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Creativity
• Flexibility
• Willingness to Learn

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What are “T” skills?
A Breadth of Real-World Experiences / Skills
ADeepDomainExpertise
(CompetencyorIndustry)
Enterprise Architecture, IT Strategy, Emerging Technologies
Healthcare(Pharma)
MobileTechnologies
InnovationManagement

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What’s a typical career path in consulting?
Partner
Lifer
Director/
Principal
4-6 years
Manager
3-4 years
Senior
Consultant
2-3 years
Consultant
1-2 years
Analyst
1-2 Years
Campus
Recruits,
0yrs
MBA, MS, 2-4yrs
Experienced Hires,
5-15 yrs
Executive,
20+ yrs
Generalist Specialist

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Where do consultants typically go (if/when they leave consulting?)
Partner
Director/
PrincipalManager
Senior
ConsultantConsultantAnalyst
Generalist Specialist
~ 2-4 years
Corporate America /
Independent Consultant-
Business Unit Manager,
Program Manager, etc.
Corporate America /
Independent Consultant -
Director, AVPs, CIO, CTO,
CSMO, Partner at another
firm

14. Making it Real …3
“There is no 9-to-5 in consulting”

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How did your time at CMU position you for a career in consulting?
• Time management
• Diversity (technically, personally, and culturally)
• Working in teams
• Late nights
• Balance of business and technology classes (Tepper, Heinz, CS)
• An amazing global network of professors whom we now call
friends
• Some of the most smartest people I have ever met!
• Friends all around the world!

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What does a typical work week look like?

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Any other advice?
• Find out what you are passionate about, and do it for a living
• Consulting is an awesome place to start a career, especially if you
don’t know exactly what you want to do
• Network, network, network
• Build your brand early and often – “What is [insert your name
here] known for?”
• Imperative that you maintain a healthy work-life balance in
whatever you do for a career after college
• Have (a little) fun in the process

18. Thank You and Good Luck!