1. Welcome to the Evisors Webinar
Visit us online at www.evisors.com
Becoming a Consultant: Targeting the job, Getting the
job, and Succeeding at being a consultant
featuring
Ben Schumacher
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2. Becoming a Consultant
About Ben
Targeting the Job
Getting the Job
Succeeding as a consultant
Q&A
Hosted by: Career Advisors on Demand.
.com/webinars

3. About Ben
• Kentucky native – Go Wildcats
• Washington University in St. Louis grad
• 2006-2009 Deloitte Consulting, Strategy & Operations,
top of my peer group
• 2009 Instituto Exclusivo, Bolivia, Internal Consultant
• 2009 – 2011 Harvard Business School grad w/ Honors
• Summer 2010 McKinsey & Company
• Independent consultant for organizations such as Save
the Children and Achievement First Charter Schools
• 2011+ Teach For America, Leadership Fellow and
Director of Strategy
• 2012 Teach For America, Managing Director of
Leadership Development
• Avid Words with Friends/Scrabble competitor
Hosted by: Career Advisors on Demand.
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4. Becoming a Consultant
About Ben
Targeting the Job
Getting the Job
Succeeding as a consultant
Q&A
Hosted by: Career Advisors on Demand.
.com/webinars

5. Overview of the Consulting Industry
The Big Three
• McKinsey & Company
• BCG
• Bain
Traditional Firms
• Monitor
• Booz & Co
• A.T. Kearney
• L.E.K.
Independents
• …Too many to name!
Boutique/Niche
• Corporate Executive
Board
• William H Mercer
• Parthenon
• CMF
Diversified MegaFirms
• Deloitte
• Accenture
• IBM
• Other accounting firms
Internal Corporate Groups
• PepsiCo
• AMEX
• Disney Institute
• TFA?
• Etc
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6. How to Research the Industry
• Company website
• Vault Guides
– Career Guide to Consulting
– Top 50 Consulting Firms
• Wetfeet guide
• Career Services and Clubs
• Classmates, alumni, family
• Regional conferences and networking events
• External news source – set up Google alerts too!
– The Economist
– Wall Street Journal
– Financial Times
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7. What are Firms Looking For?
• A habit of excellence and impact
• Evidence of strong leadership capability
• Project and people management ability
• Facility with analytics and critical thinking
• Strong communication skills for client leadership
• Global and/ industry / company experience
• Immediate deployability
• A proactive disposition
• Ability to work hard, work fast, and work with a view to the “80-20”
• Cultural fit
• The airport test
• People that are awesome
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8. What to Expect in the Recruiting Process
• The courting process – “it’s not you, it’s me”
• Info sessions
• Campus representatives – usually early consultants
• Networking galore: phone calls, coffee chats,
happy hours, thank-you notes – proactive
networking is critical for students at non-target
schools
• Mock case interviews, depending on campus
• A buddy system
• Note: Really varies by campus. Some campuses
feature well-established relationships and
methodical recruiting processes. Others require a
more bottom-up network-focused job search
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9. Recruiting: Your Checklist
• Cast a wide net
• Choose the “right” office (hint: some offices are easier to get
accepted to than others due to supply/demand)
• Show your leadership…in a very humble way
• Get on the “high-potential” list
• Attend every event to indicate strong interest (and make the
recruiting/interview process more personal)
• Send thoughtful, personal thank-you notes to those you
meet…and then FOLLOW UP to deepen the relationship
• Hunt for personal and people-based reasons to want to join
the firm
• Consider every interaction an interview
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10. Becoming a Consultant
About Ben
Targeting the Job
Getting the Job
Succeeding as a consultant
Q&A
Hosted by:See the rest at evisors.com/webinars/webinar/53

11. Resumes and Cover Letters
• A flawless resume
– What differentiates you? How are you distinctive? (hint:
compare yourself to others)
– What impact and specific results have you had? (hint:
reference numbers)
– Strong action verbs (hint: led, managed, designed, etc.)
– Flawless formatting, spelling, and grammar
– Multiple revisions and reviews
• A compelling cover letter
– 1st paragraph: The firm: why are you personally interested?
– 2nd paragraph: You: why are you a great candidate (summative
info, immediate deployability – NOT a repeat of resume)
– 3rd paragraph: 2-3 sentences to close
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12. What to Expect in the Interview
• 1st Round: on-campus for target schools; phone
screening for non-target schools
• Final rounds in-person, usually a 45-minute 1-on-1
behavioral and case interview
• Fit/Behavioral questions – SARL framework
– Walk me through your resume
– Why consulting? Why our company?
– Tell me about a time when…be ready for the drilling!
• Hint: Use the MATRIX- SARL over Candidate Qualities
– What questions do you have for me?
• Two things not to forget: Up on news & and a
immediate thank-you
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13. What to Expect in the Interview: The Case
• Case Interview
– Market sizing: What’s the market for beer in the UK?
– Strategy: New market, new product, M&A, pricing, competitive
dynamics, etc
• Case Interview top tips by phase:
– Intro: Synthesis, on summary; Clarify objectives
– Framework: Appropriate breadth/depth; common “buckets”
include financial/economics and context/environment
– Math: Framework-ize, Verbalize and Organize
– Post-Math: Qualitative Factors
– Conclusion: Top-down communication and icing on the cake
(risk factors or next steps)
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14. Becoming a Consultant
About Ben
Targeting the Job
Getting the Job
Succeeding as a consultant
Q&A
Hosted by:See the rest at evisors.com/webinars/webinar/53

15. Succeeding as a Consultant
• Be proactive and forward-thinking – see big picture
and go above and beyond to help achieve it
• Find the right coattails
• Establish your niche
• Network broadly and intentionally – and don’t avoid
play time
• Become immediately proficient with Microsoft tools
• Lead an “extracurricular”
• Send relevant news tidbits to team
• Accept your first study and dominate it to establish
your reputation as a rock-star
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16. Becoming a Consultant
About Ben
Targeting the Job
Getting the Job
Succeeding as a consultant
Q&A
Hosted by:See the rest at evisors.com/webinars/webinar/53

17. Questions & Answers
Question 1:
Describe the training options you had while
working in consulting.
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18. Questions & Answers
Question 2:
What are some of the personal/professional
challenges faced in the consulting world?
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19. Questions & Answers
Question 3:
Do you need to be in a specialized field to
get into consulting?
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20. Questions & Answers
Question 4:
How many years of experience does it take
to become a consultant?
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21. Questions & Answers
Question 5:
If someone had 6 years of supply chain
experience, what is their advantage when
interviewing in management consulting?
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22. Questions & Answers
Question 6:
What interpersonal qualities wold a
consultant ideally have?
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23. Questions & Answers
Question 7:
Should a resume be lengthy or precise?
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24. Questions & Answers
Question 8:
Would it be a good strategy to apply for the
top consulting firms outside the country of
origin?
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25. Questions & Answers
Question 9:
Do university recruiters have quotas when
hiring for specific demographics?
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26. Thanks for Joining!
Book your session with Ben at
www.evisors.com/expert/381
Check out Ben’s book
The Best Book On HBS Admissions
at www.applyingtohbs.com
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