The course “Consultant Behaviour” was offered to Master’s students following the Master in Management from ESCP Business School as part of the specialization “Consulting dynamics and practices”. It aims at providing, through a transversal approach, a deep knowledge of the Consulting practice and the different aspects of the consulting work. The second session provides information on the recruitment process in consulting firms as well as general information on the career evolution of a consultant. It also lists the reasons why you should join consulting and the reasons why you should not join consulting.

1. Spring 2021
1
Consulting Behaviour
Stream A7
Dr. Benjamin Lehiany
& Stéphane Lesage
Session 2:
Consulting jobs & careers

2. 1. The consulting industry,
actors & hot topics
2. Consulting jobs &
careers
2
3. The mission lifecycle &
consultant toolbox
4. The commercial
proposal
5. The Consultant posture,
ethics & time management
COURSE STRUCTURE & CONTENT

3. 3
Agenda
I - Recruitment process
II - Career evolution
III - Presentation of the Challenge

4. 1. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
RECRUITMENT STAGES AND SELECTIVITY
4
Source: ALUMNEYE
02
01
03
Target schools « top-tier ». For MBBs in France: HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, Sciences Po,
Polytechnique, Centrale, Mines, Ponts & Chaussées, Supelec, Telecom
CV and Motivation Letter
Quantitative & qualitative tests:
problem solving, mathematics & logics,
English…
Online tests
From 1 to 3 rounds, each round includes
one or 2 interviews, including the so called
case studies.
Interviews
50%
Success rate
MBBs
20%
Success rate
MBBs
10%
Success rate
MBBs
1%

5. 1. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
RECRUITMENT STAGES: EXAMPLES
5
First round:
1. MCQ business quali/quanti:
http://www.mckinsey.com/careers/apply/problem_solving_test
2. 2 interviews of 50’ each
Second round : Four interviews of 1 hour each
For an internship
First round:
1 – Online test quanti / quali
2 – Interview of 30-40’ minutes with case study
Second round: 2 interviews of 1 hour each
For an internship
First round:
1 – English test (phone call + text translation)
2 – 2 interviews of 45’ minutes each with case study
Second round: 2 interviews of 45’ each with case stuides
Source: Conseilenstrat.fr
For an internship
First round:
1 – Either half-day of group interviews (10 candidates) with case
studies
2 – Or 2 interviews of 1 hour each minutes with case study
Second round: 2 interviews of 1 hour each
More at http://www.conseilenstrat.fr/les-differents-processus-de-recrutement-dans-le-conseil-en-strategie/

6. 1. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
INTERVIEW PROCESS
SOME PRELIMINARY REMARKS
▪ An interview is composed of 3 parts which are structurally
interconnected
▪ The order of these parts is imposed and generalized to all
interviews and makes a systematic bias
▪ The pink part is important: it’s made of all the “extra” (soft
skills) from when you exchange the first look with the
interviewer until you close the door of the room to get out of
the interview
o For example the style (the way you are dressed-up),
the physical behavior (how you take notes), the
vocabulary (do you use words which looks like you),
the voice , the eyes…
o But also the way you sit, the way you think…
6
Source: V. Mamou

7. 1. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
NEW DIGITAL e-TOOLS AND PRACTICES
7
▪ Online interviews as the new standard.
▪ Screening social networks and online image (e.g. Linkedin,
Twitter, Facebook, Google…).
▪ Chatbot : BCG uses Chatbot “Casey” to get the flow of
business cases online – a way to absorb more than 1.000
interviews in Paris Office in 2019.
▪ Gamification : McKinsey uses Video Games requiring
neither business knowledge nor specific skills to reveal
unidentifiable "Pearls" through the classic process.
▪ AI : Bain & Company uses a platform “Pymetrics” based
on AI to assess the social, cognitive and behavioral
characteristics of candidates.
New ways to recruit talents as efficiently as possible :

8. 1. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
PREPARATION
8
Source: V. Mamou
Between 50 to 150 hours of preparation

9. 1. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
CASE STUDIES
9
Source: V. Mamou
≠

10. 1. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
CASE STUDIES
10
Source: V. Mamou
Classical case cracking approaches & key topics

11. 1. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
PREPARATION: SOME FAMOUS BOOKS
11
Source: V. Mamou

12. 2. CAREER EVOLUTION
BECOMING A CONSULTANT…A STEP-BY-STEP CAREER
12
JR. CONSULTANT TO CONSULTANT OR ANALYST
(0 – 4 YEARS)
> Assimilating of the consulting behavior
> Learning “the trade” within a specific domain of expertise
> Getting skills of project management
SENIOR CONSULTANT
(4 – 7 YEARS)
> developing a specialization within a specific domain of expertise
> Getting more self-sufficiency
> Orienting and exploring sales activities
MANAGER TO SENIOR MANAGER
(7 – 14 YEARS)
> Being known for his field of expertise
> Responsible for business volume, through sales and delivering
a project
> Being able to work as a team leader or counsellor for other
team members
PRINCIPAL, DIRECTOR TO PARTNER
(> 15 YEARS)
> Being part of the company's leadership
> Being develops high-level business relations and high-
impact projects
> Leading large teams and also generates new business ideas

13. 2. CAREER EVOLUTION
LADDERS OVERVIEW AT MBB+
SOURCE : IGOTANOFFER.COM

14. 14
SKILLS AND BEHAVIOUR
BUSINESS
PRE-SALE
MANAGEMENT
Responsabilities
Ladders
INTERNAL DUTIES
HIRING
SALES
ANALYST & CONSULTANT
SENIOR
MANAGER TO SENIOR MANAGER
PRINCIPAL, DIRECTOR TO PARTNER
2. CAREER EVOLUTION
BECOMING A CONSULTANT…A STEP BY STEP CAREER

15. 15 SOURCE : ARTHUR D. LITTLE
2. CAREER EVOLUTION
EXAMPLE: CONSULTING PROJECT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AT ADL

16. 16 SOURCE : BCG
2. CAREER EVOLUTION
EXAMPLE: CONSULTING PROJECT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AT BCG

17. 2. CAREER EVOLUTION
SALARIES OVERVIEW
• Base salary higher than other
management jobs (>25%)
• Mid-manager in top-tier
consulting firm earn as much
as CAC40 ExCom members
• Base salary share of
remuneration
package…variable across
tenure
• Bonus growing with tenure
• Only two other career paths
compete
o Investment banking
o Entrepreneurship
PACKAGE SALARY
• “Money is not an issue”
• Reimbursement of work
costs…with interesting impact
on work life
o Plane
o Food
o Hotel
o Car costs
o Taxis
• Consulting firms propose
several gifts & advantages for
their employees
o Tech gifts
o Week-end / seminars
FINANCIAL ADVANTAGES
• Salary evolution is one of the
quickest in work market
• Smooth +20% per year for
performers
• Quick promotion
• Most of consulting positions
with 6 figures salaries
EVOLUTION
SOURCE : V. MAMOU

18. 2. CAREER EVOLUTION
SALARIES OVERVIEW
SOURCE : IGOTANOFFER.COM

19. 2. CAREER EVOLUTION
AFTER CONSULTING
• Consulting is a career accelerator with clear impact on
next steps salaries. 1 year experience in consulting
usually = 2 years in the rest of industry
• If like 80% of consultants, you quit before having
managing tenures then you can target new job with
same level of salary
• With the same level of experience as a consultant,
candidates get more responsibilities than being internal
employees.
DURING LEAVING PROCESS AFTER CONSULTING
• In top tier consulting firms… up to 6 months
of full salary paid without working
• In addition to legal compensation, possibility
to negotiate leaving bonus…one year of bonus
possible ;)
• Possibility to negotiate HR consulting support
after quitting the firm…or to monetize it
• Anyway good practice to stay within implicit
negotiation limits
…WHEN YOU QUIT THE CONSULTING FIRM LIKE 80% OF CONSULTANTS
19
SOURCE : V. MAMOU

20. 2. CAREER EVOLUTION
MANAGING THE STRUCTURAL TURNOVER
With a high staff turnover about 25% and the "up or out" policy,
consulting firms deploy divergent strategies :
Internal mobility versus off-boarding
For example, when EY struggles to retain their consultants,
Mazars prefers to boost their employability :
▪ The Mazars offboarding process offers to staff consultants in
a client mission corresponding to their wishes with
possibility of being hired.
▪ EY offers new career paths to enable people to experience a
diversity of skills and professions and responds to the search
for meaning by encouraging the skill sponsorship
20
SOURCES: LES ECHOS

21. 21 SOURCE : BCG.COM
2. CAREER EVOLUTION
THE DIVERSITY OF CONSULTING JOBS
Mathematical post-degree training
(Harvard business review has identified
Data scientist “The Sexiest Job of the 21st
Century”)
Operate business knowledge in transversal
functions is a winning bet : the company
leverages on core business expertise
while consultants take new career
direction by capitalizing on their skills.

22. 22 SOURCE : BCG
2. CAREER EVOLUTION
KT ROLES IN THE PROJECT LIFE-CYCLE

23. 23 SOURCE : BCG
2. CAREER EVOLUTION
KT CAREER TRACK COMPRISED OF FIVE ROLES AT BCG

24. 2. CAREER EVOLUTION
1. Salaries 20% to 50% higher than in industry and services
2. Quicker evolution than in other sectors: for career tracks and for compensations –during consulting
experience and even after
3. Internal development training highly developed
4. Opportunity to gain exposure to senior clients
5. Acquisition of work approach, methodologies, workload, efficiency and quality beyond common
standards
6. Opportunity to work in various sectors with various business challenges
7. Immersion in international context through clients’ portfolio or/and consulting firms’ culture
8. Be part of a strong professional network
9. Opportunity to reach quickly high tenure jobs outside consulting
10. Acquisition of core knowledge of companies’ decision mechanisms
24
SOURCE : V. MAMOU
10 good reasons to become consultant

25. 2. CAREER EVOLUTION
1. Hour salary can be very low when integrating workload
2. Stressful career tracks with the well known up or out selection process threatening each
consultant
3. Little time for social and family life
4. Low decision power: consultant propose
5. Most of the work is done outside the « comfort zone », with feeling to start from scratch on each
new project
6. Challenge to become a real specialist
7. Short term projects, work team change continuously and thus difficult to build relationship on
more long-term perspective even with colleagues
8. Average duration of consulting life less than 5 years: experience of ephemeral
9. Mind formatting where difference is dissolute
10. Extreme job only for workaholic !
25
SOURCE : V. MAMOU
10 good reasons not to become consultant

26. 1. The consulting industry,
actors & hot topics
2. Consulting jobs &
careers
26
3. The mission lifecycle &
consultant toolbox
4. The commercial
proposal
5. The Consultant posture,
ethics & time management
COURSE STRUCTURE & CONTENT
Next session
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