Consulting...What is it?!

I remember graduating from college and hearing about classmates who hired as consultants--traveling a lot, taking clients out to dinner, making bank. I heard of the some of the companies: KPMG, PriceWaterhouseCoopers...but I really had no clue what a job in consulting entailed. Lucky for you all, here is a crash course for those of you who would like to know more about consulting as recent graduates of Champlain.

Who: You! That's right, you don't have to have worked twenty years in one particular field to become a consultant. Many of the larger consulting companies encourage talented, recent graduates to join their ranks. Often times, entry level consultants are referred to as, junior associates or consulting analysts. According to KPMG's web site, junior associates are mentored and supported throughout their career and receive "incredible training both in technical skills and soft skills in areas such as effective communication, presentation skills and negotiation skills." (http://www.kpmg.com/globalcareers/careerops/graduate.shtml)

What: According to wikipedia, "The main difference between a consultant and a 'normal' expert is that the consultant is not himself employed with his client, but instead is in business for himself or for a consultancy firm, usually with multiple and changing clients. Thus, his clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them to retain in-house, especially if the speciality is needed comparatively rarely.

When: Apply any time on-line! Visit your career advisor to work on your resume/cover letter/interview prep, and you're good to go.

Where: If you like to travel, this could be the job for you. You could work in Chicago one minute and fly out to Miami the next minute to meet with a client. Most of the larger consulting firms have international locations...maybe I could come visit you in Ireland after a few years!

How: One piece of advice to anyone wanting to apply for a consulting job--do your research! Below, you'll find links to some of the top consulting firms. Read through everything, and get to know the company's mission and values. Furthermore, in most consulting interviews, you will be asked to conference on a case. Bain & Co. offers some practice cases on-line to get you started: http://www.bain.com/bainweb/join_bain/case_interviews.asp



To learn more, visit:
1. Collegegrad.com's article on top entry level employers to view some of the larger consulting firms with the greatest number of openings: http://www.collegegrad.com/topemployers/
2. Employment spot's article covering the basics of consulting with links to top consulting firms. http://www.employmentspot.com/features/consultingjobs.htm