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How to flip my story from private equity to consulting?

case interview preparation consulting Private Equity
New answer on Oct 23, 2020
4 Answers
1.9 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Aug 04, 2019

Hi all,

I did a number of PE internships and now want to recruit for consulting full time. Would love to know what your thoughts are on how I can approach the matter and build a story for myself.

Some other background: doing a business degree and previously have done a consulting stint at a small firm but was thinking of completely omitting that in the interview process since the whole consulting then PE then back to consulting might not sound very well to recruiters. Also come from a family of small business owners if that helps.

Looking forward to hearing your advice!

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Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Aug 05, 2019
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Anonymous,

since all the experiences you had were internships, I would actually include the consulting one as well. You can easily build the story that you wanted to try different things to understand what is really interesting for you, and after doing both PE and consulting you understood consulting is the most suitable career path.

It is quite normal for people to have internships in different sectors to understand how they are before choosing a career path; so far that the brand name or the sector is fitting consulting, there are no issues with that. I myself did an internship in banking before consulting and that was totally fine for the interviewers.

The fact that you had internships in both consulting and PE and that you now want to start in consulting can actually be considered as a plus. Consulting companies appreciate candidates who are sure about consulting as a career path and the fact you want to go back after trying also other experiences can reinforce that belief.

Best,

Francesco

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John
Expert
replied on Aug 05, 2019
Ex Bain Case Team Leader I Focus on Private Equity I +80 interviews conducted at Bain I All cases based on real life cases

Hey,

I would not worry about that too much. I am sure you have valid reasons for why you are prefering Consulting to PE. For the interview, I would recommend you to write down your storyline and practice delivering it to someone you can practice with. There are numerous arguments for prefering Consulting to PE. You can simply tell the recruiters that you were attracted be the "bright lights" of PE and then explain why you prefer Consulting now that you have experienced PE, e.g.

- more diverse range of topics and industries

- more emphasis on culture and building teams

- more training opportunities

- etc.

Hope this helps...

Best,

John

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Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Oct 23, 2020
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Don't worry. PE is in line into consulting. I would recommend you to take your time and build your story in that - what brings you to consulting.

If you need any help, feel free to reach out.

GB

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Vlad
Expert
replied on Aug 05, 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

I would not worry at all. Your background fits consulting really well and you can always find an argument that consulting is much closer to the real business and ops than PE

Best!

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