Need guideline for starting a career in consulting

Hi there,

Welcome to the Preplounge!

I would recommend the following steps to maximize the likelihood to land an offer. They should answer all the questions you asked.

1. Define a calendar for your preparation. Check if there is any deadline for the applications. Then identify how many hours you have before that and allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar for each day, working on the points below. Many people need 100+ hours to be ready before the interview so you can keep that as a benchmark
2. Read Case In Point or Case Interview Secrets for a general understanding of what a consulting interview is. Don’t focus on the structures proposed in the books, as they are not good enough nowadays.
3. Start reading good MBA Consulting Handbooks – you can find several for free online (Insead is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure to solve them. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insides. Try to read at least a new case per day – in this way you will absorb better the information with constant learning.
4. After the first 5-10 cases in books/handbooks and basic theory, start to practice live. PrepLounge can be helpful to connect with other candidates for that. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only (in your case for example – how to ask specific questions). Keep track of your mistakes and see if you repeat them. If so, try to identify the source of the mistake (feedback of experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both the behavioural part and the case part. The case part should also cover market sizing, mental math and graph analysis.
5. Before your application, be sure to review your CV and Cover, so that they are in the required format for a consulting application
6. At least 3 weeks before the application deadline, start networking to find referrals for your target companies. Since you are from a non-target school, this point is critical.
7. Before the interviews, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewer –great way to show you prepared in advance and to connect with the interviewer for a good final impression.

If you want to spend few hours only instead of 100+ and cover everything mentioned above, I developed a program to do exactly that. You can click at the following link to find more:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/profile.php?id=2433#coaching-package

After this program, you will know exactly what to expect in your interview, what to work on, and how to focus on the real differentiator to land a top consulting offer.

Please feel free to PM me if you need more information.

Best,

Francesco

Hi!

Let's cover your questions one by one

1. Regarding the best way to prep this has been covered multiple times on this forum. You can check out some good threads to review here:

https://www.preplounge.com/de/consulting-forum/what-is-the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-first-case-interview-here-at-prep-lounge-1307

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-is-the-best-way-to-learn-frameworks-for-my-case-interview-1

2. The point here is that leveraging the generic frameworks that you learn by using Victor Cheng or Case in Point will not make you competitive as a candidate. The expectation these days is that you can develop custom frameworks resolving the problem faced by the client. Generally, the firms have tweaked their cases so that it will be very difficult to crack the case with a standard framework.

Crafting cases has some great materials that can get you started. If you want to become really proficient at this skill I would recommend working with a coach that can teach you how it's done in MBB so you can internalize this skill

https://www.craftingcases.com/

3. I think you will need to elaborate a bit more on what you mean here. To me this likely stems from having a weak framework from the beginning that does not allow you to target the right issues in the case.

4. In this situation, you will need to learn how to network effectively to get referrals in your target firms. Leverage contacts, school alumni, or other mutuals points of contact to set up coffee chats with consultants in your target firms.

I hope that's useful!

-A

Hello Indonesia! :) 

You have 2 main workstreams ahead:

1. FIT INTERVIEW

The "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

You can see plenty of reviews from candidates who purchased it already.

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes, since we still have some left from the launch! :)

Furthermore, you can find 2 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:

• Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200
• Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201

2. BUSINESS CASE

You don´t have any more time to the classics of Viktor Cheng, "Case in point" book, etc. You need to get hands on asap:

1. Practice cases with partners asap, as many as you can do.Find experienced partners who can provide a good feedback

2. Practice your math skills, both in your cases and with ad hoc exercisess, such as:

• 1. ​Multiplying double digit numbers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ndkkPZYJHo
• 2. Leveraging math tools (Mimir math for iOS), Math tool on Viktor Cheng website to practice

3. Ensure you have a good overview of the ​most common case types:

• 1. Profitability cases- basic profitability framework.
• 2. Idea generation cases: for any specif issue
• 3. Growth cases: market penetration, new product launch, product mix change, etc.
• 4. Pricing cases
• 5. M&A cases
• 6. Valuation cases
• 7. Value chain cases

Furthermore, you can consider working with a coach to foster speed and ensure you have a tailored plan to be very targeted. PM me interested!

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi there,

Welcome to the community and glad you've found us too!

I have nothing to add to the excellent answers alreayd provided except: Find a coach!

This isn't a sales pitch, but genuine advice :)

1 session at the very beginning with a coach that fits you will truly set you up for success. That one hour with a coach, to help you plan, prepare, answer initial questions, etc. will turn every future hour you study into 3!

Dear A,

I wouldn't stuck on the books and rather start practicing cases with peers here on PL or Coach. Thus you can get more specific feedback and the way how to make your progress fater and more streamlined. 

Before that you can start practicing mental math and think about your FIT stories. 

Actually, if you want to apply in upcoming recruiting season, i would recommend you to start as soon as possible. 

If you need any help with making a roadmap for your preparation and networking, feel free to reach out. 

Best,
André

Hi,

I have developed a free comprehensive checklist which will address all your questions - pm me for details!