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Relevant Internships for Undergrad Consulting Recruiting

entry level MBB mbb big4 recruiting T2
New answer on Jul 25, 2023
6 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Jul 23, 2023

Hello,

1. Would internships at venture capital funds or startup accelerators be considered relevant/interesting when applying for entry-level consulting positions? I had the opportunity to intern at a startup accelerator and venture capital fund who are both still pretty early-stage and cover two different emerging industries. Could those be considered positive experiences if I am able to describe them well on my resume/interview?

2.  I also interned in the past as an analyst in a financial software company that is well known in its industry (I mostly did macro research work to understand trends in financial markets and assisted the product team on implementing new features on the software based on clients concerns) and also participated in a consulting/business development internship that was organized by the Business School (Target in the US) of the university I am currently at  (selected students were basically assigned to work on a consulting project with a local business) . Overall, would you say that those could also be interesting internships to list on my resume?

Thank you!

(edited)

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Andi
Expert
replied on Jul 23, 2023
BCG 1st & Final Round interviewer | Personalized prep with >95% success rate | 7yrs coaching | #1 for Experienced Hires

Hi there,

both are suitable & interesting work experiences to put on your CV. 

  • VC experience: consulting firms love to see that, as VC industry itself is quite competitive and there are strong overlaps with Consulting in terms of skills required 
  • Tech internship: depends a bit on the exact company, but the type of work you did should definitely be considered relevant 

If you need help with the ideal positioning of your experiences on your resume, might be a good idea to consider getting help. Feel free to reach out to me or any of the other coaches, if you'd like to learn more.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

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Hagen
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Content Creator
updated an answer on Jul 23, 2023
#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

  • First of all, yes, the internships you've completed are most likely relevant. The experience and skills gained through these internships, such as understanding market trends, evaluating business strategies, and helping startups grow, are certainly applicable to consulting.
  • Moreover, considering that all your internships have helped you develop key consulting skills like analytical thinking, problem-solving, and strategic planning, they should be listed on your resume either way. However, in this tight economic situation, having your application files reviewed by an experienced coach could provide the final polish needed.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

(edited)

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Sophia
Expert
replied on Jul 24, 2023
Top-Ranked Coach on PrepLounge for 3 years| 6+ years of coaching

Hello,

Yes and yes to both of your questions! The important factors are going to be what you did in your internships, how well you performed, and what skills you learned. Both startup/VC and financial software analytics can provide relevant and interesting experiences for consulting which you should absolutely mention on your resume and talk about in interviews.

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Francesco
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replied on Jul 23, 2023
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

1) Would internships at venture capital funds or startup accelerators be considered relevant/interesting when applying for entry-level consulting positions?

Yes, generally speaking an internship in a VC can help to strengthen your CV.

2) I also interned in the past as an analyst in a financial software company that is well-known in its industry, and also participated in a consulting/business development internship. Overall, would you say that those could also be interesting internships to list on my resume?

These could also be fine, assuming the work experiences show skills relevant for consulting (eg problem solving, leadership and ability to persuade others).

Please keep in mind that it is also important how you report the experience itself in the CV. You can find some tips on that below:

▶ How to Craft a Great CV for Consulting

Good luck!

Francesco

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 23, 2023
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

1. Yes they can be! Depends on exact firm/role/industry but in general yes

2. Yes, absolutely add them. Importantly, how you add them (what you say about your role etc) matters a lot!

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Cristian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 25, 2023
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi!

Yes.

These are all great experiences. 

What you need to emphasize in your CV are:

  • the sort of skills that you've developed or practiced in these work experiences which happen to be the same skills that consultants use. Use this article to figure out what these skills are: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/what-does-a-consultant-do
  • how you performed in those roles and what sort of impact you delivered. Ideally you want to show that you were at the top regardless of context

Then it makes a huge difference how you set up the rest of your application strategy in order to be successful (especially in the current economic climate). Here's how to do it:


Best,
Cristian
 

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Hagen gave the best answer

Hagen

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