Career Services, University of Pennsylvania

College of Arts & Sciences

Exploring Opportunities in Consulting: From Resume to Job Offer

What do Consultants do?	Characteristics Consultants Bring to Projects	What Employers Look For: Job Search Strategies
Key Readings and Websites	Questions and Answers	Library Holdings

Presenter
Sequana Blondell, CAS '97
Deloitte Consulting
The following notes are from a Fall 2000 presentation.

What do consultants do?

Consultants are hired by management to develop and implement solutions to significant business problems by:

improving efficiency and profitability;
identifying challenges and potential business opportunities;
refining and re-engineering business processes;
designing and implementing complex information systems solutions;
implementing and managing change.

What characteristics do consultants bring to projects?

Independence and objectivity
Dedicated resources
Industry expertise
Project management skills
Results orientation
Functional expertise

What are the components of these characteristics? What types of experience "match" these characteristics and components?

Characteristic #1: Independence and Objectivity components

offer fresh perspective
understand and respect others' opinions experience
founding a club or organization
studying abroad

Characteristic #2: Dedicated resources components

ability to balance commitments experience: e.g. taking rigorous classes while participating in extracurricular activities

Characteristic #3: Industry expertise components

demonstrating expertise
communicating effectively experience
writing a thesis
significant research projects
experience of public speaking

Characteristics #4: Project management skills components

effective team leadership experience: holding leaderships positions, working in a team

Two final characteristics:

Results orientation and functional expertise components and experience encompassed in above

What Consulting Firms Look for: Job Search Strategies

What firms look at...

Cover Letters

Effective Search Strategies

Employers Sessions/Interviews

Must Reads

Resumes

What consulting firms look at:

leadership and activities
community service
work experience
major(s) and courses gpa

Keys to an effective job search:

Be organized.
Do a self assessment:

what are your analytic skills?
what are your technology skills?
what are you willing to do? (you *must* be able to demonstrate interest)

Research companies; know the differences among them.
Tailor your resume to the specific industry to which you are applying
Be an effective communicator.

Develop a filing system for every single piece of communication between you and a company: letters, resume, business cards, e-mail you send, etc.
If you leave a voice mail for someone: it should be short, efficient, and clear. Leave your name and phone number slowly, and at the end of your message, *repeat* your name and number.

Resume tips:

Consulting firms look at applicants from all disciplines
All firms look for clean and concise resumes, with a logical flow
Be sure to give *all* current contact info (including permanent address)
Must be only one page -- must "stand on its own"
If you are sending it electronically, also send hard copy (it photocopies better and often looks prettier, since you can't control the computer on the other end)

Cover letter:

May NEVER be generic
Highlight how or where you met the recruiter (if you did)
Include an additional copy of your resume

This should not mirror the resume, but rather "highlight the highlights" - must detail why you are interested in that specific firm

Employers Sessions and Interviews:

Treat every session you go to (every encounter with an employer) as a "little interview."
Know what you want to learn and what you want to "leave behind."
Know your resume. Be able to answer:

Have you ever worked in a team?
Did you enjoy it?
What did you learn from it?
Did you ever have to deal with a conflict on the job? In a team?
What are your interests?
What do you like about _____?
What is your worst quality? (here, do a true self-analysis, and try to figure out not only what this quality is, but what you do about it)

Be able to related your experience to the consulting process, to bring your answers to bear on the work you will be doing
'You need to be "on" - keep good eye contact, be clear, concise, and "on point"
Case interviews -be sure to ask for the information you need -be sure to break down the process of analysis, and articulate what's going on in your head -helpful hints
Become familiar with business software -stay abreast of the industry, and industry trends. Check out web sites
Stay organized.

Key Readings and Websites

Books (Some version of all of these are in the CS library)

Insider's Guide to Management Consulting
So You Want to be a Consultant?
Knock Em Dead 2000

Websites

Question and Answer

Question: Does Deloitte look at GPA first, and throw out a resume if it is below a certain number?

Absolutely not. First thing looked for is leadership and activities, then work experience, then major(s) and the courses you took (did you develop good analytical skills?), and *then* GPA.

Question: What does analysis mean?

Answer:
The ability to determine what you don't know, what you need to know, and how to find out what you need to..

Question: Do you have control over the assignments you get to do?

As a new staff member, you will generally be staffed on a variety of different projects, and will not get a choice. The firm will try to give you exposure to a variety of industries, to see where your preferences might ultimately be. Over time you may be able to have some control over what you are working on.

Question: Do you have time to prep in an area you might not know?

Generally not.

Question: Does the company hiring you get to interview the consulting team?

Very rarely

Question: How much travel is involved in your job?

Travel "all the time" - at least on a weekly basis, generally Mon-Thurs out of town, usually back for the weekend.

Question: What should we look for on web sites as we prepare for interviews?

New initiatives in the organizations: where is the company going?
Different offices of the firm - how do they vary?
What services does the firm offer to which industries?

Question: Should you limit your search to one city?

It's best if you can rank your top three. Most employers will try to get you one of those.

Question: What are the most common mistakes students make?

On resumes: spelling errors, not explaining things well
On cover letters: getting the company name wrong, spelling the recruiter's name wrong
Interviewing:

Being so nervous that you cannot present the information that the recruiter is looking for (how to avoid: role play, practice, rehearse answers, get some answers ready)

Arrogance - being *too* sure of oneself

Career Services Library Holdings

Consulting/Management/Small Business

Highlights

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