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Please sign in at the back before taking your seat! Welcome to Consulting 101!
Please sign in at
the back before
taking your seat!
Welcome to Consulting 101!
The Rotman Management
Consulting Association presents:
Thursday, September 25, 2014
5:30-7:30PM
Fleck Atrium
This slide deck will be posted to the MCA
website – no need to take notes (or
photos)!
The password to the MCA members-only
website will be released in next week’s
newsletter
Before we begin …
What is consulting?
External and internal
The life of a Management Consultant
The career path
External vs. internal consulting – which is for you?
Recruiting timeline & upcoming events
Panel discussion
- Matt McClellan, A.T. Kearney
- Emily Cho, RBC Business Architecture
- John Leizerovici, Impact Consulting Group
- Andrew Segal (Rotman Alumni, 2014), Boston
Consulting Group (Summer & Full-Time)
Agenda
What is consulting?
Business advisory services provided to the leaders of
corporations, governments and non-profit organizations
Generalist firms
Boutique / specialist firms
Variety of engagements
Brand name benefits
Specialized expertise
Tightly knit group
Internal consulting & strategy roles
Less travel / better working hours
See impact of work
Promotion policies
Working hours
Large firm processes / support
Global mobility
Client / industry variety
Corporate pay scale
Ex
tern
al
Inte
rna
lConsulting roles exist outside of large
management consulting companies
Ex
tern
al
Inte
rna
l
Generalist firms
Boutique / specialist firms
Internal consulting & strategy roles
Consulting roles exist outside of large
management consulting companies
Ex
tern
al
Inte
rna
l
Generalist firms
Boutique / specialist firms
Internal consulting & strategy roles
Consulting roles exist outside of large
management consulting companies
Retail
Pharmaceutical
High tech
Aerospace
Mining
Telecom
Media
OperationsMarketing HR IT FinanceStrategy
Firms specialize in combinations of
functional and industry areas
1. Find out out how to receive a case and bring structure business problems
2. Learn how to give a case and provide your peers with constructive
feedback
3. Put yourself in position to land a job in either external or internal consulting
4. Learn valuable strategic skills that will benefit you outside of the interview
process
Why participate in case interview prep?
Join us on October 16th for our case prep kickoff workshop!
Case prep session structure
30 min discussion on
case interview topic1 on 1 practice sessions Debrief
Case interview prep – start early!
The behavioural component of interviews is just as important to
employers when evaluating you! You must prepare and practice!
CASE INTERVIEW CASE COMPETITION
WHAT
Team analysis of a business
problem, presented for
evaluation
HOW TO
PREPARE
Get to know your team, plan
your time, use external
resources
EXAMPLE
A.T. Kearney Global Prize,
McKinsey Case Competition
(November)
WHAT’S
AT STAKE
Professional development,
demonstrate your skills, prizes
Primary interview style for
external consulting and
internal strategy jobs
Attend MCA sessions,
practice with peers, attend
MCA mocks
January recruiting
Summer internship
Case Interviews vs. Case
Competitions
Business acumen and structured thinking are valued in both
Especially at the big firms:
• You are not competing for a specific (finite) number
of positions
• You are evaluated against the same “bar” and will
be hired if you reach that bar
We are here to help each other succeed!
You are NOT in competition with each
other!
Remember: We all represent the Rotman
brand, and we’re in this together. Let’s help
each other put our best foot forward.
Director
Partner
Associate Principal(Junior Partner)
Engagement Manager (Project Manager)
Associate (Senior Consultant, Consultant)
Analyst (Consultant)
Consulting staff
Communication
Graphics
Research
Staffing
Admin
Travel
IT
MBAs join here
Other staff
Typical structure of a large
Management Consulting firm
Meeting the bar
The firm sets “the bar” (expectation) for each skill
The bar starts high and rises steeply!
Constant coaching and feedback
Formal evaluations and training
Problem solving
Business Development
Team contribution
Leadership
Associate EM Principal
Career progression
Exit opportunities
Especially at the big firms, some people choose to enter
industry after 2 years as opposed to advance internally
The firms will help you with your next steps!
Up-or-out policy
You typically progress to the next level in the firm or
leave
Staying at the same level for more than 2-3 years is
uncommon
Partner
Associate Principal
Engagement Manager
Associate
Analyst
Becoming a partner
Partners are owners of the firm
Principals go through an election process to ‘make partner’
Promotion policies
Team Life
EM + 2/3 & Leadership
Get staffed
Contact EM, book
travel, read docs
Show up at the client
Work, eat, sleep
(maybe some fun
too!)
The Consulting Team
A Staffing Manager
selects your next
assignment based on:
- Business needs
- Your background
and skills
- Your interests
- Variety
- Geographic
location
What they say
All of the above, AND:
- Performance and track record
- Firm staffing model
- Informal relationships with managers and partners
The truth about staffing
A.T. Kearney Regions &
Offices
Staffing
Fortune 500 Headquarters by
Revenue
(2002)
Walmart
Exxon Mobil
ChevronTexaco
GM
Ford
GE
Citigroup
“TYPICAL” WORK WEEK:Monday 7AM – Fly out of TorontoMonday 10AM – Arrive at client siteThursday 7PM – Depart client cityFriday – Work out of home office
Toronto
Travel
BOTTOM LINE: Transfer opportunities are dependent on the firm’s global reach.
Bain &
Company
Global Offices
Programs Available at Firms:
a) Short-term Exchange, b) Demand Transfer, and c) Permanent Transfer
Global mobility
1. Challenges:
- Visa requirements for travel to U.S.
- Cultural and language fluency
2. Opportunities:
- Consulting overseas (e.g. Middle East, Asia, Europe, etc)- Some firms allow you to apply to multiple offices
- Firms that don’t require travel to U.S.
International Students
Come to the International Student Meet & Greet on
October 14th to hear how your 2nd year peers
approached the transition!
Diversity at the firms comes in many
forms
Ex
tern
al
Inte
rna
l
Generalist firms
Boutique / specialist firms
Internal consulting & strategy roles
Consulting roles exist outside of large
management consulting companies
Generalist firms
Boutique / specialist firms
Variety of engagements
Brand name benefits
Specialized expertise
Tightly knit group
Internal consulting & strategy roles
Less travel / better working hours
See impact of work
Promotion policies
Working hours
Large firm processes / support
Global mobility
Client / industry variety
Corporate pay scale
Ex
tern
al
Inte
rna
lConsulting roles exist outside of large
management consulting companies
Internal consulting may be the right fit for you if you are passionate
about a particular industry, have a desire to see your work
implemented, or for lifestyle reasons
- The clients
- Project completion & ownership
- Stakeholder relationships and additional work
- Career transitions
- Utilization & travel
How it differs
- Problem solving
- The dynamic environment
- Networking and influence
- Broad experiences
How it is similar
- Project-based work
that delivers results
for internal clients
- Improve a
company’s
position or
operations
- Influence
future
direction
- Outputs are similar
- Talent is the same
What it is
Internal consulting offers a range of
benefits that might appeal to you
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
WORK AND STUDY HARD TO ATTAIN A STRONG GPA
PR
EPA
RA
TIO
NR
EC
RU
ITIN
G
INTERVIEWS
APPLICATIONS
INTERVIEWS
APPLICATIONS
Generalist Firms
Specialist & Internal
ATTEND MCA EVENTS & LEARN ABOUT FIRMS
PREPARE RESUME
INFO SESSIONS
CASE PREPARATION
CREATE COVER LETTERS
Consulting recruiting timeline
OCTOBER
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31
Consulting 201
Case Prep
Sessions:
October 16th
October 27th
Promeo Case
Prep Session
Internal
Strategy Night
International
Mix & Mingle
Upcoming events: October
ATK Global
Prize Kickoff
Resume
Round Robin
NOVEMBER
S M T W T F S
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30
Don’t miss out on the McKinsey Case Competition! It
was the highlight event for most 2nd Years – even those who aren’t pursuing consulting!
McKinsey 1st
Year Case
Competition
Bain Super
Saturday
External
Consulting
Industry
Reception
McKinsey
Women in
Leadership
Event
Case Prep
Sessions:
November 3rd
November 10th
November 24th
Upcoming events: November
Introduce yourself
Include the reason for your email
If you have met in the past, include
a brief recap
Offer a firm handshake
Ask interesting, open-ended
questions
Be humble and listen
Be excited and curious
Offer to get the person a drink /
coffee
Talk poorly of your former employer
or other firms
Add random folks on social media
When sending emails:
Include your life story
Influence their opinion
Brag
Try to contact everybody
Cold-call industry professionals
Ask tough questions with the
intention of sounding smart
Ask for old deliverables
Ask identity of clients
Do Don’t
Remember: Your second year peers are extremely busy
and their time is precious. Be thankful for their time and
help.
Networking tips
1. All events are optional
2. Only sign-up for events that you are eligible for (1st Years vs. 2nd Years)
3. Attendance is mandatory once registration is made on RWorld, unless there
are extenuating circumstances
- Cancellation policies vary by event, but usually require at least 24 hours
- There is no cancellation for case competitions
Attendance
Dress Code & Conduct
You may be asked to
leave an event if your
attire does not comply
with the dress code
and/or if your
conduct is deemed to
be inappropriate.
MCA Guidelines
Event desc. Men Women
Business
Formal Suit and tie
Formal suit or dress
with jacket
Business
Casual
Formal without a tie.
Jacket optional. No
jeans
Formal without jacket
Casual Nothing sloppy or ripped. Minimize text
1
2
If you register for an event:
You must cancel 24hr in
advance
Two strikes = miss two events
• No show
• Late
• Unprofessional conduct
Housekeeping
MCAWe take a student viewpoint and present a
recommendation based upon consolidated
experiences
FirmsTake the firm perspective and / or the interviewer
perspective
Career
CoachThey understand you best and can coach you on
a customized plan
You will hear different things from
different people
Be aware of external validity – what do the data mean?
IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE FIRM.
Andrew Segal, Rotman Alum ‘14BCG (Summer & Full-TIme)
Emily Cho
RBC Business Architecture
Matt McClellanA.T. Kearney
A DAY IN THE LIFEWork-life Balance
CAREER PROGRESSIONPromotionsTravel
Global MobilityStaffingOrganizational Structure
Sabbaticals RewardsCulture FLEXIBILITY
Johnathan
LeizeroviciImpact Consulting Group
Panel Discussion
“A Day in the Life”:
Matt McClellan @ A.T. Kearney
Time Activity
8:00am Arrive at work, connect with project manager on the day’s schedule
8:30am Review work from the previous night and make partner/manager edits
10:30am Answer emails and follow up on data requests with client
11:00am Conference call with a “Blue Team” member from the CMT practice
Lunch Grab some Thai food from the food court
1:00pm Cab to the client offices to conduct stakeholder interviews
2:00pm Interview EVP of Procurement / VP of Go-to-Market
4:00pm Compile meeting minutes and discuss the major takeaways with team
manager
5:00pm Meet with partners to discuss strategy for weekly client workshop
7:00pm Team dinner (occasionally a nice Yorkville restaurant!)
9:00pm Get back home and start working on slides for client workshops
11:00pm Send off my last email and watch some Netflix to relax
“A Day in the Life”:
Emily Cho @ RBC Business
Architecture
Time Activity
8:30am Arrive at the office. Catch up on some emails
9:00am Meet with manager and plan for upcoming working session with
business partners to refine the post-loan review process
9:30am Build presentation deck for the working session
11:00am Work on KPI dashboard I was designing for my key internal client
Noon Lunch with team members at the Oasis
1:00pm Meet with manager, director and business partner to review a deck we
drafted for her executive steering committee meeting next week
1:30pm Update the draft deck based on feedback received. Send it back to
our business partner
2:30pm Grab a $2 frap at Starbucks with a few team members
3:00pm Work on yet another presentation deck to articulate key elements of a
new certification program being designed for the bank’s salesforce
5:00pm Done for the day. Head to Ashbridges for some volleyball time
“A Day in the Life”:
John Leizerovici @ Impact Consulting
Group
Time Activity
8:00am Breakfast while checking early morning emails from the team
9:30am Arrive at Rotman, work on business plan for client needing to kick-start business
11:00am Meeting with Partners to go over changes to financial model for business seeking
VC funding and government grants
12:00pm Sushi lunch with friends doing research for Prof Goldfarb
1:00pm Final call/presentation with medical services company regarding Customer Loyalty
Program we created. Discuss next steps for potential follow up work for Impact
2:00pm Work on Powerpoint Pitch Deck for TOP SECRET project (not as cool as it sounds)
3:30pm Phone call with business plan client regarding additional information to be used
4:00pm Subway at Robarts
4:30pm Meet with Partners to brainstorm work plan for our 8 (!) projects
5:00pm Work on financial model for business seeking VC funding, get frustrated with Excel
6:00pm Blue Jays game!
10:00pm Final touches on Powerpoint deck, a few last emails, Sportscenter, Sleep!
“A Day in the Life”:
Andrew Segal (Rotman Alum ’14) @
Boston Consulting Group
Time Activity
6:00am Wake up, get ready, finish packing, try not to forget toiletries
6:30am Grab a cab to the airport
8:00am Flight to snowy Calgary – work a little bit and get in a nap on the plane
12:30pm Arrive at client site, connect with Calgary-based team members
1:00pm Lunch! Mmm... client's cafeteria
2:00pm Discuss plan for the day with case team leader
2:30pm Meet with client contact to discuss data and metric gathering
3:00pm Update working deck with latest information received
3:30pm Build out tools that client can use to track outcomes after project ends
6:00pm Review output with project leader, make revisions
8:00pm Dinner with case team – usually somewhere nice, sometimes at Joey
10:00pm Head to hotel, finish off any small pieces for next morning, FaceTime
with my wife, watch a West Coast baseball game
Contact Us @
Remember: Keep an eye out for the
password to the MCA members-only
website in next week’s newsletter
