Introduction to Consulting

for Information Students

Emma Frazier, BSI Career Advisor

[email protected]
UMSI Career Development Office
If you would like to view this presentation in another format, please contact [email protected]
Learning Outcomes & Goals
At the end of this session, we hope students will be able to…

● Generally define consulting

● Know potential job/internship titles in information consulting
● Become familiar with consulting companies that often recruit and/or hire UMSI
students
● Understand the general consulting recruitment timeline
● Take away clear action steps to research consulting roles and companies,
reach out to alumni, and prepare for consulting recruitment
Agenda
● What is consulting?
● UMSI alumni in consulting
● Types of consulting jobs and internships for SI students
● Consulting recruitment timelines
● Which companies have recently recruited at SI?
● Introduction to consulting interviews
● How to prepare for consulting recruitment
What exactly is consulting?
How did you hear about consulting?

What interests you in consulting?

● The basics: Consulting involves providing professional or expert advice to a company

as a third party. You often travel to companies, help them solve a problem by providing a
solution in your field of expertise, and leave the implementation to them.
● Who might be interested? Although business students often get the most exposure
to consulting, any student who loves problem-solving, critical thinking, client-facing work,
and collaborative leadership should consider consulting.
● Good to know: Consulting often involves at least 50% travel (depending on company
and projects).
What interested you in consulting?
“Consulting is as challenging as it is rewarding. The very nature of it nurtures your
creative, tactical, and entrepreneurial thinking. It also provides great
responsibilities and allows you to diversify your knowledge and industry
experience. Plus, a consultant’s endeavors have direct and measurable impact on
the organization or entity that he or she works for. It’s tangible—it’s real.”

--Benji Bourinat, Corporate Consultant at IPG

Source: “How to Break into Consulting” from The Muse

Where can I work as a consultant?
● A variety of options: startups, small firms, medium-sized firms, large firms
● Many potential focus areas and industries:
○ Finance
○ Business Strategy
○ Technology/IT
○ Healthcare
○ Organizational Management
○ Environment & Sustainability
○ Nonprofit & Educational Consulting
○ And many more!
● To look through rankings of consulting companies by industry, use Forbes.com
and Vault.com
Where are the most recent UMSI alumni
working in consulting?
2017 Employment Report Data
16% of BSIs took jobs in consulting after graduation:

○ Companies: Deloitte, EY, Fors Marsh Group, KPMG, MarketShare, McKinsey

& Company, PWC
○ Job Titles: Business Analyst, Business Analytics Consultant, Business
Technology Analyst, Design Consultant, Data Analyst, Technology
Consultant, Valuation Analyst, Associate Consultant
Information Consulting Job/Internship Titles:
● Data Analysis/IA: ● Other information-related
○ Business Analyst consulting job titles:
○ Business Analytics Consultant ○ Associate Consultant
○ Business Technology Analyst ○ Healthcare Consultant
○ Data Analyst ○ Information Consultant
○ IT Consultant ○ Management Consultant
○ Technology Consultant ○ Marketing Consultant
○ Valuation Analyst ○ Software Implementation
● UX/UI: Consultant
○ UX Consultant
○ Digital Consultant
○ Design Consultant
○ Creative Consultant
○ Product Consultant
Which consulting companies have recently
participated in SI’s on campus recruitment?
Consulting Recruitment
● Early Fall (Sept.-Oct.):
○ The University Career Center will host a Consulting & Finance Career Fair on
Friday, September 8th, 2018 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
● RSVP through the UM Career Center’s Website, $20 registration fee
■ They will also hold a Fall Job & Internship Fair
■ Check the UCC events calendar to see when consulting companies are holding open
sessions for info sessions or office hours.
● Employers will visit UMSI throughout Fall term:
■ *Fall 2017 Participants: Deloitte, A.T. Kearney, Uber, Quicken Loans, Procter &
Gamble, Nike, Boeing, Google, Ford, Nielsen, Cognizant, Facebook, AirBnB, GE
■ Employer Information Sessions (Sept.-Nov., RSVP on iTrack)
■ Employer Office Hours (Sept.-Nov., RSVP on iTrack)
■ Mock Interviews & On-Campus Interviews (Sept.-Nov., Apply on iTrack)

*Not a full list of Fall 2017 participants. Listed in order of attendance. Note that companies vary each year.
Consulting Recruitment
● Early Winter (Jan.-Feb.)
○ UMSI Career Fair (mid to late Jan.)
■ Many employers who attend the University Career Center Career Fair and Fall
Engineering Career Fair return to specifically recruit SI students
■ Includes a wide range of companies: startups, large tech companies,
consulting firms, & more
○ UMSI Employer Information Sessions, Design Jams, & Office Hours
■ *Winter 2018 Participants: KPMG, Amazon, MiHIN, IBM, Comerica, AppMetrix,
HealthRise Solutions, Bloomberg LP, The Nielsen Company
○ University Career Center open events (Jan.-May)
■ Winter 2018 Consulting Companies: BCG, McKinsey, PwC, Bain, & more
● Check the University Career Center calendar
*Not a full list of Winter 2018 participants. Listed in order of attendance. Note that companies vary each year.
Consulting Resumes & Cover Letters
Resume Tips: Cover Letter Tips:

● Spend time making a strong resume. ● Make specific cover letters for each
● Include your GPA. company.
● Build a story by showing a wide range of ○ Comment on company’s mission, vision,
skills (analytical, soft skills, tech skills). cool new products/policies, etc.
○ Be sure to show evidence of problem- ● Form an argument/case: Why are you a
solving, communication, and client-facing good fit for them? Include specific
work. examples.
● Focus on results and quantify as much as
possible. Sources: “How to Write a Consulting Cover Letter” from
○ (i.e. “gaining 1000 new users” or Victor Cheng, founder of caseinterview.com and
“increasing customer satisfaction by 20%”) “Consultant Cover Letter Example” from The Balance

Sources: “The Rules of the Consulting Resumes” from

The Muse and “Consulting Resumes” from Victor Cheng,
founder of caseinterview.com
Consulting Interviews
● Skills employers look for: analytical thinking/critical thinking, impromptu
responses, communication & presentation, initiative, ability to handle multiple
projects at once, leadership experience
● Expect multiple rounds of interviews: Behavioral interviews, technical
interviews (design or data challenges), and case interviews
○ Case Interviews: Specific to consulting, case interviews often ask you to
work through a business scenario and solve a problem for a real or
imagined client
● Interview modes: Phone, Skype, one-on-one in person, group in-person
How can I stand out as an SI student in consulting?
Experiences to talk about in interviews or highlight on resumes:

● Client-facing work
○ Through SI courses, design jams, and data jams, you’ll do plenty of client-facing work. Be able to articulate this
work and explain how you work with clients to meet their needs.
● Group project work & collaboration experience
○ Communication in consulting is huge. Be prepared to say how you contribute to positive group cultures.
● Building an idea from the ground up
○ Have you developed an app or prototyped an idea in any way? Talk about this in interviews and stress your
iterative, creative, and entrepreneurial interests.
● Improving a process
○ Have you improved upon a process using technology tools, data analysis, or UX methods?
● Leadership experience
○ Are you a part of a student organization? Highlight this and explain how you lead.
● Technical skills and expertise!
○ List these on your resume in a separate section. Include programming languages, spoken languages, and any
technology tools you can use.
Case interview basics
● Usually in 2nd or 3rd round interviews
● Interviewer pretends to be a client with a problem to solve
● Usually 30-45 minutes
○ Take the time to have a casual conversation with the interviewer before you jump in. Then,
follow the format recommended in the handout!
● Sometimes, you’ll be sent a case beforehand. Other times, you’ll read the case
on the spot or be given a scenario from the interviewer.

Keys to case interviews: Asking good clarifying questions, having a clear

process/framework of approaching the problem, accepting feedback/impromptu
questions well, remaining calm and showing interest in the problem, doing simple
math on the spot (estimating), have a strong close (tell, don’t ask)
Case interview resources
● Caseinterview.com
○ Created by a former McKinsey consultant, Victor Cheng
○ Videos, examples, and other helpful information to learn more about
consulting and the process of case interviews
● Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng
○ Easily digestible and helpful information on the process in a highly recommended book
● Case in Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation by Marc Cosentino
○ Examples and practice questions in an additional recommended book
● Market Sizing Numbers and Case Interview Math Practice
● Use Glassdoor to see how specific companies structure their interviews
● Practice cases from Deloitte, BCG, other firms, & business schools
○ Find examples from some top firms here
○ Download a variety of practice cases from their websites
When should I start preparing?
● Now & Over the Summer:
○ Look up companies now and see who you may want to recruit with
■ Where are these companies based, and when do their applications open?
■ Which industries interest you?
■ Have you had family, friends, or peers work in consulting? Reach out to them for an
informational interview to find out more about their career pathway.
○ Prepare and update resume and cover letter (and portfolio if UX-focused)
■ Have these ready by early Fall
■ Meet with the UMSI CDO for a resume & cover letter consultation
○ Check for any open recruitment opportunities within U-M (Ross, Career Center, Engineering)
■ Starting in Fall (use Handshake & the Career Center Events Calendar)
○ Practice “casing”
■ Examples online, read Case in Point, and run through practice cases with peers in SI or
Ross that have been through the process before!
Thank you!
Questions?
This presentation will be sent via email to newly admitted students in
attendance and also shared in the Canvas CDO Resource Library for
current students.