Not all schools have a consulting club, extensive alumni networks in consulting firms, or recruiters that come to their campus looking for top applicants. If you are at one of these schools you may find yourself at a disadvantage (to be honest you probably are) but people do still get into firms from non-target schools.
Do you come from a non-target school?
If you come from a non-target school you will likely have to network your way into a firm.
This networking – more like informational interviewing – is critical and serves a few key purposes as you are preparing and applying for jobs.
- You learn what the consulting role actually is and you get to start talking to real life consultants
- You get insights into the firm’s culture and the types of projects you may be staffed on
- You get practice calling and talking about yourself to others (much like an interview)
- You might get a referral
How to find consultants
To find consultants first go through your school’s channels but don’t spend too much time here. If there is a career services center or business college ask them about alumni in consulting. If you are an MBA or Advanced Degree hire the recruiters from firms may not be as helpful as you would expect since they are mainly targeting undergraduates.
You will probably find LinkedIn to be more helpful than your school when it comes to finding consultants. However, it will be to your advantage to be thoughtful about who you reach out to. Try and find consultants who have a similar background or educational experience, a common connection, anything that might signal they would be willing to talk to a stranger for 20 minutes.
How to connect
When you connect with a consultant on LinkedIn, always send a message with the connection request. You have 300 characters to make an impression. You should share the key information that you want them to know, and always include a call to action.
Here is an example message:
Hi (consultant),
I’m a (your major or field of study) student at (school) and I’ll be finishing in (season/year).
I am interested in (specific industry/type) consulting and would love to learn more about the work you do at (firm name).
Would you have 20 minutes for a phone call this week or next week?
(your name)
Please make sure you update your LinkedIn page before sending out these invites. The next thing people will do after getting a connection request is to look at your info, so make sure your page tells a compelling story about who you are and what you have to offer.
If you are reaching out to multiple consultants, keeping a log will be extremely helpful. You can use excel to keep track of firms, people, correspondence, if they responded, and if they are willing write you a recommendation.
If you reach out to 5 people per week, you may get 3 people who respond to you. Targeting one firm per week is a good method. If consultants start to connect with you then others from the same firm will see that you are already connected to their co-workers. This will increase your chances of successfully getting a chance to speak with them on the phone.
To schedule a phone call, you can use a scheduling app like Calendly or Setmore. This will make it easier for everyone involved.
You might also try to guess the email address of people at the firm. Many firms will have a standard email address and you can find some of them at managementconsulted.com.
Hopefully some people will get back to you. You can expect anywhere from 10% to 25% of the people you reach out to will be willing to talk.
How to have a conversation
In your call with the consultant, there are three segments that your conversation should include:
- The opening
- Gathering information
- The closing
You should have a specific goal of what you want to get from the conversation.
Before you talk to anyone make a list of as many questions as you can think of, and then segment them. You are trying to be a consultant after all. Segment your questions based on people at different levels in the firm, topics you want to know more about, and components of the job. Identify up to 3 key questions to ask everyone, and then have some other more targeted questions for each consultant to help you get the most out of your conversation.
The opening: This should take up to 3 minutes. You are basically practicing your elevator pitch about who you are and then outlining the conversation.
Gathering information: The goal is to let the consultant do most of the talking. This is your chance to listen and learn. This part of the conversation should take up to 15 minutes. Ask your 5 questions, and ask follow up questions if necessary.
Your questions might include some of the following:
- What types of projects have you worked on and which were your favorite?
- What is the culture of your firm and what makes it unique?
- What surprised you most about consulting?
- If you could travel back in time to the start of your career, what advice would give yourself knowing what you know now?
The closing: This can be up to 3 minutes. You should ask for a referral or for connections to other consultants within the firm who have a similar background to you or work in the industry or service line that you are targeting.
After the phone call, update your networking spreadsheet and send a short thank you note.
Getting a lot of referrals from lower level associates is good while getting a few referrals from senior managers and partners is probably better.
As you start to talk to more people from different firms you will get a better understanding of the nuances between firms, the work that consultants actually do, and hopefully a few referrals. When applying for positions, reconnect with the consultants that you spoke to, tell them the job ID number and ask them for the referral.
It’s a process, keep at it and good luck!
Andrew Kuczmarski is a PhD candidate at the University of Delaware whose passion lies at the intersection of science and business.
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