The Best Book On Getting Consulting Jobs In India

Want to land a consulting job at McKinsey, BCG, and Parthenon in India? Jaineel Aga, an Indian management consultant, shares his recruiting techniques.

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Cracking the Consulting Case Interview

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Lets face it, case interviews eventually decide whether or not all that  hard work on crafting the perfect resume, cover letter and networking actually pays off or no. Concentrating on case interviews and consistent practice from the start is what will eventually get you through your case interview. However, first it is important to dispel some misconceptions around case interviews -

1) Reading “Case in Point” is all I need to crack the case interview:  I like Case in Point, I read it while I was preparing, but it was also one among ten other books/case packs that I had read. However, if I relied on that book alone.. I don’t think I would be writing this blog!  This is analogous to all those “fat loss pills” that exist in the market which still make millions! Just cause people are buying it, does not mean it is effective! If cracking cases was all about reading a single book, no one would ever get dinged in a case interview! One needs to practice with either a room mate, colleague or a career coach to best identify your weaknesses. I practised cases with my flatmates, with seniors from Fuqua who were part of the consulting club as well as career coaches. The most effective case practice would be with someone who is already in the industry and knows the common mistakes that interviewees make.  Case advice  from a  management consultant is invaluable: Unfortunately, they do not have too much time and it is most likely that you have already taken some of their time during your networking!

2) Learning frameworks is the key to cracking a case:  Another novice mistake. There is so much material floating in the market today that it is easy to be swamped with case materials from business schools, consulting clubs and various career coaches.   Exposure to  various frameworks is always beneficial, however,  holding onto them as an answer to every case question is the BIGGEST mistake that interviewees make. PLEASE DO NOT FORCE FIT a  framework during a case interview – Remember the consultants on the other side of the table have gone through this process – they want to test your thought process not your ability to conjure up a framework.

3) I need to start answering the question as soon as the interviewer has finished asking the question: We expect you to think through the problem and give an intelligent structure and answer. It is perfectly okay to take a couple of minutes and structure your thoughts, pen your structure and walk us through your solution in an organized manner.  One of the mistakes that applicants make is that they start rambling something only to change their structure after hitting a roadblock.

4) I cannot ask questions during the case interview: This is a tricky one. This completely depends on the type  of interview – Whether it is a market estimation or a business case interview.  During a market estimation, you are supposed to make intelligent assumptions and provide the answer. The maximum you should ask is to check with the interviewer if your assumptions seem alright especially on macro factors such as population, number of households etc. In a business case, you have to ask the right questions at intervals based on which the interviewer will provide you with data to crunch. Therefore, do not ask  questions in a market estimation case but for a business case,  create a structure, ask the right questions and steadily work towards the solution.

5) I will practice for the case interviews after getting the interview call:  In my experience the number 1 reason why applicants come unprepared before any case interview. They start practising too late! They start on a frantic search for “last minute solutions” and “one fits all framework” for solving case interviews that are floating in the market!  There are many that come to me one week before their case interviews and then say “Make magic happen!”….. I say give me more than a week to fix the portion!

Case interviews is a science more than an art – By investing time early, having the right material and the right mentor, there is no reason why you can’t crack that next Mckinsey case interview!

 

 

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I have 4 years of work experience, I am sure I will get an interview if I apply to an entry level consulting position. Right?

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WRONG!! WRONG! WRONG!

I have received so many emails with this question,  I had to dedicate an article to this topic -

The general misconception is that if an experienced individual applies for an entry level position at a consulting firm, their candidacy will be received positively because they are willing to do the job of an entry level candidate (read: fresh from college). Unfortunately consulting firms do not share this line of reasoning. Here is why  -

  1. You come across as DESPERATE! The whole  value proposition of  consulting firms is that they hire the smartest people from college/ B school and help a client solve the most complex business problems. When you have the experience to be a manager but apply for an entry level position, who are surely not coming across as the most  ”fought over” candidate in the market. Remember managing your “brand” is crucial in the job hunt process
  2. EGOS will CLASH – Operationally, hiring an experienced person at an entry level job can induce clashing egos. Think about it –  Parthenon hires a 22 year old as an entry level associate. After 2 years he is promoted to a Senior Associate and is managing other associates. You are a stellar IT engineer with 4 years of experience at Infosys. You have been in front of clients and have managed 22 year olds but have now decided to move to management consulting  and  joined as an entry level associate at Parthenon.  You would now have to report to a 24 year old. Would you be okay?  We would like to live in a Utopian world, but lets be honest this is asking for trouble!
  3. Bottom of the corporate ladder again?  All of us have been the entry level candidate once – Its tough work – I would say it helps  you build character when you sweat it out and all of us have to do it at least once. The question is , will you do it twice? You have been at the bottom of the ladder at your first job and have climbed up to an experienced level. Now, to revert to the bottom is very unnatural even though you may try to convince yourself that it is not a problem. The consulting firm does not want to take a chance with this either!
Always apply to a position that is suitable to your experience and age. Of course, the case is different for someone with just 1.5 years of experience and in that case she may apply for an entry level position but If you have considerable say  3- 4+ years of experience, always apply to non entry level positions for consulting.

 

 

 

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Timing The Recruiting Calendar

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Highlights:

  • Timing your application to consulting firms’ recruitment calendars increases your chances of being hired.
  • Firms will often choose to pass up even an outstanding candidate if the application comes in at the wrong time.
  • Recruitment calendars can vary with different regions of the world.

Without paying attention to recruiting calendars, your application and your career can end up in the wrong place at the wrong time – the opposite of where you want to be. Knowing how to time the recruiting calendars can be the difference between employment and being confused about why you didn’t get a call back.

Why Firms Hire Only For Small Periods

It can seem unfair that firms might not be hiring at the perfect time for your graduation or when you start looking for them, but they do this for a reason, and it’s important for you to adjust.

A global consulting firm like McKinsey, BCG, or Parthenon runs a high-level business operation in which each employee needs to be top-notch. To make sure that happens, they need to make sure their training processes are as high-efficiency and high-quality as possible. Allowing new recruits to trickle in over the course of a year leaves a company with raw recruits every 2-3 months instead of all at once.

Instead, companies recruit for 2-3 month periods in which they make almost all of their hires for an entire year (with only extremely rare exceptions). This lets them send entire recruiting classes to training sessions together, training all of them at once.

There’s 1 more major benefit for them: hiring all of their recruits at once lets them better compare recruits to each other. With recruits gaining their initial assignments at the same time and moving through the training sequence together, it’s easier for them to see who is really distinguishing himself or herself and who is lagging behind.

The Right Place At The Right Time

While many recruiting periods for full-time positions are November to December or November to January, you should be busy with a company long before that. The easiest way to find out a company’s recruiting period is to call them directly and ask, but this does something else as well: it gives you your first contact who has actually been hired by the company.

The run-up to the recruitment period is a busy time. Companies will put in appearances at top business schools before their recruiting periods to shake hands, learn names, and start to get an idea from recruitment counselors at the schools of whom they might hire. The period to get a resumé submitted may begin up to a month before the recruitment period.

Having your resumé in early gives the firm more time to look it over. Since consulting firms use as much time as possible to review resumés and make sure they’re short-listing the absolute best candidates, having your resumé in at the right time can be a big boon for you.

Know What To Do Based On Where You Live

Where you live affects the recruiting calendar in a big way, not just in terms of countries, but also in terms of regions within a country. At Duke University, for example, without any real governing the order, finance companies, consulting firms, tech companies and consumer products will visit the campus in that order. Being aware of what’s going on on campus can keep you from missing out on key opportunities to network.

The U.S., U.K. and India also have different practices. Many practices in the U.S. and India are very similar, but the UK recruitment process is a different animal. Firms in the U.K. have a much less structured recruitment schedule from the U.S. and India.

International firms like McKinsey know the British schedule and tailor it to their Indian schedules for consistency. The important thing is to gain the relevant knowledge about your region, school, country and what company you want to work for to time your application to the right time.

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3 Benefits Of Adding Language Capabilities To Your Resumé

Highlights: Adding language capabilities makes you stand out against candidates who have comparable resumés to yours. In some companies, having additional language capabilities is more important than other resumé hallmarks. Language differentiation makes you more competitive in a globalized economy. If you’ve taken classes in a language at some point, it would be valuable to [...]

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Why Work For An NGO?

The major benefits of nonprofit work can be grouped into 3 categories: Work Satisfaction Skill Development Personal Development Work Satisfaction The single greatest benefit of non-profit work is the satisfaction you feel while working. The ability to directly influence and help a weaker section of society is extremely rewarding. You’ll know you’re creating positive change, [...]

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Resume Differentiation Through Non-Profit Experience: An Introduction

Consulting is an incredibly exciting and rewarding industry to work in. However, none of the global consulting firms (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc) are going to notice you unless you have an extremely strong resume. But what’s even more important than having a strong resume is having a resume that’s different. Your resume should say something [...]

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What Not To Do In Your Consulting Fit Interview

Imagine after all the networking and hard work on your cover letter, you finally have your foot in the door secured the coveted consulting interview. The question that baffles most is, “What’s next? How do I convert this into a consulting job?” Consulting interviews are the most sought-after interviews on campuses. Most people only have [...]

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Things You Must Do For A Successful Consulting Fit Interview

During your interview, there are several qualities your interviewer will be looking for. Here are somethings you must do to convert your consulting interview into a consulting job. 1. Be well dressed and groomed. Remember, this is consulting. This is a people’s business where they expect you to be presentable in front of a client. [...]

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Work Culture Differences Between the US & India

Sometimes the culture of a particular city and region can be an important factor in a job search. Understanding the local language, the local consulting firm culture, and the geography of where you’re working can significantly affect your experience at a job. The Importance of Culture Fortunately, most consulting firms have an extremely global culture, [...]

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Consulting Work Characteristics: Differences Between US & India Case Work

Data Abundance Versus Data Scarcity International students choosing between consulting work in the U.S. and consulting practices in countries like India should think about the type of case work they want to get involved in. In countries with mature economies, like the U.S., the data infrastructure is much better in terms of market data and company [...]

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