Hey guys,
Need some info. Just charting out my path and had a few queries.Do the top consulting firms consult for education firms like schools, colleges, etc. Remember reading somewhere that mck & Bain do nice work in Africa. It would be great if someone could tell me the kind of work they do.

Thanks in Advance !!!!

Parthenon is a known for it's education consulting practice. Needless to say, M/B/B would have done some consulting work in the education space but I'm not sure on the kind of work they do.

Hi All,

I was doing some research around career track, nature of work and recruitment process of some of the consulting firms in India. Would like to understand a few things about Accenture Consulting.

1. How is Accenture GTIN/IDB different to Accenture Consulting India?
   
2. I read that bulk of Accenture Management Consulting work is around M&A;, post integration etc. Is it right? What is the nature of Accenture Consulting in India?
   
3. What is the career track at Accenture Management Consulting?
   

Many Thanks in advance!!

Hi Pradeep. Here are answers to your queries:

1. Accenture IDB caters to Indian clients whereas GTIN caters to consulting engagements across the globe.
   
2. No, Accenture offers consulting services across the spectrum, from strategy consulting to operational consulting. M&A; and post-merger integrations are definitely part of the larger services portfolio.
   
3. Levels: Analyst - Consultant - Manager - Senior Manager - Senior Executive (Partner). However, years spent at each level, before promotion to the next level, can vary from 2 years to 5/6 years depending on your performance.
   

Congratulations to all those who made it to ISB! Have a blast in these few months before you land on campus - this time will never come again! :)

Best wishes to those who couldn't make it this year. I'm sure there's something better in store for you all. Just keep up the spirits!

Should anyone have any queries, feel free to reach out through posts here on the forums or through PMs.

Please find me responses below the quoted texts.

Hi,
I am interested in Consulting jobs.. however, there is no company that comes in to our campus for Summer Placements with Consulting or related profile.
Can someone help me with this...
Which company/ companies do I apply for Summer Internship ?
Should I take help of my college or do it on my own?
If on my own, will companies entertain my resume?
And what are the things I need to keep in mind while applying this way?
P.S. I have 2 yrs prior experience, however, not into Consulting.

Srakshaa - Go ahead with an independant job search rather than staying dependant on your school. The fact that they don't hire from your school suggests that (a) your school does not have much traction with these firms and (b) your school may not be elite-enough for the firms to leverage their resources to come to your school and run a costly campus-hire campaign for getting the best 1-2 students.

My take - Honestly, I feel it will be very diffficult for your to break into M/B/B/ATK/ACN. However, at shot at the consulting arms of big 4 firms could be a realistic aspiration.

Dear Monil,

Now if you don mind , can u giv me ur opinion on whether I shud go fr GRE/GMAT next year - I'm not that into doin MBA from foreign - but just in case I don get in Indian top b-schools I wish to understand abt pursuing from good Foreign univs for MBA ( parents have retired and so wish nt to be a burden fr them at their later stage rather than being helpful to them).

Also if you are into consulting domain- can you suggest about career options for me from my present position ?? Thing is all my colleagues are with MBA / Experienced in the Metals field fr 4 years atleast - Im the youngest and inexperienced person handling consultin assignments in my team or company ( Got a gud name fr my work though but obviously stil lots of experience to be gained ) , and Im not sure if I shud develop additionally any skillsets/courses to reach higher in my career - right now Im kinda not sure coz as a consultant - unlike IT / financial, I m not learning any tool - All I do is analyse published reports, interact with senior management people in the market Im tracking - either face to face / Primary telephonic interviews, get their inputs - analyse, Work around the numbers in Excel - Forecasting/analysis and make presentations in powerpoint- present to clients and address their concerns / queries. Will my profile be acceptable (> 1 yr exp in consulting without MBA) fr companies like PwC/Accenture/Capgemini where I hav seen some of my collegues shifted ?
Shan

Shan - GMAT/GRE/Foreign Univs - I suggest you do some research about top foreign schools by going through their websites and relevant threads on PG. GMAT is the most commonly accepted score. If you wish to stick to India after MBA then ISB/IIM PGPX programs are an obvious choice.

Movement to other consulting firms - With a non-MBA, moving to other firms with your experience may be possible, but I don't think you can expect large hikes or quick promotions. This is because your peer-group is better qualified. I would suggest you take another couple of years experience, develop strong industry knowledge and indurtry networks. Simultaneously works towards sealing an admit to a top school - IIMs/ISB because top firms M/C/C/ATK/ACN recruit only from these schools.

Hi Shan,

1. Though you might not end up with a front end role in big consulting giants like M/B etc you can always find a way into their research centers like McKinsey KC, Bain Capability Center etc. Some specifics I would like to point out about these setups:
   

1. 
   
   1. McKC has established CoC (Center of Competence) which hires experienced candidates from industry ex 5+ years of experience in steel industry etc for roles which involve client interactions but less of problem solving. Given your experience in the sector, you can end up in such roles as well.
      
   
   

1. 
   
   1. Often, after a stint in research roles with these giants, many move into front end roles with players like Deloitte, E&Y; etc which again can be a good exit option for you.
      
   
   

Shan/Pradeep - I partly agree and partyl disagree with you. Moving from Research arms of M/B/B to front is nearly impossible at lower levels (maybe a rare 1-2% movement). Only if you are partner, maybe you have a say. But, i agree that research experience with M/B/B can lead you to front-end roles at Deloitte/Big 4.

CoC is a different concept - they seek industry specialists (as opposed to generalist MBAs from top schools) for their industry expertise. They largely support/work in engagements only from their core industry and experience across industries/sectors (which is common for top B-school MBAs) in not commonly seen.

Does experience(post MBA) with Deloitte/EY/PWC/KPMG help make an entry into firms like Mck,Bain,Booz... Whats the difference between the consulting work done by the advisory arms of the Big 4 audit firms and the McK/Bain/Booze/AtK,etc..,

TreznikZ - Movement from Deloitte/Big 4 to M/B/B is very rarely seen (read almost impossible). However, I know of a few people who have successfully moved from ATK/ACN to M/B/B.

I also agree with the point of Pradeep that these firms exist because of their elitist image. This is also why, only grads from top schools can dream about such a change. By now, you would have already deduced that a top school MBA is mandatory. So, if you aren't a B-schooler yet, aim for the best schools!

Difference is work has been highlighted well by Pradeep. In summary, M/B/B do more strategy consulting and less operational consulting, ATK/ACN do less strategy and more operational consulting, Deloitte India does more research related work for their US front-end offices and Big 4 do any work that comes their way. However, M/B/B have realized that clients now appreciate more involvement in exection/operational phase too and are not happy with only receiveing strategy advice (ppts and excels). So, they are slowly building their operational consulting capabilities.

Hi Shan,

Your work profile seems to be really very interesting. If you are really enjoying the work, why not stick to it for a couple of years more, grasp all that you can and then take up an MBA to leverage this experience in a larger brand - one of the top MC firms?

The notion of MBA in India as a largely for people 0-2 work-ex phenomena but the prevelant view globally is about going for an MBA after 4-5 years work-ex. This is because once you have seen a fair amount of the corporate world, you are clearer on your post-MBA goals, you are clearer on your needs from an MBA and you can leverage your 4-5 years experience to catapult you into the lower/middle management band easily. So, if you are not in a hurry to do an MBA, you can later consider options like PGPX program at IIMs and ISB in India and numerous other top schools globally.

As far as retaking CAT goes - you can take it as many times as you want. However, with every passing year, you must evaluate whether a 2 year program with a peer group with 0-2 year work-ex still holds the same value for you? If you, it's time you start considering other options. And I say this from experience - a 3/4 time CAT taker myself.

Hi,

I'm workin as a Research analyst in a Market research & Consulting firm in the metals & mining domain for one year and

................

Regret for the long mail - highly confused. Wil be really helpful if ppl giv some suggestions. I don knw many ppl in consulting domain wit whom I can freely clarify my doubts - PG is the only place I cud think of !!!

Regards,
Shan