Wednesday class in Consultative Processes was very interesting. First we had a panel of four consultants currently working for some of the very well known and not so widely known consulting companies: Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PWC), Deloitte, North Highland, Grant Thornton. In spite of the fact that the image of a consultant sometimes is more readily associated with a buttoned-up, dark-suited, white-shirted, tied-up men, all panelists, incidentally, happened to be ladies. By their own admission later in the panel, the gender make up in their respective companies is actually about 50/50. Go figure!
They introduced themselves and then were open for questions from the students. I am not going to recollect all the questions. Just a few general observations. Books collection on Case Interviews at Consulting Companies.
Most of them are currently working, or have been in the past, with public sector. For DC area it means mostly federal government agencies. All of them have been pointing out that working with the government is a somewhat tedious experience compared to the private sector consulting. Engagements with government consulting take a long time, and recommendations presented to the clients are more often than not left without actual implementation. On the upside, if you are located in DC area and work in public sector, your travel, which is a hallmark of private sector consulting, is rather limited, because there are so many available engagements in the capital area. On second thought, young consultants without family may appreciate extensive travel, so it is not a clear cut upside for everyone.
All present panelists consider themselves generalists, rather than Subject Matter Experts in a narrow field. They conceded though, that their companies have other consultants with specialized expertise too.
Another interesting thought from the discussion was about getting into consulting. Generally you can get into consulting with pretty much any professional background as long as you can demonstrate how your experience lends or translates to the company’s overall expertise. Advanced degrees, Masters/Ph.D., are very much preferred, but it does not have to be MBA. Books collection on Case Interviews at Consulting Companies.
I jotted down skills, qualities and attributes of a good consultant according to our panelists. Compare this list to the one that our class came up with last week. You will see that they are almost identical, if only sometimes differently worded:
- Analysis
- Communication
- Research
- Presentation
- Initiative
- Desire to learn
- Quick learner
- Humility
- Flexibility
- Networking within and outside the company
- Proactive in getting yourself engaged
- Negotiation
- Reputation
- Hard working
- Finisher
The second part of the class after the panelists left was about interviewing with consulting companies. Just to bog you down with the lists today, here is the one our professor presented us with about the skills assessed during the interview:
- Leadership skills
- Analytical skills
- Presentation skills
- Energy
- Attention to detail/Organization
- Quantitative skills
- Flexibility
- Maturity
- Intelligence
I hope you are sufficiently informed about the skills and qualities of consultants by now, if not downright bored with them. Time for me to log off 
Books collection on Case Interviews at Consulting Companies.
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