Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

Working within financial services organisations to provide consulting services and deliver change.

Managing a small team
Facilitating / conducting client or team meetings
Gathering research / analytics
Creating and delivering client documents and presentations

I love the challenge of facing a different problems every day and having a good team around me to help resolve them.

Significant client interactions and multiple stakeholders can be challenging. There is also a need to be very flexible, both during the working day and at times in your personal life to support travel and occasional long hours.

Consulting provides the opportunity to work across a wide variety of industry segments and different clients. Also provides opportunity to travel.

Project management skills, analytics, problem solving skills, team building skills.

An initial core 5 week training course followed by compulsory training every year, in addition to access to a significant online repository of further courses and skills.

Current employer – large global consulting firm

Personal aim to complete an MBA or further education (supported by my firm) and move up to partner level in one of the large consulting firms.

Consulting is a very broad and varied industry, ranging from global practitioners to smaller niche firms. Work out what areas interest you, what kind of clients you would potentially want to work with and what kind of skills you want to develop. This will help you find the consulting firm that is suitable to you and will help put you on the right career path.
One of the key skills that will help with any interview is understanding how to do a case study. There is plenty of information online around these, but it might help to look for additional support the university can give.

Although the first job you take out of university doesn’t decide your whole career, I’ve seen plenty of people get trapped (or feel they are trapped) on a career path based on the first job they take. My advice would be to take a little time after graduation to research the different options available, talk to people in those careers and not rush into the first job you are offered. I also support with graduate recruitment for my firm and believe it’s preferable to see individuals who have come into consulting with a clear idea that this is the career they want, even if that means they take a few months following university to come to that conclusion.