careers - management consulting


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Boston Consulting Group - Miami Office:

 

http://www.bcg.com/about_bcg/offices/office_miami.html

 

BCG Miami opened its doors in 2003, representing one of the most vibrant additions to BCG's Americas system. While the office maintains a special focus on the South Florida business community, Miami is also part of a two-office system that together with Atlanta supports our presence in the broader southeast United States. In addition, Miami supports the firm's expanding Latin American network.

 

BCG Miami's goal is to better serve our existing clients, attract new clients and become the local consultant of choice for leading South Florida companies, while working together with the Atlanta office to support our presence in the southeast United States and also supporting BCG's Latin American offices. BCG has worked extensively with several clients in South Florida over the past decade in a number of key sectors, including consumer goods, industrial goods, travel and tourism, energy and utilities, health care and financial services.

 

The office also maintains strong local relationships with organizations such as PODER, an influential Latin American business magazine. Locally, BCG co-sponsors the PODER-BCG Annual Business Awards, an event which attracts world leaders in business and politics every year. In addition, BCG has strong ties to Endeavor, a global non-profit organization promoting growth in emerging markets by connecting entrepreneurs in developing countries with experienced business professionals from around the world.

 

The office is led by an experienced senior team and draws on the depth of specialized expertise available through the BCG Americas network. The strength of a great local team is reflected in the office's dynamic entrepreneurial atmosphere, where the focus is on establishing the BCG presence in a new market.

 

BCG Miami recruits a number of associates and consultants every year, with a particular emphasis on a strong academic background, superior analytic and communications skills, and a will to succeed.

 

 

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careers - management consulting

 

What do they do?

 

Management Consultant

What is it you do?

Consulting may sound nebulous, but it's a booming industry, even if many aren't quite sure what consultants actually do. Basically, consultants are hired by a company (or sometimes, a government entity or a nonprofit) to help assess its problems, plan its future, or improve operation efficiency and profits. These companies believe that consultants are neutral outsiders, sometimes with more overall industry experience than the client itself. Teams of consultants then work on projects - usually called "engagements" - for the client that can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several years.

 

Because consultants are always moving to new engagements and learning new information about their clients and their industries, management consulting - whether strategy, operations, or information technology in nature - is a unique career that offers the chance to work within many industries and companies, rub shoulders with CEOs, and travel throughout the country and the world. Consultants sell knowledge, and the skill and expertise of their employees. Expect long hours, the inability to make firm weekend plans, and an insider's view of sick and hypochondriac companies and organizations around the world.

 

Popular profession

 

Consulting is one of the best-paid professions for recent grads, offering lucrative salary packages and the chance to hobnob with top management of Fortune 500 companies, while working on some of the most interesting issues that these managers face. At first glance it looks like a no-brainer.

 

But don't be hasty. Consulting careers have many positives, but they are no walk in the park. Pressures are high, travel is onerous, and the interview process can be painful. Before setting off down the consulting route, you should develop a good understanding of where the industry is going, what your role will be, and how closely it fits with your needs and personality.

 

 

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Uppers

High pay

Wide variety of projects

Intellectual stimulation

 

 

Downers

Grueling travel

Long hours

Too much jargon

Unpaid overtime

 

 

 

 

Personality Match

People-oriented; Well spoken; Analytical; Independent; Creative

 

Personality Miss

Antisocial; Inflexible; Afraid of flying

 

 

Career Path

 

Management Consultant

While job titles between consulting firms may differ, the levels and promotion path across firms is remarkably similar. Students graduating from undergraduate institutions come into a firm at an analyst stage, while those with an MBA or similar degree, enter at an associate (also called consultant) level. (At Booz-Allen, recent grads of undergraduate programs are called consultants.) After one-and-a-half to three years as an associate, the next promotion is to manager. Consultants at this level have a day-to-day relationship with the client and responsibility for managing the activities of the team. The key difference in this role is the need to step back from the details more often, and an increased use of people management skills. Following manager, the senior manager position allows the consultant to begin to develop more off-engagement relationships with clients and to prospect for new business. At this stage, the senior manager is also given a broader range of projects to oversee at a somewhat higher level.

The ultimate aspiration of a career consultant is to achieve the partnership/director position. This level is about building and maintaining client relationships and developing the intellectual capital of the firm. As most consultancies are still partnerships, promotion to director normally involves a hefty increase in compensation, as directors begin to participate directly in the firm's profits.

 

Analysts typically spend two to three years at a consulting firm before returning to get an MBA or abandoning the field of consulting altogether. Some consulting firms will now promote top analysts directly to the associate level. At most top consulting firms (Bain, Boston Consulting Group, and McKinsey, for instance) the typical path for analysts includes business school and an MBA before a promotion to associate. In rare cases, a sterling analyst may be given the option for promotion without business school. In other firms (e.g. Gemini, Booz-Allen), analysts routinely win promotions to associate after two to three years.

 

 

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Hours

• Average hours worked per week: 65

 

Salary

• Average salary for research associates: $39,200

• Entry-level consultants: $58,000

• Management consultants: $76,300

• Senior consultants: $100,300

• Junior partners: $133,500

• Senior partners: $259,500

 

Skills To Acquire

• Bachelor's degree, often an MBA to advance

 

 

 

Culture of the firm

 

Like separate countries, consulting firms have their own cultures. One associate at a consulting firm finds "the camaraderie here very appealing, because this industry is somewhat cutthroat and it's good to have that human touch." Part of that competition is engendered by the "up or out" policy that many firms sport. "At my former firm" says one consultant, "you're either promoted or told to leave after two years. That creates a lot of insecurity. It's survival of the fittest, and I don't know how much teamwork that culture can really support. My new consulting firm doesn't have that policy and that makes it a nicer place to work." Consultants are generally bright overachievers, and so it's no surprise that one consultant thinks his firm "attracts very aggressive businesspeople who are well-rounded and down to earth. The company values leadership and integrity."

Some consulting firms are defined by their socialization. "My firm will spend to create a friendly work environment," says one insider. Another insider reports that his firm's atmosphere is "totally convivial - like an elite fraternity or sorority." Firm culture can be affected by outside forces as well. "My firm had some problems two years ago, and people are still a little nervous and still look over their shoulders," says one consultant, while another Big Five consultant says: "The culture is still pretty much dominated by the accounting side, as you can tell by all the blue and gray ugly suits walking around here, even though the consulting side of the firm is increasingly profitable." But despite these separate traditions and quirks, all consulting firms emphasize and value teamwork. "The culture is very collaborative," say insiders. "People in Australia will get on a plane and fly to your client in the middle of the night to help you out with a project," says another consultant. "Most firms look "for extraordinarily smart people who have the ambition, the ability and the self-discipline to give 200 percent where only 100 percent would suffice. Consultants are experts in fields you've never heard of. They are mavericks and builders and it is a true joy to work with them," gushes one insider.

 

 

 

Ranking the best firms to work for

 

List of consulting companies

 

Ranked by Prestige

 

1 McKinsey & Company 8.427 1 New York, NY

2 The Boston Consulting Group 8.037 2 Boston, MA

3 Bain & Company 7.809 3 Boston, MA

4 Booz Allen Hamilton 6.600 4 McLean, VA

5 Monitor Group 6.392 5 Cambridge, MA

6 Mercer Management Consulting * 6.236 6 New York, NY

7 Mercer Oliver Wyman ** 6.052 7 New York, NY

8 Deloitte Consulting LLP 5.856 10 New York, NY

9 Mercer Human Resource Consulting 5.742 8 New York, NY

10 The Parthenon Group 5.604 9 Boston, MA

 

 

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Ranked by "quality of life"

 

1 Trinity Partners 8.575

2 Bain & Company 8.530

3 Cornerstone Research 8.385

4 Gallup Consulting 8.247

5 Novantas LLC 8.224

6 Putnam Associates 8.194

7 Arthur D. Little 8.150

8 Marakon Associates 8.143

9 PRTM 8.132

10 The Boston Consulting Group 8.066

 

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Q: I've spent seven years in telecom human resources and labor relations and now want to get into management consulting. There seem to be many requirements for entry, including previous consulting experience. How can I make this transition?

 

 

A: You face an uphill battle. Consulting is a different animal than industry and most firms aren't interested in corporate candidates unless they have worked in consulting-type roles or are stars in their fields, says Gary Smith, managing partner with Smith, Scott&Associates, a Colorado Springs, Co., recruiting firm that fills consulting openings.

 

"It's exceedingly difficult for a person with only corporate experience to make the transition to consulting unless they are exceptionally good at what they do or have real stature in their field," says Mr. Smith.

 

The reason is that experience limited to just one company or industry isn't useful to firms that seek to solve problems for multiple clients across many industries. Less than 5% of industry professionals he interviews are hired as consultants, Mr. Smith adds.

 

Many consulting firms seek specialists with narrow expertise. In the HR arena, this might be sales or executive compensation or organizational development. If you feel you have specialized expertise, such as in compensation, "strip away anything on your resume that isn't related to compensation and say what you accomplished and delivered," says Mr. Smith. "Saying that you designed a sales-compensation plan a year ago isn't enough."

 

Focus only on talking with firms that have practice areas in your specialty. In interviews, show how you have worked in teams, helped clients define a problem and then collaboratively analyzed it and delivered a solution, says Ed Brady, chief people officer for Diamond Management & Technology Consultants in Chicago. At most, 20% of Diamond's new hires are from industry, but many of them have worked as consultants at some point in their careers, he says.

 

Since you have seven years in industry, it's possible that consulting employers may view you as too experienced or expensive for an entry-level position, says Mr. Smith. Some industry professionals have risen to management by this point and aren't valued as consulting material because they no longer do hands-on work, he says. At senior levels, candidates also must show that they can sell a firm's experience or have a large range of potential client contacts. "Some people fail miserably as consultants because they don't have sales and business development talents," Mr. Smith says.

 

Many consulting firms prefer hiring college or business-school graduates, so returning to school for an M.B.A. or other master's degree is one way to gain necessary qualifications. Diamond recruits about 60% of its new hires from campuses, Mr. Brady says. To work at a prestigious strategy consulting firm, you would need a degree from a top-ranked business school, adds Mr. Smith.

 

Another way to break in to the field might be to target small regional or local consulting firms to gain experience and then work your way up the ladder.

 

 

 

 

 

See Also (other related pages to "management consulting")

 

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Managment Consulting

Consultant

Location Consultants

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business consultant example 2