Consulting careers for PhDs

Résumé de la formation

Consulting firms are more and more open to PhDs

• Consulting firms provide attractive careers for PhDs, whatever their specialization : humanities or « hard » sciences
• Analytical skills and capability to work in autonomy that characterize PhDs are highly valued by consulting firms
• Consulting sector recruiting perspectives are greats, as precisez in following study from Les Echos (http://start.lesechos.fr/rejoindre-une-entreprise/actu-recrutement/le-secteur-du-conseil-va-recruter-4-000-jeunes-diplomes-en-2016-4846.php#xtor=CS2-11)

To become consultant, the PhD will have to familiarized with a very different work environment and highly selective

• High failure rate…around 90% even outside McKinsey, BCG and Bain
• This can be explained by specific recruiting processes that can surprise candidates, then a solid preparation is mandatory

Programme

This training is dedicated to introduce the consulting sector and to prepare candidates to succeed in recruiting process and in their integration. It targets :

• An increase in success rate of PhD candidates in consulting
• Open career perspectives of PhDs

Training is structured around 4 modules, detailed in following section.

Training will be highly participative

• This training is built around concrete experiences, continuously updated by iterations with candidates, head hunters, consultants and by strategy intelligence grasping key consulting sector trends
• Modules dedicated to preparation of consulting interviews on interpersonal skills and consulting case cracking are based on exclusive and structured transversal methodology elaborated by V.H. Mamou after receiving offers from McKinsey and BCG and 5 years of consulting as senior consultant in BCG
• The course alternates theory and practices and foster open discussion, especially on “taboo” questions about consulting
• Training content is engaging, highly illustrative and target to arouse students curiosity and questions

Module 1 : Insider view on consulting

Ce module traite des sujets suivants :

1. Consulting market overview and key figures, segmentation of consulting sectors: strategy, management, organization, IT, etc., segmentation of consulting firms
2. 24 hours of consultant life, typical activities, work-life balance, career paths and salaries
3. Impact of consulting sector on economy and on manager activities
4. Why becoming consultant?
5. Why not becoming consultant?
6. Overview of recruiting process: key figures, myths and reality
7. Strategic analysis of consulting interview structure
8. Typology of interviews
9. Typology of consulting cases
10. Anticipation of required workload on several dimensions
11. Recruiting process retro-planning: overview, traps and tips
12. Step-by-step strategy to target consulting firms
13. How to find the relevant combination of preparation tools, from books to mock interviews

Objectifs : 

• Understand the basics of consulting market, segments and job
• Anticipate consulting « real life », attractiveness and challenges from insider perspective
• Choose or not consulting career with a clear rationale
• Understand consulting impact on other sectors
• Anticipate interaction with consultants in manager daily life
• Understand specificities of consulting recruitment process
• Anticipate recruiting key challenges and ways to mitigate
• Organize a strategic target of consulting firms
• Put themselves into interviewer shoes
• Elaborate optimized recruitment process retro- planning
• Leverage existing preparation tools in relevant way

Module 2 : How to securize invitations and succeed the interpersonal section of interviews

Ce module traite des sujets suivants :

1. Sharing step-by-step process to securize invitations to consulting interview
2. Understanding the 6 ways to approch consulting firm
3. Understanding what interviewers are really looking for
4. Why the interpersonal presentation is so decisive…also for succeeding consulting cases
5. Specific drawbacks and success factors for young vs. experienced candidates, classical vs. atypical profiles, specialized generalist candidates
6. How to build your own successful storyline: step-by-step approach
7. How to structure CV for consulting jobs
8. Transforming cover letter into synthesis of presentation backbone
9. Successful preparation planning for a strong and fluid storylining: tips and tools
10. How to practice your storylining
11. How to anticipate interviewer spectrum of key questions and answer them successfully
12. Masterize the 5 levels of competitiveness on fit interview

Objectifs : 

• Organize consistent preparation of recruiting process
• Understand clearly what interviewers are expecting from interpersonal presentation
• Understand the key role of CV and cover letter beyond HR selection process
• Structure successfully their storyline and practice accordingly

Module 3 : Transversal methodology to succeed in consulting cases

Contenu

1. Understand the underlying objectives of consulting cases
2. Distinguish between guess estimates and consulting cases
3. Overview of consulting cases typology
4. Key risks of failure during case interview
5. Overview of classical case cracking approaches…and their limit
6. How to build an efficient helicopter view
7. Survival kit for the D-Day
8. How to succeed in the 2 first minutes of case interview
9. How to succeed in quantitative questions
10. Ask the good questions
11. Overview of anticipated planning, workload and tools to prepare successfully
12. Practicing – a comprehensive group mock interview program will put students in real situation

Après ce module, les étudiants seront capables de

• Understand the consulting cases official and underlying objectives
• Organize preparation process successfully
• Master the structured and transversal methodology to succeed in consulting cases interviews
• Practice several cases to improve methodology and approach mastery

Module 4 : How to manage projects and tasks as a strategy consultant

 Ce module traite des sujets suivants

1. Why firms pay so high for strategy consultant services
2. Experts vs. consultants approach: need to unlearn some automatic reflexes
3. Time management
4. So what: understand what you do, why you do it and what is expected from your work
5. Structuring, synthesizing and formalizing
6. Storylining
7. Think out of the box
8. Formal and informal deliverables
9. Test your hypothesis with your client, your manager
10. Anticipate next steps

Objectifs : 

• Understand the work approach of strategy consultant
• Be aware of strategy consulting methods that are not yet taught in business schools
• Apply consulting strategy methods and approach in their professional life
• Anticipate expectations to ensure effective start as consultant

Formateurs et formatrices

Victor Haïm Mamou

Email :  mamou.victor@gmail.com

Informations pratiques

• Email (contact pédagogique): mamou.victor@gmail.com
• Dates prévisionnelles : 26, 27, 28 avril 2022
• Lieu : FORMATION A DISTANCE Les modalités de connexion vous seront communiquées par les formateurs ultérieurement.

• Durée : 3 jours / 21 heures
• Pré-requis : Aucun 
• Effectif maximum : 20