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Where else can you learn from ex-McK, BCG et al. senior partners?

Learn from the people who make the final hiring decision in the final round of interviews.

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Management Consulting

Start Here with Case Interviews

We use ex-McKinsey, BCG et al. partners to prepare you for case interviews at the most elite consulting firms. We are the only firm worldwide using ex-partners. We do this because we believe only partners who make the final hiring decision in the final round case interview should be training you. My name is Kris Safarova and I am the CEO FIRMSconsulting.com. I work with a network of eminent ex-McKinsey, BCG et al. partners, like Kevin, Bill, Michael and many others who produce all the content on the site. Since 2010, when FIRMSconsulting.com was founded, I have assembled a universe of digital platforms teaching case interviews and business strategy. Our goal is not only to get you into McKinsey but to help you succeed far beyond the firm. We see McKinsey and BCG as mere stepping stones and while we focus on case interviews, we use ex-partners to equip clients with the broader thinking skills to solve mankind's toughest problems. [bctt tweet="I have noticed one thing in common with everyone who either comments on FIRMSconsulting.com or our case interviews podcast channel which is ranked #1 in the world for case interviews: everyone is unsure of what to do and/or starting…

Management Consulting

We use ex-McKinsey, BCG et al. partners to prepare you for case interviews at the most elite consulting firms. We are the only firm worldwide using ex-partners. We do this because we believe only partners who make the final hiring decision in the final round case interview should be training you. My name is Kris Safarova and I am the CEO FIRMSconsulting.com. I work with a network of eminent ex-McKinsey, BCG et al. partners, like Kevin, Bill, Michael and many others who produce all the content on the site. Since 2010, when FIRMSconsulting.com was founded, I have assembled a universe…

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Management Consulting

Coaching Guidelines

Private Coaching with Kris (Pilot) We had a number of clients and customers requesting one-on-one coaching with Kris, our CEO. Kris decided to offer coaching to selected clients as a pilot initiative. You are welcome to apply for private coaching with Kris. Kris's coaching fees are generally the same as Michael's private coaching fees, but she decided to cap the fee at 997$ for 50-minutes session during the pilot to help make it more affordable for FC Insiders. The fee per session for the pilot program at this time is as follows: Career coaching: $997 per 50-minutes session Starting a business coaching: $997 per 50-minutes session Executive presence, communications & public speaking coaching: $997 per 50-minutes session If you would like to apply for a 1-on-1 private coaching session or a coaching program (joining as a long-term private one-on-one client) with Kris, do not hesitate to email us at [email protected] with 1 paragraph description of your specific challenge/goal you would like to accomplish and let us know if you are applying for 1 session or for a coaching program. When spots are allocated, preference is given to FC Insiders and our coaching clients from coaching programs such as The MasterPlan Acceleration Program,…

Management Consulting

Private Coaching with Kris (Pilot) We had a number of clients and customers requesting one-on-one coaching with Kris, our CEO. Kris decided to offer coaching to selected clients as a pilot initiative. You are welcome to apply for private coaching with Kris. Kris's coaching fees are generally the same as Michael's private coaching fees, but she decided to cap the fee at 997$ for 50-minutes session during the pilot to help make it more affordable for FC Insiders. The fee per session for the pilot program at this time is as follows: Career coaching: $997 per 50-minutes session Starting a…

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Management Consulting

Burnout in Management Consulting

Fridays were the worst days for me. You would think they were the best days. Yet, I was so exhausted from the previous four days that I would simply drag myself through the day. I usually ended up getting home by 6pm and falling asleep on my couch. This were clear signs of burnout. I would then wake at 8pm, have a shower and eat dinner at home while watching a movie. I was far too tired to go out. Of course, this can be a real problem if your partner wants to go out. So that raises a whole host of complications on the home front. Schedule that led to burnout My Monday to Thursday schedule was punishing. It usually started at around 8am when I would get into the office and there would be other partners and engagement managers waiting to discuss different engagements and proposals. I had an open door policy. If my door was open, then people knew it was okay to interrupt me. This continued non-stop throughout the day. I also needed to fit in client meetings and internal meetings. I usually finished my client meetings by 6pm, and if I had no dinner plans, I could get…

Management Consulting

Fridays were the worst days for me. You would think they were the best days. Yet, I was so exhausted from the previous four days that I would simply drag myself through the day. I usually ended up getting home by 6pm and falling asleep on my couch. This were clear signs of burnout. I would then wake at 8pm, have a shower and eat dinner at home while watching a movie. I was far too tired to go out. Of course, this can be a real problem if your partner wants to go out. So that raises a whole host of complications…

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Management Consulting

What is management consulting?

I was talking to my family recently who know about my diligent preparation efforts to build my management consulting skills and they asked me “what is management consulting?” Although they were aware of my previous career in consulting they did not had a good understanding of what this line of work entails and why I am so interested in pursuing it. In fact they have never heard about it before I brought it up. I looked back at my own experience and realized that this question, what is management consulting, is not rare and I had to answer it at least few times in my life. In fact, there was a moment many years ago when I asked this very question to myself. Management consulting is not as well known as law, banking or engineering. Even many of my MBA classmates only learned about this line of work once there were in the MBA program. So what is management consulting? I would say it is a practice of helping organizations to identify and solve their key problems, and to pinpoint and seize most promising opportunities. If done right, this work is valuable to clients, and deeply satisfying and impactful at…

Management Consulting

I was talking to my family recently who know about my diligent preparation efforts to build my management consulting skills and they asked me “what is management consulting?” Although they were aware of my previous career in consulting they did not had a good understanding of what this line of work entails and why I am so interested in pursuing it. In fact they have never heard about it before I brought it up. I looked back at my own experience and realized that this question, what is management consulting, is not rare and I had to answer it at…

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Management Consulting

Cause and Effect: When Not to Choose Consulting

Cause and Effect: When Not to Choose Consulting Cause and effect are discussed to help readers understand when working for P&G, GE, Nestle etc., may be a better career path versus working for McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, etc. Misunderstanding Cause and Effect Do you remember the days when it was cool to roll out software and stick a beta sign on it? There was a time between 2004 and 2008 when it was a badge of honor to roll out broken software and expect the beta sign to make up for the poor performance. Companies loved saying they were in beta-mode. Some start-ups actually rolled out software in this format just to have the beta sign up, even when they could have easily waited for a more refined version. Why did this happen? There is a one-word answer: Google. Google may not have pioneered the beta idea but they certainly made it acceptable. After Google started doing it, betas became famous for three reasons. First, Google was becoming cool and everyone wanted to be cool so they wanted to be like Google. If Google was releasing beta software, then they said, “What the heck, I should do it too.” Second,…

Management Consulting

Cause and Effect: When Not to Choose Consulting Cause and effect are discussed to help readers understand when working for P&G, GE, Nestle etc., may be a better career path versus working for McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, etc. Misunderstanding Cause and Effect Do you remember the days when it was cool to roll out software and stick a beta sign on it? There was a time between 2004 and 2008 when it was a badge of honor to roll out broken software and expect the beta sign to make up for the poor performance. Companies loved saying they were in…

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Management Consulting

Update, Big Changes to Firmsconsulting

We recently held our annual leadership meeting where we debated the future of Firmsconsulting and made some important decisions. We have come a long way since starting as a blog exactly 4.5 years ago. Yet, it seems like we are just getting started. This is a special and deeply sincere thank you to all our readers who built a tiny blog into a full company operating around the world. This update discusses the significant changes we will make. Some of these you would have deduced based on the changes to the website, though the others will be new. All of the studies and shows we discussed in the February update will proceed as planned. There will be no changes to those commitments. The big decisions in this email simply explain what we are doing and why. Most importantly, we want to be more focused. So when you read everything below, it does not mean we are doing more. We are actually going to do less and focus around just TCO + its spin-off shows and the consulting studies + related training. That is all. Overall strategy in one word: crowdsourced Why do we exist? We will remain committed to our…

Management Consulting

We recently held our annual leadership meeting where we debated the future of Firmsconsulting and made some important decisions. We have come a long way since starting as a blog exactly 4.5 years ago. Yet, it seems like we are just getting started. This is a special and deeply sincere thank you to all our readers who built a tiny blog into a full company operating around the world. This update discusses the significant changes we will make. Some of these you would have deduced based on the changes to the website, though the others will be new. All of…

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Management Consulting

BCG & Bain turned down by Brazilian client

A female client turned down all the interviews from BCG, Bain, Booz and Roland Berger in the worst recession in recent Brazilian memory and takes on an investment banking role at Goldman Sachs. This is her story as recounted in her words. "I turned down the interviews from BCG et al was because I thought the consulting firms were just so arrogant. I mean these guys came to my school cocktail events and did not even want to be there. They had these fake smiles and gave fake answers. And they were just so rude and misleading. I don't have a green card. So don't lead me on with interviews and then ding me in the final round. Just be honest up front. I just could not do it anymore. The interviews were usually [with] weak first-year associates who were in my position just 9 months ago! And they did not even know their cases well. I worked in management consulting as an analyst. I know the game and what is the lifestyle. I did not need these boring and lame stories to mislead foreign students and bolster turnout. I actually believed Accenture and turned down a Morgan Stanley cocktail…

Management Consulting

A female client turned down all the interviews from BCG, Bain, Booz and Roland Berger in the worst recession in recent Brazilian memory and takes on an investment banking role at Goldman Sachs. This is her story as recounted in her words. "I turned down the interviews from BCG et al was because I thought the consulting firms were just so arrogant. I mean these guys came to my school cocktail events and did not even want to be there. They had these fake smiles and gave fake answers. And they were just so rude and misleading. I don't have…

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Management Consulting

Why go into management consulting: 11 reasons

Why go into management consulting: 11 reasons Management consulting, along with financial services, is among the top choices for most MBAs, other graduates, and even experienced professionals. This is despite the fact that the image of management consulting is not always positive. As some people say “management consultants take your watch and tell you what time it is”. You may be thinking about making the switch to management consulting, but may not be sure if you are clear on why go into management consulting vs. pursuing other attractive career paths. You may also be trying to figure out how to answer a possible consulting case interview question, "Why Consulting?" I am here to share with you my 11 reasons why go into management consulting. Hope you will find it helpful. Why I ended up joining a consulting firm I came across management consulting by chance. My close friend was a management consultant and he used to tell me how interesting his work was. He routinely regaled me with stories about the client issues, analyses and impact they were having. He also shared with me interesting books and articles, and forced me to take a more structured approach to my thinking. I…

Management Consulting

Why go into management consulting: 11 reasons Management consulting, along with financial services, is among the top choices for most MBAs, other graduates, and even experienced professionals. This is despite the fact that the image of management consulting is not always positive. As some people say “management consultants take your watch and tell you what time it is”. You may be thinking about making the switch to management consulting, but may not be sure if you are clear on why go into management consulting vs. pursuing other attractive career paths. You may also be trying to figure out how to…

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Management Consulting

Management Consulting: Your First 90 Days

Your first 90 days at a management consulting firm are crucially important to establish your reputation with your colleagues and especially with the firm's leadership. Starting a new job is an adventure. You can be anyone you want. It is not easy but you can completely reinvent your life using your new consulting job as a platform. So it is a huge opportunity. Take it and make the most of it. During the first few months, you are being constantly observed to see if you will measure up. Management consulting is tough and partners expect to constantly deal with hiring mistakes by counseling out those who will not make it. They want to make sure you are not one of them. Leave them with no doubt that you are one of the greatest people they have ever hired. Below are some ideas to make your first 90 days at a management consulting firm count. 1. Get to know senior people.  During your first 90 days in consulting you have a perfectly valid reason to set up 30-minute chats with senior people, which for someone at the senior associate level will be engagement managers, principals, and partners. Remember 8 months down the road…

Management Consulting

Your first 90 days at a management consulting firm are crucially important to establish your reputation with your colleagues and especially with the firm's leadership. Starting a new job is an adventure. You can be anyone you want. It is not easy but you can completely reinvent your life using your new consulting job as a platform. So it is a huge opportunity. Take it and make the most of it. During the first few months, you are being constantly observed to see if you will measure up. Management consulting is tough and partners expect to constantly deal with hiring mistakes…

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Management Consulting

Reviewing Firmsconsulting

In this post we review Firmsconsulting in 2015. We focus on what was accomplished, what changed and what will be the way forward. In 2015 we worked hard to set the stage for a significant 2016. Our Philosophy From our earliest days, Firmsconsulting has committed itself to the idea that investing in the most effective strategy training built on a values-based approach to leadership would ensure the loyalty of an influential and discerning audience, which in turn would drive our ambitions. Our philosophy stems from a pertinent quote by Marvin Bower. Firmsconsulting is, after all, founded in his honor. "Business conducted properly can be as high a calling as anything."   That quote sits underneath everything we do. It is our foundation and is immutable. In this time of enormous business scandals, tainted reputations and unethical behaviour in business we use this quote as our lighthouse. No matter what is happening, no matter how rough things may be and no matter the size of the opportunity, we are always guided by this quote. It keeps us out of trouble by providing a safe path. We also encourage clients to live by this belief system. At its essence business should be more…

Management Consulting

In this post we review Firmsconsulting in 2015. We focus on what was accomplished, what changed and what will be the way forward. In 2015 we worked hard to set the stage for a significant 2016. Our Philosophy From our earliest days, Firmsconsulting has committed itself to the idea that investing in the most effective strategy training built on a values-based approach to leadership would ensure the loyalty of an influential and discerning audience, which in turn would drive our ambitions. Our philosophy stems from a pertinent quote by Marvin Bower. Firmsconsulting is, after all, founded in his honor. "Business conducted…

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Management Consulting

The power of unconscious signals in a consulting case interview

Today we will focus on how to positively influence an interviewer during a consulting case interview. This topic is discussed poorly online so I thought we have to address it. Overview The signals you send, both conscious and unconscious, create an impression in people's minds. That impression determines the way they act towards you and the way they interpret what you say and what you do. Moreover, the way they act towards you influences how you perform. How is this relevant to a consulting case interview? An interviewer forms an opinion of you during the first few minutes of a consulting case interview and this opinion is very hard to change. Once an interviewer has formed an opinion of you, that opinion will influence how he or she interprets what you say and what you do. Moreover, an interviewer's opinion of you will influence the way he or she acts towards you. This will, in turn, influence the way you perform. It is much easier to be at your best when you are with someone who considers you an intelligent and capable person. Therefore, the first few minutes of a consulting case interview, typically the small talk part of it, are vitally more important than people realize. The exhibit below summarizes…

Management Consulting

Today we will focus on how to positively influence an interviewer during a consulting case interview. This topic is discussed poorly online so I thought we have to address it. Overview The signals you send, both conscious and unconscious, create an impression in people's minds. That impression determines the way they act towards you and the way they interpret what you say and what you do. Moreover, the way they act towards you influences how you perform. How is this relevant to a consulting case interview? An interviewer forms an opinion of you during the first few minutes of a consulting case interview and this opinion is…

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Management Consulting

6 guidelines to help you manage travel expenses on consulting projects

6 guidelines to help you manage travel expenses on consulting projects In this article, and related podcast, we discuss a very important and rarely addressed topic - how to manage travel expenses during a consulting project. This is an important question to ponder over since mismanagement of travel expenses can, and usually will, be detrimental to your reputation within the firm and your consulting career. Your project leader and other colleagues will contribute in meaningful ways to making decisions on which travel expenses are relevant and appropriate. But in the end it is you who bears full responsibility for the choices related to travel expenses. Your choices must rest on a foundation of clarity and sensibility. No one should even think about questioning your expenses. Hence, gaining a clear-eyed perspective on how to manage travel expenses on consulting projects will help you prepare to succeed. The post was inspired by a question from a Firmsconsulting reader, a Deloitte consultant in the United States. This Deloitte consultant wanted to know how to determine if travel expenses (e.g. bills related to a hotel stay, restaurants, taxi, etc.) during a consulting project are reasonable and appropriate. And he has given examples from his recent consulting project. Example 1: A management consultant chooses a flight…

Management Consulting

6 guidelines to help you manage travel expenses on consulting projects In this article, and related podcast, we discuss a very important and rarely addressed topic - how to manage travel expenses during a consulting project. This is an important question to ponder over since mismanagement of travel expenses can, and usually will, be detrimental to your reputation within the firm and your consulting career. Your project leader and other colleagues will contribute in meaningful ways to making decisions on which travel expenses are relevant and appropriate. But in the end it is you who bears full responsibility for the choices related to travel…

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Client Testimonials

Unsuccessful McKinsey intern now at Bain

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Management Consulting

Firmsconsulting in Sandton, Johannesburg

Africa Rising Firmsconsulting partners will host a special event in Sandton, Johannesburg to discuss our recent work across Africa in the power, healthcare, aviation, transport and logistics sectors. We want to share our unique personal experiences managing challenging assignments in the world's fastest growing economies, and discuss the challenges you may encounter in managing cultural differences, finding mentors, leading your first international assignments and building client relationships. For female executives this may include balancing the personal wish to raise a family with your career ambitions. To ensure discussions of substance, we are limiting participation to just 20 exceptional participants from any company. Format Given the intimate size of the group, participants will be expected to engage in a free-flowing dialogue as we discuss the issues above, or any others raised during the day. To encourage such candid discourse, we do not have a prescribed format for the day. There is a central room with couches where bespoke one-on-one or group discussions can take place around a wood-burning fireplace. There are no fixed times or slots apportioned and we encourage you to spend as much time as you need with an individual partner or with as many as you would like to. The Chatham house rule…

Management Consulting

Africa Rising Firmsconsulting partners will host a special event in Sandton, Johannesburg to discuss our recent work across Africa in the power, healthcare, aviation, transport and logistics sectors. We want to share our unique personal experiences managing challenging assignments in the world's fastest growing economies, and discuss the challenges you may encounter in managing cultural differences, finding mentors, leading your first international assignments and building client relationships. For female executives this may include balancing the personal wish to raise a family with your career ambitions. To ensure discussions of substance, we are limiting participation to just 20 exceptional participants from any company. Format Given the…

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Management Consulting

McKinsey Partners Advise Ex-McKinsey Consultant

This new article series will share advise our clients receive from consulting partners during the networking phase of the case interview process, as well as our feedback on how to make networking more effective. In this first article we introduce Martin's networking. Martin is an ex-McKinsey associate trying to rejoin the firm. The names and some details have been modified for confidentiality reasons. In the articles to follow in this series, we will follow all of Martin's networking efforts to get back into management consulting. Below you will find a unique opportunity to see the actual emails, communication, advice and information McKinsey partners shared with Martin, an ex-McKinsey associate who wants to return to the firm. As you will probably realize, on average, McKinsey alumni will get additional help and more open advice from McKinsey partners versus candidates who are not McKinsey alums. You will also see that it is actually quite hard to rejoin the firm. The longer you are out, the harder it is to get in. Enjoy an account of Martin's two networking calls with McKinsey partners, along with our feedback and advice. Networking calls with McKinsey partner part 1: Scott Boland "Michael, I had my call with Scott. We were interrupted for a half hour when a client…

Management Consulting

This new article series will share advise our clients receive from consulting partners during the networking phase of the case interview process, as well as our feedback on how to make networking more effective. In this first article we introduce Martin's networking. Martin is an ex-McKinsey associate trying to rejoin the firm. The names and some details have been modified for confidentiality reasons. In the articles to follow in this series, we will follow all of Martin's networking efforts to get back into management consulting. Below you will find a unique opportunity to see the actual emails, communication, advice and information McKinsey partners shared with Martin, an ex-McKinsey…

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Management Consulting

TCO IV: Applications Now Open – State vs. Ivy

The most effective case interview training program in the world, according to our subscribers, participants and our placement results for McKinsey and BCG, is back for its fourth season: The Consulting Offer IV: State vs. Ivy. We could say many things to explain the impact of this program, but the 50% success rate of Seasons 1, 2 and 3 for full-time offers from McKinsey and BCG says it all. At the time of publication, TCO III, which is currently in production, may still go on to achieve a 100% placement rate. The 50% of participants who did not receive offers from McKinsey or BCG are also much better off: they ended up in other consulting firms, investment banking and a tech start-up. The 4th season will be more useful, more effective and with improved training techniques as we are always looking for better ways to teach clients. It will not be a simple repeat of TCO 1, TCO 2 or TCO 3, with just the case questions changing. While the format will be different and is yet to be finalized, we are open to suggestions! Our goal for Season 4 is different. Inspired by FCTV and its philosophy, we want to show…

Management Consulting

The most effective case interview training program in the world, according to our subscribers, participants and our placement results for McKinsey and BCG, is back for its fourth season: The Consulting Offer IV: State vs. Ivy. We could say many things to explain the impact of this program, but the 50% success rate of Seasons 1, 2 and 3 for full-time offers from McKinsey and BCG says it all. At the time of publication, TCO III, which is currently in production, may still go on to achieve a 100% placement rate. The 50% of participants who did not receive offers from…

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Management Consulting

Networking with Strategy& Partners

This new article series shares advise our clients receive from consulting partners during the networking phase of the case interview process, as well as our feedback on how to make networking more effective.  In the first article in this series we introduced Martin and his networking journey. Martin is an ex-McKinsey associate trying to rejoin the firm after almost 2 decades out of business school. The names and some details have been modified for confidentiality reasons. In the articles to follow in this series we will continue to follow all of Martin's networking efforts to get back into management consulting. Below you will find a unique opportunity to see the actual advice and information Strategy& partners shared with Martin. Note that Martin's networking efforts were very successful, he joined as a partner, so take this opportunity to learn and see what you can use to boost your networking results. Networking calls with Strategy& partners part 1: Steve McClain "Michael, I just had a very pleasant phone call with Steve McClain, a partner from the Strategy&, New York office (he is a former McKinsey consultant and does ops work in defence). He was very open and forthcoming about the firm and the integration into PWC. I asked him one opening question and then…

Management Consulting

This new article series shares advise our clients receive from consulting partners during the networking phase of the case interview process, as well as our feedback on how to make networking more effective.  In the first article in this series we introduced Martin and his networking journey. Martin is an ex-McKinsey associate trying to rejoin the firm after almost 2 decades out of business school. The names and some details have been modified for confidentiality reasons. In the articles to follow in this series we will continue to follow all of Martin's networking efforts to get back into management consulting. Below you will find a…

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Management Consulting

Are Deloitte Consulting Partners too Political?

This article series shares advice our clients receive during the networking phase of the case interview process, as well as our feedback on how to make networking more effective. In the first article in this series we introduced Martin and the start of his networking journey where he was chatting with McKinsey partners. Martin is an ex-McKinsey associate trying to rejoin the firm after almost 2 decades out of business school. In the second article we covered Martin's conversations with Strategy& partners. In this 3rd article we are covering Martin's initial interactions with Deloitte Consulting. The names and some details have been modified for confidentiality reasons. In the articles to follow in this series we will continue to follow all of Martin's networking efforts and some of his interviews feedback, all leading to his re-entrance into management consulting. Below you will find a unique opportunity to follow Martin's networking with Deloitte Consulting. Note that Martin's networking efforts were very successful, he joined a top firm as a partner, so take this opportunity to learn and see what you can adopt to improve your networking results. Networking with Deloitte Consulting part 1: Justin Cameron "Michael, I had an enjoyable call with Justin Cameron, a Sr. Manager in the Deloitte Consulting's Chicago office. Justin’s profile is similar…

Management Consulting

This article series shares advice our clients receive during the networking phase of the case interview process, as well as our feedback on how to make networking more effective. In the first article in this series we introduced Martin and the start of his networking journey where he was chatting with McKinsey partners. Martin is an ex-McKinsey associate trying to rejoin the firm after almost 2 decades out of business school. In the second article we covered Martin's conversations with Strategy& partners. In this 3rd article we are covering Martin's initial interactions with Deloitte Consulting. The names and some details have been modified for confidentiality reasons. In the…

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Management Consulting

Firmsconsulting in Review

2016 has ended and as always I send out my thoughts recapping the year and offering advice for clients. If you saw many changes with Firmsconsulting in 2016 brace yourselves for an even bigger, and very different, 2017. 2017 is going to be about major updates to FC Insider. Exclusive and, dare I say, groundbreaking new training programs (not yet revealed) along with some major changes elsewhere. A necessary reward for our most loyal clients: man y whom have been with us since the beginning. Ethics No discussion about future leaders should ever begin without ethics. Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for many clients. Bonuses usually come in, or not. You catch up with family, and friends, and invariably compare your career and life; who got promoted, who went to France for summer, who bought the better home, who can afford to get married, have kids etc. My advice, as hard as this may be to execute, is to never ever compare your true self to the sinfully choreographed images others project of themselves. No one really tells you what is happening in their lives. What seems like someone else's success to you may actually be abject failure. In fact,…

Management Consulting

2016 has ended and as always I send out my thoughts recapping the year and offering advice for clients. If you saw many changes with Firmsconsulting in 2016 brace yourselves for an even bigger, and very different, 2017. 2017 is going to be about major updates to FC Insider. Exclusive and, dare I say, groundbreaking new training programs (not yet revealed) along with some major changes elsewhere. A necessary reward for our most loyal clients: man y whom have been with us since the beginning. Ethics No discussion about future leaders should ever begin without ethics. Christmas can be a particularly…

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Management Consulting

How to recognize an effective consulting case interview coach or practice partner

As many of you know I am a big Rugby union fan. I also watch a lot of football and basketball. So, like many of you, I am a sports guy. I like sports. One of the things you notice in sports is that if you look at the great players today in just about any sport, they rarely go on to become greatest coaches. Rarely! There are obviously exceptions. But those are exceptions that prove this rule. You can see this in Rugby, Cricket, Soccer, Basketball and Baseball. There are a few outstanding players that went on to become good coaches. But the greatest coaches were almost never outstanding players. And that is a fact. You see it a lot in universities as well. Just because someone is an outstanding researcher does not mean at all that they have the skill to be an exceptional teacher. Extraordinary consulting leaders were rarely phenomenal consultants The same can be observed in management consulting. I am thinking of the phenomenal consulting partners. They were truly outstanding. Not just as partners but as leaders of consulting firms. Were they ever outstanding consultants? Dominic Barton wasn’t a phenomenal consultant. He didn't make partner until the third try. Among other issues, there were concerns…

Management Consulting

As many of you know I am a big Rugby union fan. I also watch a lot of football and basketball. So, like many of you, I am a sports guy. I like sports. One of the things you notice in sports is that if you look at the great players today in just about any sport, they rarely go on to become greatest coaches. Rarely! There are obviously exceptions. But those are exceptions that prove this rule. You can see this in Rugby, Cricket, Soccer, Basketball and Baseball. There are a few outstanding players that went on to become good coaches.…

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Management Consulting

McKinsey BTO vs. McKinsey Strategy

Today let's shatter some of the damaging myths about McKinsey BTO. Firmsconsulting has a particularly high percentage of clients who tend to be Indian, between 30-40 years old, who tend to have executive MBAs or MBAs, work in the tech sector and are looking to move into management consulting. This is one of our most common client profiles. And they tend to ask the same question all the time so we decided to address it in this article, and related podcast. The question is along these lines, “How do I avoid being tagged as a tech person and being placed into McKinsey BTO instead of being hired as generalist. I don’t want to go into McKinsey BTO because I don’t want to be branded as a tech person. I am fed up with that.” I am going to give you the advice I give all these clients. And we obviously will elaborate a little bit more here and if I miss something, post a comment and we will be more than happy to address it. Insight #1: The market values a McKinsey BTO background as much as McKinsey Strategy The first thing I want you to do is, when you meet someone from McKinsey or…

Management Consulting

Today let's shatter some of the damaging myths about McKinsey BTO. Firmsconsulting has a particularly high percentage of clients who tend to be Indian, between 30-40 years old, who tend to have executive MBAs or MBAs, work in the tech sector and are looking to move into management consulting. This is one of our most common client profiles. And they tend to ask the same question all the time so we decided to address it in this article, and related podcast. The question is along these lines, “How do I avoid being tagged as a tech person and being placed into McKinsey BTO…

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Management Consulting

Grooming Emerging Leaders: Lessons from Sveta

The Emerging Leaders Program (formerly called the Emerging Fellows Program) is a scholarship we award where we take people from very disadvantaged communities, with limited chances in life, and we guide them through their studies, even guide them into universities and place them into major consulting firms and other major companies. Graduates of the program have joined McKinsey, BCG, Bain and Morgan Stanley. I don’t want to talk about the part of the program where we help them join consulting firms and other companies. We covered this topic a number of times previously. Today I want to talk about values, obligations and expectations of those selected for the Emerging Leaders Program. The expectations are enormous. It is called Emerging Leaders for a reason, versus the Emerging Upper Middle Class Program. If you read the contract that they sign when they join, its not a big contract but in there it is clearly stated that people who join the Emerging Leaders Program are expected to go back to their communities once a year and become involved in a significant socio-economic endeavor, with the approval of Firmsconsulting. This approval part is important. We take it seriously. I want to talk you through a recent event with Sveta, the…

Management Consulting

The Emerging Leaders Program (formerly called the Emerging Fellows Program) is a scholarship we award where we take people from very disadvantaged communities, with limited chances in life, and we guide them through their studies, even guide them into universities and place them into major consulting firms and other major companies. Graduates of the program have joined McKinsey, BCG, Bain and Morgan Stanley. I don’t want to talk about the part of the program where we help them join consulting firms and other companies. We covered this topic a number of times previously. Today I want to talk about values, obligations…

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Management Consulting

TCO III, Case Interview Training Program – Intro

Welcome to the release of the much anticipated Season III of The Consulting Offer. In this introductory video we talk about what to expect and offer some critical guidance on using The Consulting Offer, the world's largest and most successful case interview training program. This video offers a glimpse into the very detailed analytics we collect on subscribers and our ability to predict case interview performance based on this real-time data. For those of you who may be new to The Consulting Offer we will also give you a brief overview of the format and the differences between the seasons. Jennifer Nwankwo was a successful participant in Season III, which is why her photo appears in this introductory video and why we will refer to her throughout. TCO III with Jennifer Nwankwo will go live on 31 May 2016. We will offer complimentary pricing until that time. Those who sign up after the deadline will miss an opportunity to lock-in complimentary pricing for as long as they remain subscribers. Below you will find a text summary of selected content in the video. For the full content please watch the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50SoIS9kS6k&feature=youtu.be How is TCO a superior way to prepare for case interviews? For those of you who…

Management Consulting

Welcome to the release of the much anticipated Season III of The Consulting Offer. In this introductory video we talk about what to expect and offer some critical guidance on using The Consulting Offer, the world's largest and most successful case interview training program. This video offers a glimpse into the very detailed analytics we collect on subscribers and our ability to predict case interview performance based on this real-time data. For those of you who may be new to The Consulting Offer we will also give you a brief overview of the format and the differences between the seasons. Jennifer Nwankwo was a…

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Management Consulting

Case Interviews: EMBAs / Experienced Hires

Follow this unique 110 episode series (see the full list of episodes below), prepared for the Darden EMBA program, to help experienced hires and EMBAs successfully prepare for their McKinsey, BCG and Bain interviews. This is the only case interview training program in the world dedicated to helping experienced hires /  EMBAs, by taking into account their very unique challenges, join elite consulting firms. This is a much needed program. If you are an experienced hire or an EMBA you usually have to rely on the advice that has been developed for MBAs and sometimes PhDs. But as an experienced hire or an EMBA you are typically ignored because that advice is not very useful. [bctt tweet="As an EMBA / Experienced hire, you are a minority. Yet, you are a minority that we care about." username=""] Firmsconsulting devotes significant attention and time to experienced hires / EMBAs. Experienced hires are one of our largest client segments and we design our programs to manage the unique challenges they face: usually part-time degrees, deep industry specialization, choosing roles to secure a green card, difficulties finding a fit in McKinsey/BCG, limited time to prepare, small window to change careers, sponsoring family members back home etc. The majority of our experienced hire clients have…

Management Consulting

Follow this unique 110 episode series (see the full list of episodes below), prepared for the Darden EMBA program, to help experienced hires and EMBAs successfully prepare for their McKinsey, BCG and Bain interviews. This is the only case interview training program in the world dedicated to helping experienced hires /  EMBAs, by taking into account their very unique challenges, join elite consulting firms. This is a much needed program. If you are an experienced hire or an EMBA you usually have to rely on the advice that has been developed for MBAs and sometimes PhDs. But as an experienced hire or an EMBA…

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Management Consulting

Important Change: 1-On-1 Case Interview Coaching & Executive Coaching With Partners

We are making one important change to our 1-on-1 case interview coaching program and executive coaching program effective 1 December 2016. This will only impact future clients. If you are not familiar with our executive coaching program, this is when we work one-on-one with typically senior inidividuals to help them make a difference in their career. Refer to the "Partner in 3 Years" training program for an example of our work with an executive client. Below we explain the rationale for this change with regards to 1-on-1 case interview coaching program. A similar rationale applies to our executive coaching program. In reviewing each file for over 1,000 past/existing case interview coaching clients, we find that clients who start working earlier with us benefit more from the case interview coaching program and enjoy the training process more. When we start earlier with a client we have more time to fix gaps, correct mistakes and take the time to understand their profiles to ultimately produce very tailored programs. By getting to know clients better, we can teach them in a more tailored manner and help them more. This is especially relevant as we continue to take on more clients with "challenging profiles." Even when things…

Management Consulting

We are making one important change to our 1-on-1 case interview coaching program and executive coaching program effective 1 December 2016. This will only impact future clients. If you are not familiar with our executive coaching program, this is when we work one-on-one with typically senior inidividuals to help them make a difference in their career. Refer to the "Partner in 3 Years" training program for an example of our work with an executive client. Below we explain the rationale for this change with regards to 1-on-1 case interview coaching program. A similar rationale applies to our executive coaching program. In reviewing…

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