Missing Link in my Application

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Missing Link in my Application

by jakesing » Sat Mar 10, 2012 12:58 pm
Hi All,

I am looking forward to applying to a few schools this coming fall. I'm glad I've made the decision this early, as it gives me an extra 6-8 months or so to try to hone my candidacy and shape my story.

I think I am fairly well prepared, but I fear I may have one glaring weakness, which I'll address below. If anyone has advice or insight, I'd sincerely appreciate it.

I currently work as a trader at a small hedge fund, and I have also worked at KPMG in a valuations and economic consulting group. My long term goal is to work in internal strategy/product management, either for a consumer products company like P&G or Nike, or for a technology company like Google. I think that the most logical step would be to try to work in consulting post-MBA for a couple years in order to prepare myself further for my preferred career.

My concern stems from the fact that I have only done a few minor things to demonstrate my interest in this area. I'd like to do something between now and application date to further explore and demonstrate my interest in consulting or project management, but I'm trying to decide how important/necessary this is. I am currently involved in a nonprofit group that I've co-founded and am organizing an alumni reunion for my study abroad year, both of which involve a fair amount of project organization and other similar tasks. The question is do you think it's important for me to try to gain some specific management-consulting experience (I've reached out to a few small-business consulting organizations here in NYC with few results) in order to validate my expressed interest in the area to adcoms?

Again, any insight and advice is well appreciated.

THANKS!

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by EricAllen » Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:07 am
I personally don't think you need to. Mgmt consulting is a pretty broad function and I certainly think you can leverage your analytical skills to transition into a mgmt consulting job. At the end of the day, they will be looking at your resume and how well you perform in the consulting interviews (generally case-based). I would focus on creating a compelling narrative around why you want to make the pivot in your career and don't worry too much about showing an interest in consulting in advance of business school.

For other career changers, I might have different guidance, but I think you're all set. If you want a free consultation to help you get going, feel free to reach out directly.

I hope that helps.

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by FutureWorks » Mon Mar 12, 2012 3:57 am
As stated above, don't worry too much about this aspect. Leverage your existing profile by highlighting your candidature well in the application
All the best!

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Re: Missing Link in my Application

by findmyorbit » Fri Mar 01, 2024 8:58 pm
As mentioned by Eric, consulting takes in candidates with diverse and broad experiences, so you don't necessarily need to create the profile to cater to consulting. What might help you in the meantime is networking and getting familiar with case interviews. Also, when you do engage with extracurricular and if the timeline comes across as a means to support the application, that could send a bad signal.

Hope that was helpful.

Satya Bhowmik
findmyorbit.com