Getting a Consulting Job

Getting a Consulting Job

This course is part of Management Consulting Specialization

Instructor: John Kim

Top Instructor

What you'll learn

What are consulting firms looking for ? What do consulting projects look like? How should I network with firms? What is the key to case interviews?

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

4 assignments

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Management Consulting Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV

Share it on social media and in your performance review

There are 5 modules in this course

This is the #2 course in the specialization on management consulting.

In this course, we will learn how consulting firms work and how they make money. This can help you network with recruiters and prepare for the case interviews. Some of the topics covered: • What drive project profitability? • What competencies do I need at each stage in my career? • How are consulting interviews different? • How to do well on case interviews? • How much do I need to practice cases?

Consulting firms (like law, tax, audit, tax firms) are built on a leverage model. This means that projects have senior practitioners (partners, directors) who sell the work and develop the executive relationships. Managers keep the teams productive and the client happy. Junior staff do the work; conduct interviews, gather data, run analyses, put together presentations.

What's included

3 videos4 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

3 videosTotal 35 minutes

What will I learn in this course?3 minutesPreview module
2.1 What is consulting leverage?17 minutes
2.2 Understanding project profitability14 minutes

4 readingsTotal 31 minutes

Make other people successful, be like John Stockton10 minutes
Course outline for note taking6 minutes
Consulting Fundamentals: Skills, tools, tips (2023)5 minutes
Finders, minders, and grinders10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 12 minutes

Understanding consulting leverage and project economics12 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 4 minutes

Optional: meet and greet4 minutes

Management consultants are good at many things. They can quickly scope ambiguous problems, find and analyze messy data, manage small diverse teams, keep the client engaged, and run profitable projects. How can you do them all and which skills should you learn first?

What's included

3 videos3 readings2 discussion prompts

3 videosTotal 42 minutes

2.3 Competencies = what you need to be good at17 minutesPreview module
2.4 Do simple tasks well (e.g., executive communications)13 minutes
2.5 Do simple tasks well (e.g., meeting minutes)11 minutes

3 readingsTotal 30 minutes

Consulting careers often look like an hourglass10 minutes
What does work/life balance look like in consulting?10 minutes
Make email better: 20 tips10 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 12 minutes

Optional: Evaluate your own skill level6 minutes
Optional: How well do you listen?6 minutes

Consulting projects vary enormously. I've been on 6 month-long implementation with 20+ practitioners coming and going, and 3 person assessments that only lasted 3 weeks. The executive sponsor often varies - CEO, CFO, CMO, COO, or CIO. You'd be surprised how many similarities these diverse projects have.

What's included

3 videos2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

3 videosTotal 39 minutes

2.6 Projects can vary from 3 weeks to 1 year19 minutesPreview module
2.7 What to do before the project starts?8 minutes
2.8 Internal consultants have a huge opportunity 11 minutes

2 readingsTotal 30 minutes

Beware the long middle of a project10 minutes
How to get smart quickly20 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 15 minutes

Consulting skills used on projects15 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 8 minutes

Optional: Tell us about a project challenge8 minutes

Consulting is a great career path. Many people want to compete for these rare consulting job offers. So, it's important to "reverse-engineer" what the consulting firms are looking for in new recruits. Consultants help make clients successful. Firms are looking for candidate who are smart, curious, good communicators, and know how to effectively network.

What's included

4 videos3 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt

4 videosTotal 59 minutes

2.9 Networking is important and it takes effort13 minutesPreview module
2.10 Who should I network with?17 minutes
2.11 Recruiting is a people business15 minutes
2.12 What are consulting firms looking for?14 minutes

3 readingsTotal 30 minutes

Networking = being a useful human10 minutes
Career tip: What is an informational interview?10 minutes
Resumes are bait, make it count10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 12 minutes

Networking and recruiting12 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 40 minutes

Linkedin profile review40 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 6 minutes

Tell us about your networking6 minutes

Consulting interviews typically come in two flavors. 1) Behavioral interviews are the ones we are accustomed to; interviews ask about our resume, motivations, and try to understand our "fit" with the organization. 2) Case interviews are a collaborative problem-solving exercise to see how you think + communicate + smile at the same time.