Work for a Management consulting firm?

[jfh06d]

Hello all,

I ‘ am an undergraduate student at a large state university in the southeast. I would like to eventually work for a management consulting firm but i don’t know how to go about doing that. I would like to know what I have to do to eventually get hired at a management consultancy and how to eventually move up in the firm.
The types of things i’ am looking for are:

-what are the credentials that management consulting firms value the most in new applicants- GPA, extracurriculars, anything just lay it on me

-would an MS in applied economics improve my chances of gaining a job as an analyst or economist at a consulting firm?

Also, I have heard in the past that the natural progression for moving up in a management consulting firm is to start as an analyst, work up through the analyst ranks and eventually get promoted as an actual management consultant and work as part of a team. I’ ve also heard that the firms will finance an mba for their new promotee once.

Is anything ive said true?

thanks

[DaneSFO]

Check with the school you plan to attend and which consulting firms recruit on campus there through the career services office. Most big name firms will recruit seniors at some point during the school year. This is a far more efficient way to get hired vs. applying as an external applicant.

Schools look for majors such as business, econ, IT, psych and related fields. They expect good to great GPAs, excellent communication and teamwork skills, and experience working in teams and groups. A relevant internship helps, too. They do value advanced degrees, so an MS would help, yes. If you don’t have work experience upon graduation, you’ll still start out as entry level and move up based on your performance.

MBA financing varies widely by firm – some have explicit policies for it, others entertain funding on a case by case basis. I imagine that the tight economy has led firms to be more judicious in who they fund.

Good luck!

[Author]

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