In this job market people don’t take calls, no one from HR to Partners, no one will want to take a call from someone they’ve never heard of unless they are expecting your call because you have a connection. As far as dropping off the resume in person? Unless it’s a tiny firm it’s not effective - you’ll see the receptionist and she/he could care less about what you’re dropping off and isn’t going to give you access to the higher-ups. Unless they have a posted opening (then you respond to everyone with any decision making power) you do your homework and find out the key people you need to contact. Then e-mail and snail-mail your resume and if applicable, examples of your work. One problem with e-mail is that if you need to include photos, graphics, charts or any other attachment the e-mail message may be blocked or at the very least, make someone reluctant to open the attachment. When e-mailing try to include everything in the body of the e-mail (as opposed to making someone open an attachment).
Everyone seems to think that it’s all about crafting the perfect resume and getting it in front of the right person who will then fall in love with it at first sight. You need to build some sort of relationship with the hiring manager so they have an interest in working with you.
No one wants to look at your “hiring packet” you just threw together.
Also the OP should realize that in this market, consultancies may not be hiring for any positions other than partner or managing director level rainmakers. They’ve also already selected their intern classes months ago.
Consulting firms don’t do well in tough times because the first thing companies cut are contractors, consultants and unneccessary projects. Consulting isn’t about helping companies through tough times, it’s about helping companies make more money doing something someone else told you was a good way to make money.
Why is consulting not also about helping companies through tough times?
I once hired someone solely because she wouldn’t stop bothering me. She called daily to see if the position had been filled, and she gushed about how much she would love the job.
After her initial interview she wasn’t on the short list. But after daily phone calls I eventually just laughed and hired her. She was an excellent employee, and after she had risen as high as she could here I helped her find a better paying job. We are still friends.
Because companies don’t have money to spend on high priced consultants when times are tough.
IMHO, companies hire consultants because they see their competitors making money. They want to make money too, but they don’t know how. So they will call Accenture or McKinsey or Deloitte or whoever to show them how.
There is a saying in consulting, “If you can’t be part of the solution, there is a good deal of money to be made prolonging the problem.” It’s sort of true. Once you bring in a team of consultants, they will spread like a virus in your organization. They will litterally look for new ways to “help” your company, which of course will require additional “resources” and “subject matter experts”.
Remember that consultants don’t really build or invent anything. We just sort of tell people how to make or save money and maybe help them implement it. And it’s not like we thought it up either. Someone told us there is money to be made there so we tell our clients.
Which does open up a niche for a small specialized company. You know; “got no cash, not to worry, we’ll make you some and all we want in return is a couple of shares (or a piece of the profit)”
…unless said niche company actively seeks out companies that have potential and cajole them into listening to a already fully hashed out plan to turn things around… sometimes even before they know they’re in trouble.
Weinberg? Coincidentally that’s almost word for word how someone in a ram-it-down-the-client’s-throat position (or sales for short) of a niche consultancy firm would start their presentation… on their way to “that’s exactly how we don’t operate”.
… unless they’re a company consisting of people that could only be described as evil geniuses of business… a bunch of mad scientists with multiple degrees and the sunny disposition of a pirate raiding party. Perhaps lead by a mysterious, even ghostly figure, known as much for his rakish charm as for his addiction to online forums.
Unless the place you’re applying has specific channels, and not following them means your resume gets dumped in the “can’t follow simple fucking instructions” pile. And it’s entirely possible that the receptionist, if they don’t dump the resume in the trash, will just forward the resume to someone who will stick it on the same pile with all the rest, and no one will give a damn how you were dressed, how you spoke, etc.
Which isn’t to say this *can’t *work; just that it’s silly to say that there’s no potential harm to it.
Isn’t that what private equity firms do?
Nah… they’re just people with money, it’s not very interesting. Especially compared to the swashbuckling world of management consultancy. Like we say in the business; it’s not all about the booty… you know… not the part of anatomy but big chests… of treasure… Anyways, not about the booty, it’s about the adventure! is what I was saying.
I’d like to see the private equity firm that rides into town (to change genres for a bit) with a plan to change the whole logistics infrastructure of a company cutting costs by a full fourth at the same time removing an important piece from the main competitor’s supply chain, and then casually rides into the sunset with the girl. They’d just… you know, invest money. Hardly heroic, and certainly lacking panache.
Consultant is someone who tells you what time it is with your watch.
Given that most people in management positions in business are too retarded to be able to read at all, let alone tell time, this is actually a viable service.
Shot,
I don’t know how flippant you meant to be, but do you mean that (not literally obviously)? Are managers who are interested in management theory or the lessons learned from others rare? I mean outside mom and pop small businesses (which one would expect to be amateur)?
Isn’t that exactly what financial (as opposed to strategic) buyers in the M&A context do? You know, buyers like KKR—which incidentally, is a private equity firm.
Best way is to network in. Have you tried Linked In?
Thanks. No, I haven’t. Isn’t that a lot like contacting them through email though? Perhaps I’m way off but I got the impression it was a sort of professional Facebook. Maybe you can correct me on how to use it.
Well, you find dudes that you know and link to them. Then you see if any of your links- or your link’s link- work there and will drop your resume off, or whatever. It’s not really contacting them thru email so much as having your buddy who works there put a good word in for you.
Really, networking in is the way to go.
I’ve found that in large companies, people at all levels are essentially frozen by the beurocracy and politics of their organization. They are rewarded for mindlessly following instructions and procedures while the rewards for taking initiative are typically not worth the risk of failure. Typically they are in their position simply because of longevity.
Bear in mind that managers in consulting firms are often even worse. They aren’t paid to manage effectively, they are paid to keep staff billable and help sell more work. The typical consulting manager’s style is to react to any request by a client or partner by immediately asking some staff to drop whatever it is they are doing (in or out of the office) and start working on the task until it is completed.
You mean assuming they don’t show up with their canned solution which ends up being completely ineffective and runs way over budget?
You have no clue what you’re talking about.
Both you guys have no idea what you are talking about.
First of all, how would you just walk in to my old office in Midtown? There are 6000 people working there. You need a badge or an appointment to get through security. Do you even know who to see? And if you do know, are they even in the office that day?
The receptionist is not HR and they have no idea if you are important or not. Nor do they care. They will typically take your envelope and give it to whoever you tell them to (and they will toss it).
There are specific ways to get a job with consulting firms. If you are applying to McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group or any other top firm, it usually involves going to Harvard or Wharton or some other top school where you excelled academically. Other firms like the Big-4, Accenture, EDS and others are less stringent in their critieria. However they all typically hire new analysts in classes out of whatever schools they recruit from and they usually start around October.
Once you have some experience, it’s actually a bit easier to get hired as an “experienced hire”. At that point they are hiring for your specific skills.
Totally off topic, and I have no advice - I was just going to mention that my great aunt did her PhD supervised by Peter Drucker.
I have a whole bunch of first run text books by him, signed and dedicated to her.