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Announcing Firsthand's 2022 Vault Consulting Rankings for EMEA and APAC Regions!
Consulting is one of the most rewarding and meaningful career paths for students and recent graduates, and aspiring consultants face difficult questions when deciding which firms to pursue for...
Editor's Picks
Best 15 Consulting Firms In Europe and Asia-Pacific For DE&I
Celebrating Vault’s Top-Ranked Firms for LGBTQ+ Equity: Armanino, Bain, McKinsey, and Schellman
15 Best Consulting Firms to Work For in Asia-Pacific for 2022
How to Ace Even the Trickiest Guesstimate Interview Questions
Top Consulting Firms
This Year, McKinsey Aims to Welcome More New Colleagues Than Ever Before
This post is sponsored by McKinsey & Company, No. 1 in Vault's Best Consulting Firms to Work For rankings in 2021.
Celebrating Vault’s Top-Ranked Firms for LGBTQ+ Equity: Armanino, Bain, McKinsey, and Schellman
In honor of Pride Month, we’re highlighting some of our top-ranked employers for LGBTQ+ equity: Armanino, Bain & Company, McKinsey & Company, and Schellman. These employers are those that professionals rated the highest when it comes to recruiting, mentoring, supporting, and advancing LGBTQ+ individuals.
Why Blue Matter Is Different from Other Consulting Firms
If you’re a consultant who’s looking for your next big career move—or if you’re thinking about a career in consulting—then you’re probably doing a lot of research about what it’s like to work at Consulting Firm A vs. Consulting Firm B, C, and so on.
An Interview with an AI Professional at Deloitte Consulting
We recently spoke with Morgann Carlon, a Senior Manager in the Applied Artificial Intelligence Practice at Deloitte Consulting LLP, about the best parts of working at Deloitte, the exciting field of AI, and her advice to job seekers interested in exploring career opportunities at one of the world's leading consultancies. Vault: Tell us a little bit about yourself: your background, your experience, and how you came to join Deloitte.
Recruitment Reimagined: How McKinsey Pivoted During COVID-19 for a Successful Recruiting Season
We sat down with Brian Rolfes, the partner in charge of global recruiting for McKinsey, to discuss the firm’s strategy to recruiting during COVID-19 and capture his tips for virtual or remote interviewing. Brian started his journey at McKinsey as a consultant more than 25 years ago and has held several people-focused leadership roles.
Top Vault Consulting Firms Discuss Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion are not simply talking points at all-company meetings; they are requirements for the modern workplace. A company can't reach its potential unless a wide array of perspectives are heard and employees with those differing perspectives are made to feel welcome as their whole selves.
Top Vault Consulting Firms Celebrate Women's History Month
Women's History Month is not just an "observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. " It also provides us with an opportunity to reflect (and act) upon the important ways in which our systems and institutions can support women in every aspect of their lives.
Vault's 2021 Rankings of the Best Consulting Firms to Work For
Today, we're thrilled to announce the release of our annual rankings of the Best Consulting Firms to Work For in North America for 2021! Vault's Consulting Rankings highlight the best firms in 42 categories and include the overall Top 50, the Most Prestigious Consulting Firms, the Best Boutique Consulting Firms, the Best Consulting Firms in Each Practice Area, and the Best Consulting Firms to Work For in key employment factors including compensation, work/life balance, corporate culture, and more.
Vault's 2021 Ranking of the Best Consulting Firms in Europe and Asia-Pacific
Today, we're thrilled to announce the release of our annual ranking of the Best Consulting Firms to Work For in Europe and Asia-Pacific. The Consulting Rankings highlight the best firms in these regions across 39 categories and include the overall Top Consulting Firms in Europe and Asia-Pacific, as well as the Most Prestigious Consulting Firms, the Best Consulting Firms in Each Practice Area, and the Best Consulting Firms to Work For in key employment factors, including compensation, work/life balance, corporate culture, and more for each region.
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Skills & Requirements
How to Learn Like a Management Consultant
In management consulting, you’re expected to quickly get up to speed with a client’s market position, competitive advantages, financial standing, and overall business model. Clients pay top dollar for consultants, expecting them to offer meaningful insights and actionable plans.
How to Problem-Solve Like a Management Consultant
Traditionally, the art of problem-solving has been the professional domain of management consultants. However, you don’t have to be pursuing a management consulting career in order to be an adept problem-solver.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Resume Writing (But Were Afraid to Ask)
The importance of your resume can’t be stressed enough. Recruiters and hiring managers use it to assess if they want to continue exploring your candidacy for their open roles.
Showing Off Soft Skills in the Interview
Let me drop a quick truth-bomb on you: the more experience you have, the easier it is to fill your resumé. I know, right?
Land the McKinsey Offer Part 3: Communication Skills
Communication is, without doubt, the most underrated skill of the consulting interview. Here’s the crazy thing: most candidates don’t even realize they will be explicitly evaluated on it!
How to Be Small Talk Savvy During the Job Search
If there’s one activity that occurs at nearly every stage of the job search, it’s small talk. And unlike other aspects of the job search, small talk usually happens without warning.
How to Improve Your Networking Skills in 6 Short Steps
If you’re not networking, you’re not growing your career. It’s that simple.
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Case Interview Tips & Advice
How to Ace ‘Guesstimate’ Interview Questions
Guesstimates such as How many ping-pong balls fit in a 747? are among the most unnerving interview questions you can receive.
Ace McKinsey's Fit Interview: 3 Tips From a Former McKinsey Manager
A case interview with McKinsey is an exciting, but daunting, prospect. After all, it means you'll be solving business problems in real time with an accomplished consultant from the same firm that launched the careers of Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook), Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google) and James McNerney (CEO of Boeing).
Mastering the Case Interview: Tips from an Ex-BCG Consultant
What does Serena Williams' serve have to do with the toughest job interview style out there? A lot.
Land the McKinsey Offer: Case Interview Skills
"Ok, your client is a large, multi-national…" This opening sentence is enough to strike fear into the hearts of many extremely talented undergraduates and graduates. Case interviews with firms like McKinsey, BCG and Bain can be a daunting proposition!
Land the McKinsey Offer Part 2: More Case Interview Skills
“Ok, now that you’ve got a structure in place, let’s dive in. Your client operates in a $34B global market, maintains a ~12% market share and earned a 23.2% profit margin last year.
3 Tricky Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
Most interview questions are straightforward and are designed to find out what you know, such as “Why are you interested in our company? ” or “Tell me about your experience in marketing.
5 Video Interview Tips That Will Set You Apart from the Pack
In a recent blog, I outlined my five-step method for professional networking. I offered a perspective on how the strategy for conducting informational interviews is just as applicable today as it was 10 years ago when I entered business school.
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A Day in the Life of a Consultant
A Day in the Life: Energy Consulting Associate
9:30 AM: Get into the office on a Friday morning and check voicemail and email. You’ve got a message from the head of the energy practice, asking you to put together a few discussion slides on your practice area’s new sales initiative for an internal conference call later in the day.
A Day in the Life: Project Manager at an International Consulting Firm
6:00 AM: My alarm goes off, it’s Monday morning. I take a few seconds to remember that I’m in Lyon, France, where I’ve just spent a terrific weekend with my girlfriend.
A Day in the Life: Communications Consultant
My role on the Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) team as a Communications Consultant is to spread awareness of I&D initiatives and share the importance of inclusion to the 40k+ Humana associates across the country. It’s important that we inform our associates of the significance of diversity and how it ties to the reality of our workplace, community and our members.
A Day in the Life: Consulting Firm Associate in Shanghai
7:30 AM: Wake up in the hotel near the Shanghai office. Hit the gym for 30 minutes, shower and change.
Day in the Life: Inside a Life Sciences Consulting Case
The Project: L.E.K. Consulting is supporting a diagnostics company in developing a strategic plan for its business over the next five to ten years.
A Day in the Life: Consulting Pension Actuary
8:00 AM: I'm out the door with my son. My wife goes into work before me, so I get my son ready and drop him off at day care before I head into the city.
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Remote Work Tips & Issues
7 Skills to Set You Apart in the Remote Work Environment
The joys of working remotely — especially if you’re lucky enough to work from home. Your commute from the bedroom to the living room, dining room, or wherever you’ve set up your home office takes seconds and you’re ready to go.
3 Remote Work Rules You’re Free to Break
It's likely that you've been working remotely (and from home) for more than a year. It’s also likely that, for more than a year, you’ve been reading article after article telling you how to work more effectively and productively while working remotely.
What to Do When Your Job Is Hurting Your Mental Health
Although improved awareness around mental health has made workplaces more attuned to supporting struggling employees, some workplaces are still making employees’ mental health worse. And not only is poor mental health detrimental to you on a personal level, but it can also affect your productivity, ability to make connections, and future career opportunities.
Secret Struggles of Introverts in Remote Work Environments
Remote work and work-from-home setups are the new norms in the age of Covid-19. And many employers and managers assume that for introverts, remote working environments are ideal.
How to Dress for Video Interview Success
We got used to video interviews during the pandemic. They've become the norm, and it's a good bet they're here to stay.
How to Ask Your Boss for Full-Time Remote Work
After the global pandemic, you might be wondering how you can retain some of the work-life flexibility that remote work offers even if your employer is planning a return to the office. If you do want to ask your manager for a more permanent remote-work arrangement, you need to be persuasive.
How to Make a Good First Impression in a New Remote Job
Thanks to a resurgence of Covid-19 outbreaks due to the delta variant, millions of employees across the world will not be returning to in-office work as soon as predicted—and some are just fine with that. After working remotely during the pandemic, many workers now prefer remote work to in-office work.
6 Traits You Need to State on Your Resume When Applying for Remote Jobs
In the past year, many companies have transitioned to permanent or semi-permanent work-from-home arrangements. As a result, hiring managers have adjusted their expectations, needs, and requirements when it comes to looking for new hires.
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Building Your Network
4 Tips for Building Lasting Career Relationships Through Informational Interviews
Informational interviews are treasure troves of information. What you collect from these types of networking meetings—in which you build relationships with people at the organizations you want to join—can provide you with insights that can help you improve your resume, cover letters, and interview answers.
6 Networking Tips When You Don’t Have a Big Network
One of the biggest challenges job seekers face today is not having strong relationships at their target companies. These relationships are important because they provide information, resources, and opportunities for your job search and career.
4 Types of Networking Emails—and How to Write Them
The more time that passes after you meet people for the first time—either in person or virtually—the harder it is to remember them. This is why, when you're job searching, it's important to take notes after meeting someone new.
How to Be Small Talk Savvy During the Job Search
If there’s one activity that occurs at nearly every stage of the job search, it’s small talk. And unlike other aspects of the job search, small talk usually happens without warning.
6 IRL Networking Tips for Introverts
The country is reopening, with more and more in-person events being held each day. This means that in-real-life networking will soon return.
How to Network Internally—and Why It's the People You Already Know Who Matter Most
When you think of networking, you might envision a room full of people who don’t know each other, making small talk, sipping cocktails, exchanging business cards, hoping to eventually making long-lasting connections. But networking can be much more than that.
How to Create a Powerful LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn has more 55 million registered companies, and some 86 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn to help them find qualified candidates. This means if you're looking to grow your career, using the networking platform is a necessity.
How to Increase Your Networking Email Response Rate
For many people, networking can be harder than interviewing. You might not know whom to reach out to, how to reach out, or why people aren’t responding to your networking emails and requests.
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