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Finished 2nd year with no Consultancy internship

I am at the university of Birmingham and I want to get into management consulting after uni. I tried so hard and made sooo many application for management consulting but didn't get even an interview for any of them. I achieved a first class in my first year and first class in my second year. My A-levels are A*AA and a B at AS level.

I am now in a position with nothing to do in the summer but carry on with my mcdonalds job (which is pretty much the only type of proper work I have on my CV). I have just started trying to ask for work experience to firms.

Can someone please give me some advise on what to do to make me guarantee or raise my chances for a place for management consulting after my degree.

I hope to apply for the graduate scheme in September but the main thing I am scared about is the assessment centres because if I somehow get that far, I would have no idea what is going on because I have no management consulting experience.

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Reply 1
Where did you apply for internships this summer?
Original post by cooldudeman
I am at the university of Birmingham and I want to get into management consulting after uni. I tried so hard and made sooo many application for management consulting but didn't get even an interview for any of them. I achieved a first class in my first year and first class in my second year. My A-levels are A*AA and a B at AS level.

I am now in a position with nothing to do in the summer but carry on with my mcdonalds job (which is pretty much the only type of proper work I have on my CV). I have just started trying to ask for work experience to firms.

Can someone please give me some advise on what to do to make me guarantee or raise my chances for a place for management consulting after my degree.

I hope to apply for the graduate scheme in September but the main thing I am scared about is the assessment centres because if I somehow get that far, I would have no idea what is going on because I have no management consulting experience.


Why didn't you apply to banking? Or even just industry/management internships?

Having something on there (particularly from a brand name employer) serves much better than nothing at all.

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Original post by cooldudeman
I am at the university of Birmingham and I want to get into management consulting after uni. I tried so hard and made sooo many application for management consulting but didn't get even an interview for any of them. I achieved a first class in my first year and first class in my second year. My A-levels are A*AA and a B at AS level.

I am now in a position with nothing to do in the summer but carry on with my mcdonalds job (which is pretty much the only type of proper work I have on my CV). I have just started trying to ask for work experience to firms.

Can someone please give me some advise on what to do to make me guarantee or raise my chances for a place for management consulting after my degree.

I hope to apply for the graduate scheme in September but the main thing I am scared about is the assessment centres because if I somehow get that far, I would have no idea what is going on because I have no management consulting experience.


I got onto a graduate business consulting grad scheme with only 3 months of experience in consulting. Even then the skills I learnt could easily be learnt from other things such as group coursework etc .

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Original post by daindian
I got onto a graduate business consulting grad scheme with only 3 months of experience in consulting. Even then the skills I learnt could easily be learnt from other things such as group coursework etc .

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But you had legit consulting experience on paper though which is so much better than mr just having work at mcdonalds
Mate you miss the point lol. At assessment centres they don't have your cv the interview is competency based plus they don't care about consulting experience. Whatever experience you have you can relate to. For example teamwork for McDonald's. You could say how your branch trialled a new ordering touchscreen one and how you consulted with customers on their opinions etc
Original post by daindian
Mate you miss the point lol. At assessment centres they don't have your cv the interview is competency based plus they don't care about consulting experience. Whatever experience you have you can relate to. For example teamwork for McDonald's. You could say how your branch trialled a new ordering touchscreen one and how you consulted with customers on their opinions etc


But still I might have trouble to even get past the application stage cuz I have no consultancy internship... which is a biggggg problem!!

Which firm do you work at.


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Original post by cooldudeman
But still I might have trouble to even get past the application stage cuz I have no consultancy internship... which is a biggggg problem!!

Which firm do you work at.


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list the firms you want to apply to.

now google their sites, learn their competencies, and REFLECT EACH ONE IN YOUR COVER LETTERS. each cl must be unique to that firm, if youre not oxbridge or lse you need to be absolutely outstanding to secure an internship in strat consulting. you need to have a ****load of quality extra currics as well. next year, spread your net to non consulting stuff too, without any sort of internship consulting becomes more barren than any other industry open to apply to. gl.
Original post by cooldudeman
But still I might have trouble to even get past the application stage cuz I have no consultancy internship... which is a biggggg problem!!

Which firm do you work at.


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this is the job http://www.csc.com/graduatesuk/ds/87621/87661-consulting
this is the company https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Sciences_Corporation


If its not too much of a problem, can I ask, what uni did you go to and what did results did you get for Alevel and uni.


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Original post by Noble.
Where did you apply for internships this summer?


Do you mean the ones that I was unsuccessful at or the ones that I just recently applied for?
(Btw thanks for helping me in maths this year)
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(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by cooldudeman
If its not too much of a problem, can I ask, what uni did you go to and what did results did you get for Alevel and uni.


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I went to middlesex university got a 2:1 in business economics and accounting. I did my alevels in 2008 got ceee . The format of getting my job was 9nline tests telephone interview and assessment centre
Original post by daindian
I went to middlesex university got a 2:1 in business economics and accounting. I did my alevels in 2008 got ceee . The format of getting my job was 9nline tests telephone interview and assessment centre


Wait you got C E E E for your alevels??
Original post by cooldudeman
Wait you got C E E E for your alevels??

Yeh mate. Like i said it's all about the degree and you as a person. When I finish the grad scheme I will have alot of exit opportunities. Some of the consulting companies don't care about alevels such as csc ibm and atos
Original post by daindian
Yeh mate. Like i said it's all about the degree and you as a person. When I finish the grad scheme I will have alot of exit opportunities. Some of the consulting companies don't care about alevels such as csc ibm and atos


Thanks for the info.
What do you mean by 'finish' the grad scheme. I thought it was like a normal job but you apply during final year?
Original post by cooldudeman
Thanks for the info.
What do you mean by 'finish' the grad scheme. I thought it was like a normal job but you apply during final year?

A grad scheme is essentially a training scheme which lasts for between 1-3 years
Original post by daindian
A grad scheme is essentially a training scheme which lasts for between 1-3 years


Damn so you gotta go through the process of application stress all over again even if you wanna stay in the same company?
Original post by cooldudeman
Damn so you gotta go through the process of application stress all over again even if you wanna stay in the same company?


Nah. You'd just move up the totem pole.

It'll consist of a performance appraisal (how performed on the grad scheme) and maybe an interview with a more senior member. At some companies the process is automatic.

For exit opps you'd have to interview (most likely more than once) for whichever role - at a different company - that suits your consulting skill set best.

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Original post by cooldudeman
Damn so you gotta go through the process of application stress all over again even if you wanna stay in the same company?

Nah you'd just interview at other companies or if you've impressed in your own company move into a specific area.
Reply 19
Original post by daindian
Mate you miss the point lol. At assessment centres they don't have your cv the interview is competency based plus they don't care about consulting experience. Whatever experience you have you can relate to. For example teamwork for McDonald's. You could say how your branch trialled a new ordering touchscreen one and how you consulted with customers on their opinions etc


Sorry, but this is entirely wrong. Of course they have your CV in ACs and they do care about previous experience. You think a 3rd year with an internship at Oliver Wyman on their cv applying to Mck doesn't have an advantage over a 3rd year with nothing based purely on them having a name brand on their cv?

Original post by daindian
Yeh mate. Like i said it's all about the degree and you as a person. When I finish the grad scheme I will have alot of exit opportunities. Some of the consulting companies don't care about alevels such as csc ibm and atos
None of these are management consulting, they are IT consulting, completely different field.
(edited 8 years ago)

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