Please note that on Monday, October 14 MCS will be closed for the University holiday.

Consulting firms are hired by organizations of all kinds – for-profit, nonprofit, and government agencies – to help them solve a problem or facilitate an organizational change. The more commonly known “general strategy” firms cover a broad portfolio of industries across sectors. There are also firms that specialize in specific industries such as healthcare, government, and financial services, while others specialize in functional areas that span industries, such as human resources, technology, and communications. Rather than hire an outside firm, some organizations have internal consultants, also referred to as business or corporate strategy departments, to address and resolve similar business and operational issues from within the organization.

Finding Internships

In general, consulting firms hire more full-time employees than they do summer interns. Do not get discouraged if you are not successful in the summer internship hiring process. Summer intern recruiting is an important process that helps you develop connections and become more of a known entity with firms. Staying connected with the people you have met demonstrates your interest and commitment to the field and can help your candidacy if you apply for a full-time opportunity. If you do get an offer for the summer, the main goal of the summer internship should be to see if consulting is a good fit for you, and if it is, to parlay the internship into a full-time offer.

Finding Jobs

Quantitative skills are valued, and firms will even look at SAT/ACT or GRE/GMAT scores for evidence of quantitative aptitude. Furthermore, demonstrated ability to work in a team is extremely important. That is partly why consulting firms use the case interview method – to evaluate your ability to solve a problem aloud and to structure and articulate your thought process to a teammate or client. Finally, it is important to remember that consulting is a client-facing industry. It is important to use face-to-face opportunities to demonstrate “core skills,” like communication skills, poise under pressure, and confidence.

Graduate and Professional Programs

Graduate school is not required to work in consulting or strategy. However, hiring organizations may look for more experienced candidates from a wide range of fields and disciplines, including business, law, medicine, and PhD programs for higher level positions within their organization. In particular, many consulting firms hire out of MBA programs, as well as other advanced degrees.

Citadel Conference Travel Grant: Grace Hopper 2024

Professional conferences are great opportunities to explore your career interests, meet new people, and find summer and post-grad opportunities. Citadel and Citadel Securities have recently launched a conference travel grant program to support students wishing to attend the Grace Hopper …

By Meaghan Shea
Meaghan Shea Assistant Director, Technology, Data Analytics, Life & Physical Sciences & Entrepreneurship
Read more

Is Life Science Consulting the Career for You?

“Life science consulting is a hot industry niche. The life science industry is highly focused on improving patient outcomes and boosting life science firms’ profitability by leveraging new digital, analytics, and AI tools. These tools are game changers and it’s …

By Guest or External Blog
Guest or External Blog
Read more

McKinsey Digital Assessment (Solve Game)

“The McKinsey Digital Assessment (MDA) is a game that assesses your ability to solve business problems using technology, and is a part of McKinsey’s screening process before you are invited to interview with the firm.”

See the full article at

By Guest or External Blog
Guest or External Blog
Read more

Sidebar

Featured Resources

Firsthand Vault Guides

Job Market InsightsIn partnership withLightcast logo

Find a career that aligns with your career interests, see current salary projects, and identify skills you need to apply for that next job or internship.

There are two ways to use this tool below:

  1. By Keyword: Search for the name of the occupation you’re interested in.
  2. By Occupation: Not sure what job you’d like? See available occupations within this career pathway/industry.

First, choose an industry of interest, then filter for occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)

Type in a keyword to select a relevant occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)

GRADUATE SPOTLIGHTS

Hamza Boutaleb Joutei ALM, Management ’24

  • Technical Director CEFIS Groupe
Meet Tianmeng >
Meet Natalie >
Meet Pomaika'i >
Meet Mary >
Meet Jessica >
Meet Catherine >
Meet Robin >
Meet Alison >
  • Boston, MA
  • Analyst / Youth Climate Advocate Boston Consulting Group/ United Nations
Meet Kristen >
Meet David >
Meet Gred >
Meet Vegas >
Meet Kathrine >
Meet Laith >
Meet Marco >
Meet Edward >
Meet Adolfo >
Meet JJ >
Meet Deepak >

Skill Building Courses

Contact & Location

Phone
617-495-2595
Address

Harvard University
54 Dunster Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

MCS Hours

Monday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

The Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS) is committed to ensuring access to a broad range of information and opportunities across all sectors. Our website contains external content that may be useful to our learners. The inclusion of external content does not necessarily constitute endorsement, recommendation, or agreement with the information.