Recruiting Strategy
How can an engineer or AI specialist break into management consulting?
I have an engineering and AI background and currently work in research, but I'm interested in management consulting. What kinds of firms or roles should I target, and how can I make the profile look serious when most of my experience isn't traditional business work?
Ian’s Answer
First of all, it's absolutely do-able.One of the best consultants in the Sydney BCG office was a professional violinist at the Sydney Opera house prior to starting. The Partner on my first project was a former professional flautist.I worked with doctors, dentists, lawyers, musicians, english majors, etc. And, you have a Tech background which is fantastic.What to doThere a lot you can do, but #1 would be getting some consulting-related experience on your resume to show you're serious about this. Join clubs, communities, organizations, and, importantly, apply to a bunch of experiential consulting programs (Where you do consulting projects for free to get experience).Then, network a ton.Additionally, think about applying to the tech/IT-related firms + roles (BCG Platninion/GAMMA, McKinsey Black, Monitor Deloitte, etc.)