The Recruitment Process Management Consulting Aspirants Need To Undergo
Management consulting recruiters may follow a different recruiting process, but they all want the same thing - they aim to hire the best applicant for their job vacancy. To achieve this goal, they make use of necessary tools that can identify who among the crowd can provide additional strength to the firm. The recruiting process begins once the manpower need has been determined and culminates with contract signing. In between the first and last points are the steps elaborated below.
Once the need for additional consutants is approved, recruiters disseminate the vacancy on their website, on the newspaper, in their social media accounts and on various online job boards. However, top-tier firms usually implement an all-year round recruitment of candidates through information sessions, university visits, career fairs, and networking events. They even utilize their internship program in observing students who can adapt well to consulting responsibilities and work environment. These are considered a wise way of publicizing their services and at the same time spotting potential employees. Fortunately, most firms receive hundreds of cover letters and resumes per month as this industry is quite popular among recent graduates and experienced professionals.
Job application screening follows the step above. Due to lack of time, recruiters reject applications that are poorly written and structured. For a written marketing tool to stand out, applicants must remember at least three things. First, the application must be specifically tailored for this industry. It is different from the application to other companies because details on education, experience and other qualifications must be stated in a way relevant to the target firm. Second, strengths, skills and achievements should be highlighted. This will make the document stand out in the crowd. Lastly, it must be free from typo errors, grammar mistakes and design nuisances.
Then, some firms administer tests to further weed out applicants who are not qualified for the job. The results tell the recruiters about the capability, skills and personality of the taker, the reason why it's considered an effective tool. The test may be a combination of numerical, verbal, abstract or personality questions. Those who are scheduled for testing can always call the Human Resources Department to ask which tests they will take. Awareness can definitely help them be equipped for the challenge.
Hiring decisions can't be made based on mere test results, though. For this reason, recruiters in this industry conduct two types of interview. The first one is called fit interview, and it may be done either in person or through a telephone call. This is the time when the recruiters get to know the applicants - their education, experience, interests, achievements and other relevant details. They also make use of behavioral questions to dig information on how applicants behaved in their previous job or at school. They also pose situational questions, a good strategy in knowing an applicant's commitment, sociability, industriousness and reaction to stressful instances.
The other one is called case interview, something classic to management consulting. It begins with a presentation of a vague business case, and the inteviewee is asked to analyze it from various perspectives and to generate recommendations within 20 to 30 minutes. Most applicants spend their recruitment preparation in this aspect since it's the most mind-boggling part. It requires familiarization of various business cases, operational strategies, mastery of consulting frameworks and enough confidence. Further, it is also the ultimate test of the interviewee's analytical thinking, problem solving ability and communication skills. Applicants shortlisted for case interviews usually have to undergo this challenge one to three times on different days.
After the final interview comes the grueling waiting period. Applicants can only stretch their patience at this time since the hiring decision is something they have no control of. To maximize the time for waiting, they are encouraged to look for and work on other opportunities constantly. Since it's a fact that people do not always get their dream jobs, it is a wise move to have back up plans.
About the Author
Enroll in the online course, Consulting Job Academy at http://www.consultingfact.com/consulting-job-academy ConsultingFact.com wrote several modules that will guide the readers in preparing their application, in acing the written tests and in getting through the rest of the recruitment process.
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