Over the years, I’ve received messages from a lot of people, representing many different age categories. Of course, I receive many emails from professionals in their 20′s and early-30′s who are trying to chart a strong career path. I’ve also receive emails from people over 35 who are seeking advice on how to get their careers back on track. And, every now and then, I’ll get an email from someone who much younger than I’d expect, even as young as high school and early college. I’m always impressed when younger readers reach out to me for career guidance because preparing for my longer-term career was not top-of-mind for me when I was in their shoes.

The reader featured in this entry is in his Freshman year at college and aspires to be a Management Consultant after his graduation in 3 years (I wish I’d had that much foresight back in the day when I was his age). He understands the importance of leveraging summer internships as a way to build the skills that Consulting firms find attractive and is asking for my advice on how to pick internships. Specifically, he wants to know what his options should be, given that it may be difficult to get the “right” kind of summer experiences due to his age. I have a lot of thoughts on this topic based on my experiences of working on recruiting efforts at a few companies, so this entry is one where I throw more information at the reader than he was expecting.

As with many time-sensitive emails that hit my Inbox, it took me a couple of months to get to this reader’s message. Fortunately, I’m posting my response in early January, so the timing should work out for him. That said, there are no guarantees, so I’m hoping that he sees this in time for it to be helpful as he engages in his summer internship search.

—–
KH wrote:

Marquis:

First of all, thank you for the great blog it’s been very helpful to me.

I’m a first-year student in a undergrad business program at a target school for consulting firms. From last year’s graduating class, there were 25-30 grads who are working for a consulting firm now.

My question for you is what type of internships will help me build the skills that consulting firms are looking for? Also, as a first-year student I will probably not be able to intern with a very well-known company: will that make a big difference in my resume? I also think it may be better to intern at a smaller company where I have more responsibility, than at a multi-national company

I know marketing and finance are probably the top two choices, but what about an internship at a real estate firm, or any sort of research position at a different company?

Thank you for time and response

KH

—–
My video response:

College Freshman seeking advice on internships from Marquis Parker on Vimeo.

Key points:

• Start by thinking of core skills that Consulting firms seeks in candidates:
  • Structured and distinctive problem solving
  • Strong analytical abilities
  • Leadership ability/potential
  • Ability to work well in teams
  • Confidence in communication and senior presence
  • Ability to understand and synthesize data
• Aim for internship opportunities that provide experience desired by Consulting firms or experiences that build a platform for graduate studies
  • Top choices
    • Consulting
    • Finance
    • Corporate Strategy
    • Marketing (Strategy or Brand)
  • Alternatives
    • Management/Operations
    • Real estate finance/accounting/analysis
    • Technology (development, management, product management)
    • Interesting research role in academia, business, or law
    • Policy or government role
    • Take summer courses or participate in some sort of summer academic institute
    • Start a small business
  • DO NOT WASTE YOUR SUMMER on experiences that will not give you an professional benefits, including the following:
    • Crappy jobs
    • Doing nothing
    • Experiences that won’t build skills