Archive | recruiting

Recovering during and after a bad interview (guest post)

Categories: career, guest bloggers, interview advice, job search resources, recruiting

Lately, I’ve received a few emails from people who are navigating the tough job market and are looking for advice on how to score in the interview process. One particular question that has arisen is what a person can do when he/she knows that an interview was an absolutely dud. Should I apologize or try to fix it immediately? Should I email the interviewer afterward? Should I just give up on having a chance at that job? Really big concern, right?

After getting this question multiple times, I thought about posting something to give some overarching advice, but, due to … Read the rest

Engineering grad student interested in management consulting internship

Categories: APD recruiting, career, consulting, recruiting

The email below came to be a while back from an engineering grad student from France who reached out to me for my read on his chances of getting a summer internship in management consulting.

In his eyes, the fact that he’s studying engineering is a big minus on his profile, but I saw things a little differently. Check out my response below for more info.

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TG wrote:

Hello Sir,

First let me introduce briefly myself. I am [TG], and I am currently studying a Master in Engineering in France. (please excuse my poor english!). I have been reading

… Read the rest

Question about the use of a VERY blunt cover letter for internship recruiting

Categories: Business, career, interview advice, recruiting

The message below came to me from a college Freshman who I met recently and is about a very “distinctive” cover letter that went viral a couple of weeks ago. This student is wondering how someone would view such a letter from the corporate perspective and asked for my opinion.

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JF wrote:

Hey Marquis!
I saw this news article floating around Yahoo the other day, I’d love to have your thoughts on it. The article is about a cover letter that cuts the crap and goes straight to the punch. It made me think of you so I thought

… Read the rest

Advice for an MBA summer intern worried about chances for a full-time offer

Categories: Business School, career, career path, consulting, internship, mba, professional advice, recruiting

Hey, folks. The email below came to me from a rising second-year MBA student from a top program, who is currently in the middle of a summer Management Consulting internship with one of the MBB firms. He has reached out to me because he recently had his mid-summer performance review and the feedback that he received was not positive. Now, he’s worried that he won’t get an offer st the end of his internship and he’s worried that it’ll impact his candidacy when going into the full-time recruiting process in the Fall.

This isn’t a situation that I’ve faced myself, … Read the rest

Questions from a college Freshman interested in Management Consulting

Categories: Business School, career, consulting, internship, professional advice, recruiting

The message below is from a reader who has just completed her first year in college and is interested in getting a job at a Big 3 Management Consulting firm when she graduates in a few years. She is seeking my advice on some options for college majors that would position her well to attract the attention of these firms in the recruiting process.

As I’ve mentioned before, I really like it when kids are thinking about career issues this early in the game. I hope my tips were helpful to her.

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KT wrote:

Hello!

I just wanted to

… Read the rest

Advice for an entrepreneur considering transitioning into Management Consulting

Categories: Business School, career, career path, consulting, entrepreneurship, management consulting, mba, recruiting, Stanford GSB

The email below came to me from one of my classmates from Stanford GSB, who was seeking my advice regarding a potential job search. Following our MBA graduation, he launched a start-up and has been grinding on it full-time since then. Recently, he’s been considering making a career transition, using his entrepreneurial experience as a launchpad into role in Management Consulting.

Given my experiences as a former Consultant, he reached out for my perspective on this proposed action. What he’s thinking about isn’t exactly the traditional path into Consulting, but it certainly is not impossible. Check out my response below … Read the rest

Active duty military soldier with future interest in Consulting

Categories: career, career path, consulting, management consulting, mba, professional advice, recruiting, transition

The email below came in from an active duty soldier in the U.S. Air Force who is interested in pursuing a career in Consulting after his time in the service ends next year. He’s close to completing his MBA at a non-top-tier MBA program (he has done his coursework while in the military) and he’s wondering if that would hinder him from having a shot at a big-name firm.

I might have mentioned this before, but I’ve got a soft spot for folks in the military because several of my family members have served. I hope that my advice is … Read the rest

Indian MBA student looking to break into Management Consulting

Categories: Business, Business School, career, consulting, management consulting, mba, Networking, professional advice, recruiting

In this entry, I’m fielding a question from an MBA student from a business school in India. He’s interested in Consulting, but, while his school has great placements in several industries, it doesn’t have a reputation of placing people into the Consulting industry. It appears that his undergraduate institution isn’t very reputed in India, so he’s wondering whether he has a chance to break into Consulting.

Emails like this that ask about how things go in other countries are tough for me because I only have what I’ve read about business customs in other nations to serve as a foundation … Read the rest

Reader wondering about his chances at a Big 3 Consulting firm

Categories: Business School, career, consulting, international business, interview advice, mba, professional advice, recruiting

The email below comes from a reader who has his eyes set on McKinsey, Bain, or BCG, but is worried because his background is somewhat non-traditional. He’s earning an International MBA at the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business and doesn’t have much work experience. I’ve been contacted by several people in a similar situation to his before, so I’ve thought a lot about these types of situations. I can’t say that my read on his situation is THE answer on the topic, but it is a perspective that might be helpful to him. Now, we just have… Read the rest

Starter tips for developing your personal brand

Categories: career, professional advice, real life stuff, recruiting

Recently, I had a great email exchange with one of my college classmates about the role that personal branding can play in one’s career search. She is starting up her own job search and is deciding on how to best present her experiences, qualifications, and interests to new contacts and/or potential employers. This is something about which I’ve thought a lot, so it was like the words just flew through my fingers on this one. I tend to blend the ideas of personal branding, professional branding, networking, and career positioning, which comes out when I give advice on these topics.… Read the rest

Transitioning into Consulting as an experienced hire from the auto industry

Categories: auto industry, career, consulting, Finance, mba, recruiting, strategy, transition

The message below is from an auto industry professional who is interested in transitioning to Management Consulting. He has a solid 10 years of auto experience and an MBA, but, during his previous attempts at applying, he hasn’t received any interview invitations. He’s asking for my read on his situation and for guidance on whether he has holes in his profile. I have a feeling that his earlier lack of success might have been tied to timing and the economic downturn, but I can’t be 100% sure of that. I gave him a quick read on his profile in my… Read the rest

College Freshman seeking advice on internships

Categories: career, consulting, interview advice, professional advice, recruiting

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… Read the rest

Questions from a techie aiming for Consulting after business school

Categories: Business School, career, consulting, mba, recruiting

The email below came in from a reader who found me through the interview that I did with ManagementConsulted.com last year. He’s a former Mechanical Engineer who worked his way up to VP of Operations at a software company. Now, he’s aiming for business school with a goal of going into Management Consulting after his graduation.

He’s presented me with a few questions regarding his school choices, how they might affect his chances of getting into Consulting, and whether he will have any control over his choice of office if he gets an offer. All of these are pretty interesting … Read the rest

Promotion from a career prep resource provider for registered members of this site

Categories: career, career path, job search resources, my peoples, other sites, recruiting, Stanford GSB, Uncategorized

During tough economic times like this, I’m sure that everyone could use as much information as possible about how to find the right career path. Please check out the video and text below to find out about a promotion for a really cool career prep resource that has been offered to registered members of this site.

Career change challenge promotion from Marquis Parker on Vimeo.

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Graduate school may get you a good job, but it won’t guarantee you your D.R.E.A.M. job. Do you know what it feels like to D.R.E.A.M. awake? Do know how to make meaning and … Read the rest

Question about prepping for MBA summer internship recruiting

Categories: career, consulting, interview advice, job search resources, mba, professional advice, recruiting, Uncategorized

The email below comes from a reader who has been following my blog for a couple of years now. She reached out to me a few months back to let me know that she’d been admitted to Stanford GSB and we’ve exchanged a few emails since then. Now, she’s in the middle of her first quarter at the GSB and is a little worried as she approaches the summer internship recruiting process for Management Consulting. She’s asked for my advice on what she can do now to help prepare for her success in the process and, as my longtime readers… Read the rest