Mart Jacobs was recently elected Vice President of the EADA Consulting Club 2018-19. Mart is from Belgium and is currently enrolled in the Master Internacional en Management – Bilingüe. She speaks Dutch, English, Spanish, French and some Japanese and holds a master’s degree in public law. She first came to Spain on an Erasmus exchange, and returned two years later to complete her master’s at EADA.
Why did you run to represent the Consulting Club at EADA?
Ever since my undergraduate years, when I was involved in my university’s law students’ union, I’ve enjoyed organising things for other students. By representing the Consulting Club in EADA, I get the chance do to this again and to help my fellow students train for future job interviews and learn how to carry themselves during the selection process. It’s also a great opportunity to develop my organisation and coordination skills and get to know students from all of EADA’s programmes.
How does the Consulting Club relate to your career goals?
My future career path is still open, and I know I’m not the only one that feels that way. It would be a mistake to think that the Consulting Club is only for participants who have their minds absolutely set on becoming a consultant – the interview skills that we are learning can be used in all kinds of job interviews! Consulting is always an interesting option to consider because it provides such diverse opportunities with a steep learning curve. But even if I don’t end up in consulting, I get to practise my communication and organisational skills in my role as Vice President, organising the Consulting Club sessions with President Martin Keller. These skills are valuable in any career.
The Consulting Club offers students a simulation of how it feels to be confronted with a new problem that required critical thinking skills to come up with a fast and structured solution.
What was the most interesting take away from the Alumni Panel?
Even though no two consulting firms are exactly alike, one thing they all have in common is that there is no ‘standard’ day in the life of a consultant. All of the alumni agreed that even though some periods might be busier than others, you’ll never really know what might be on your plate the next day. It is also good to know that you don’t have to have a certain fixed background to start a career in consulting – there are many different types of consulting that are interesting for people with a wide variety of academic backgrounds.
What do you think are the most important qualities in a successful consultant?
It is no secret that consulting is usually not a nine-to-five job, so you genuinely have to have the drive to achieve results for your clients. A certain inherent ambitiousness should be present within a person to achieve real success as a consultant. You also have to be open to the fact that – especially at the beginning of your career – you really don’t know anything and this means that you will probably fail a lot…and that’s nothing to be ashamed about! You should never stop learning and nurturing new skills.
What do you think is the most challenging part of a career in consulting? How does the Club prepare you for this role?
I think that because of the variety and amount of projects that will be coming at you, you’ll be forced to learn a lot in a short period of time, which means working under pressure. The Consulting Club offers students a simulation of how it feels to be confronted with a new problem that required critical thinking skills to come up with a fast and structured solution. Of course, at the end of the day, you build your own success – but the Consulting Club is here to give EADA students the tools so that they are prepared to start that journey.
