The Consulting Club is one of the most popular clubs on campus and is jointly coordinated by EADA Careers and EADA Community. This year, the Club includes participants from the International MBA, International MBA – Bilingual, International Master in Management, Master Internacional en Management – Bilingüe, International Master in Finance, International Master in Accounting & Financial Management and Master Internacional en Finanzas – Bilingüe.
The Club aims to facilitate the transition into consulting by helping students understand the role of a consultant and providing transparency to the recruiting process. EADA Career Advisor Marie Madec confirms that the specialised skills and knowledge developed in the Consulting Club can be invaluable to participants. “Applying to work in consulting requires a very specific preparation – it is a competitive market with many unspoken rules,” she says.
The Club organises a wide range of activities annually to educate participants about the types of consultants, provide networking opportunities within the industry and prepare students for the selection process. Activities include networking events, consulting panels and interview workshops.
International Master in Finance participant Thibaud Saint-Viteux joined the Club to prepare him for what he sees as the two biggest challenges of consulting: the ability to adapt to new environments and the high level of intensity of the job. “The consulting industry offers a steep learning curve through concrete projects, which matches my personality and commitment to constant self-improvement,” he says. “As I aspire to become a partner one day, the Consulting Club is a great opportunity to make progress towards my goals together with other dedicated master and MBA students.”
As I aspire to become a partner one day, the Consulting Club is a great opportunity to make progress towards my goals together with other dedicated master and MBA students.
The Consulting Club is designed for EADA participants like Thibaud who are already committed to developing a career in consulting, as well as those who are interested in finding out more about what it means to join a consulting firm. In the first trimester, activities included:
- Intro to the Consulting Industry. This activity helped participants from a wide range of backgrounds decode the existing players in the industry, understand how they differ and learn what it takes to get in to the different segments of consulting.
- EADA Alumni Panel. This discussion included presentations from alumni currently working in consulting. Alumni shared their personal stories and explained their unique perspectives on the role of the consultant. McKinsey, Deloitte and Accenture Technologies were represented.
- Interviewing skills. This initial training session focused on key interviewing skills needed for the selection process in consulting firms including personal motivation interviews and case interviews. This session was made possible by Dr Eric Viardot, professor in the Strategy, Leadership & People Department.
Sebastian Oberti from the Master Internacional en Finanzas – Bilingüe was attracted to the Club by the networking opportunities and the Alumni Panel. “In my opinion, the most challenging part of a career in consulting is understanding how to provide added value to the firm,” he says. “The Panel provided a first-hand look at this and other issues from inside the industry.”
In January, elections were held to choose the officers of the Consulting Club, culminating in the appointment of Martin Keller (International MBA) as President and Mart Jacobs (Master Internacional en Management – Bilingüe) as Vice President.
Consulting Club President Martin Keller was motivated to run for office by a desire to learn more about the industry and a commitment to creating added value for his fellow students. “The position also appealed to me because it offered the opportunity to become familiar with the diverse backgrounds and mindsets in all of EADA’s international programmes,” he says.
Vice President Mart Jacobs has been organising activities since her undergraduate days. “By representing the Consulting Club at EADA, I can help my classmates train for future job opportunities and learn how to carry themselves during the selection process,” she says. “It’s also a great opportunity to develop my organisation and coordination skills and get to know students from all of EADA’s programmes.”
Martin and Mart will play an important role in coordinating the activities of the Consulting Club that in the second and third trimester of the 2018-2019 academic year. These trimesters will be focused on further honing interview skills, practicing case study interviews and meeting with professionals from different consulting environments to deepen understanding of the industry.