A Career You Might Actually Enjoy

Contrary to what you may have heard, you can have a life in Consulting.

Full of doubt after all the 100-hour-week horror stories you have heard, in an incredulous tone you ask, "what type of consulting could this possibly be?" Not only is this question correct, it's probably one of the most important you can ask this recruiting season.

There are probably as many types of consulting as there are Liberal Arts degrees--Health Care, Finance, Quality, Strategy, and Technology, to name just a few. As you might expect, the pay, number of hours, amount of travel, and overall experience largely depends upon the type of consulting in which a firm specializes. The first step in any consulting job search, then, is to figure out which field you would prefer to work in most. Take a hard look at your extracurricular interests--if you spend most of your non-academic waking hours playing with the Mac, you might want to pursue computer/technical consulting firms. Similarly, if you've spent your undergraduate career starting or assisting fledgling campus organizations for the sheer joy of "building something from the ground up," Strategic or Quality consulting might be the place for you.

Once you've targeted the type of consulting you'd prefer most, you can focus your energies on actually landing the job. The Office of Career Services is probably the best place to start. A trip to their library will give you a good list of firms that best meet your specifications. Speaking from experience as both the interviewee and the interviewer, the hardest part is probably going to be the cover letter. Among the industry-tested cardinal rules, there are a few that stand out:

* Do it early. Whatever you do, don't leave the cover letter until 20 minutes before the OCS recruiting materials deadline. Inevitably, you will miss a typo, or worse, forget to change the name of the contact person or firm from the last cover letter you printed--believe me, it happens. Last year the firm where I work received 200 letters and resumes over the space of two weeks. The first screen we used was typos--if the applicant didn't care enough to proofread, they obviously weren't that interested in the job.

* Keep it short. Think of the person who's got twelve projects due in the next 48 hours. The boss comes in with a stack of 300 resumes and says, "Take a look at these, will you? Give me the list of finalists in the morning." While this may sound extreme, it illustrates the point: the average cover letter and resume really do only get 60 seconds of review. A long cover letter is laborious; a powerful and succinct cover letter encourages the reader to spend more time on the applicant's materials.

* Make it interesting. Let the reader know that you've really thought about why you're the perfect one for this job and this firm. Resist the temptation of "I am interested in pursing a career in consulting because I seek exposure to a broad range of industries." While it may be true, it is the standard opening line of consulting cover letters. Try to differentiate yourself--everyone wants to hire the uniquely suited candidate.

However you approach it, a job search in consulting will require time, energy, and some honest soul-searching. A candid assessment of your interests and strengths will not only target your recruiting efforts and increase your chances of getting a job, it will increase your chances of getting a job you actually enjoy.

Gina Berardi '90 is an Associate with The TQM Group, Cambridge, MA, a consulting firm sepcializing in total quality management.