INDUSTRY SECTORS
Consulting C
onsultants go into an organisation and assess ways to improve the company’s profit-making ability, efficiency, or position in the market. They’ll then implement a plan to help the client achieve its goals. A popular choice among graduates, consulting is a coveted career path because of the very attractive salaries offered. More than that, there’s also a wide variety in job roles as graduates get to work on a number of different projects, and perhaps even get the opportunity to travel. However, working in high-pressure environments is to be expected, and often against very tight deadlines. Consultancy firms also often specialise in a particular sector such as IT or finance.
Career path
You’ll need…
• Read business pages for commercial awareness. Keep an eye on successful or innovative advertising and branding campaigns, and figure out what makes them work
• Analytical skills • Commercial awareness • Creativity
Newcomers generally start out as analysts and remain there for about three years. The company may then encourage the pursuit of a postgraduate degree at this point before allowing a graduate to become a consultant, where another two to three years will be spent. The next step is to become lead consultant or manager, before becoming a partner in the firm or an industry specialist. Seasoned professionals can even break off and form their own consultancy firms.
Did you know? Management consultants rarely have two identical workdays. The broad range of work means creating solutions on a case-bycase basis tailored to each client, so professionals usually end up with a very wide scope of tasks.
Job-hunting tips • Practise case studies before applying. They tend to make or break applications
Most popular employers
• Problem-solving skills
• Keep abreast of the latest trends in management, finance, operations, HR and IT
Types of employers
Work experience
• Management/strategic consultancy
Many consultancy firms in Singapore offer summer internships. Keep an eye out for them and apply as early as possible to keep from missing out.
5. PwC
Deadlines
9. KPMG
Application deadlines for full-time positions and graduate programmes close around September and October.
10. Oliver Wyman
• Good interpersonal skills
• Human resource consultancy • IT consultancy • Financial advisory consultancy • Public relations consultancy
1. Boston Consulting Group 2. McKinsey & Company 3. Accenture 4. Microsoft 6. EY 7. Bain & Company 8. Deloitte
Source: Singapore Graduate Barometer 2021 edition
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