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My response to Andrew's post was:

Last Monday, Amatthew1975 made the following comment which I am reposting here to see if anyone else has some thoughts:

Stephen, What level will you be applying for? Business Analyst, Associate, ...? As I alluded to above, sales experience will be invaluable, especially for senior consulting roles. A consulting interview usually has two components: (1) the experience interview, and (2) the case interview. Your past sales experience will help you answer the experience questions. For example, "tell me a time that you were involved in a team", "have you ever failed at something?". The test of whether you can perform as a consultant is the case interview. Prepare for and pass the case interview and you be in a good position to provide value from day one.

Dear Stephen, Thanks for the message. I understand that the big-4 and looking for people at the moment. It is never too late to be a management consultant. Would it be okay if I asked, what are your main concerns about making the switch? Your previous sales experience will be very helpful, especially in more senior roles. I previously wrote a post which may provide you with some food for thought: http://bit.ly/1lC4gy Let me know if that helps.

The cliched answer is that "there is no typical career path for a consultant". That being said, I think you may benefit from taking a look at the consulting career path outlined by McKinsey: click here. Let me know if that helps.

Jalmadin, Good questions. a. Based on my discussions with various consultants, my understanding is that the consulting industry in Australia is growing nicely. Australia was not hit by the GFC in the same way as the UK or the USA, and Australia has been helped by a resources boom. IBIS World has done research on the industry, although you have to pay for the more interesting data (click here). b. My understanding is that pay will depend on your education and level of experience, and which role you have been offered. What role have you been offered in Perth? c. How do boutique firms fair in the market? It depends on the firm. In my view, there are three things that matter (hint: size is not one of them). The value of a firm derives from: (1) strength of the firm's brand, (2) track record of providing value to clients, and (3) culture of the firm.

Thanks Wil! (I moved the video to the "Perspicacity" forum, hope you don't mind) There a 2 points that I got from this talk: Allowing dissent allows groups to learn and make better decisions Centralised decision making often leads to problems due to lack of access to timely and relevant information and an understanding of context

Cameron, Here is my personal opinion. A weighted average mark (WAM) of 80 is good but it may not make you stand out from the pack of other uber nerds who are applying to MBBB. If you have a WAM of 80 plus work experience plus some other interesting achievements or experiences then that is definitely starting to tell the right story. McKinsey looks for 4 things (in no particular order): (1) achievement, (2) problem solving ability, (3) personal impact, and (4) leadership. Try and build your personal story by keeping these four requirements in mind.

Cameron, Internship experience with a good boutique firm would be just as good, if not better, than experience with one of the big 4. If you can line up either kind of experience then you will be able to talk the talk when it comes time for grad interviews. As you know, consulting interviews are case interview based. There is a very particular way of addressing the case interviews and having work experience will definitely help you make a strong impression. Have you applied anywhere to date?

Flimp, Good question. As we discussed, marks are important to the MBBB firms. I have spoken to a few truly great people who have failed to get interviews purely due to their marks. The top firms can afford to be very picky because they receive literally thousands of applications a year. Nothing is impossible, but there is no silver bullet cure for low marks. Some ideas may be to: 1. Do more study (honours, masters, CFA) and get outstanding marks; or 2. Demonstrate outstanding achievement in some other way, which you can use to distract attention away from your marks. Would it be okay if I asked, what is your ultimate objective? Do you want to work for an MBBB firm so that you can: 1. Do an MBA: If so, there are lots of ways to get into an MBA program without having worked with an MBBB firm. 2. Work as a strategy consultant: If so, there are lots of strategy firms in Australia that you may want to consider. See a list here: http://bit.ly/el5Y0o 3. Become an entrepreneur: If so, it sounds like you are already running your own business which is awesome. Does anyone else have thoughts on this?

Hi all, The top firms are recruiting in Australia for their general intake. The cut-off dates have either just passed or about to pass. Can someone please let us know the application deadlines? Thank you in advance.

If you are preparing your CV then will absolutely want to refer to the "LBS Guidelines for preparing your CV". You can access a copy here (note pdf may download automatically). This will only be available for 1 week, so download it now if you want it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH89Eka_MCM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GCaEZscfvA&feature=BF&list=PL5F946706F59F8B72&index=27

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Your friend makes Design Management sound like the philosopher's stone.

humblebee, good comments. When you say "follow the 80/20 rule when doing the math", what do you mean exactly? For anyone who is interested, you can visit the Wikipedia page on the 80/20 rule, by clicking here.

Hi marguerittac, Yes, you would probably need to read the book (well worth reading by the way). I understand that you are thnking about doing a final project on the improvement of creativity in organisations. That could be a great topic for a final project. I can't think of any book titles for that topic off the top of my head (it's currently 12.40am in Sydney, which may have something to do with it). Can anyone suggest any good books on the topic of "improvement of creativity in organisations"?