Recruitment season at INSEAD starts early. In fact, for a Banking job, you better be prepared for the "grip & grin" schmoozing events and then interviews within the first few weeks of the program. Those who start the INSEAD program in January have a bit more time to prepare, and crucially an internship period to impress a banking employer of choice. But let's face it, if one really wants a career as an I Banker, they should not be going to INSEAD but rather LBS in Europe or Wharton in the US.
No, INSEAD is not a banker's school. Rather, it is a management consultants school and here the recruitment process starts even earlier! The final admissions decisions haven't even been given out, I've not even finished my pre-MBA job, there are months to go before the program begins and already the consulting firms have started their dance. I have now seen invitations for events to take place in the next few months from McKinsey and BCG, the top of the top consulting firms. For those interested in consulting, this must be vindication that INSEAD is indeed an expensive but effective entry ticket to the famous case study interview.
I think 2008 will be a record year for the consultant. I've heard through the grapevine that the top tier firms are selling more engagements than they can keep up with. I've seen this in Europe and Asia, not sure about the US but again, if one wants to work in the US, they shouldn't be coming to INSEAD. For all you wannabe consultants, this means "beach time" is at record lows (the downtime between engagements that is part of the consulting business model for good reason...to delay consultant burnout to at least the 2 year mark).
I'll reserve most of my consulting cynicism for a later time. On the bright side, the career does offer a great opportunity to work with smart & driven people, learn great project management skills, and pay off student loans quickly. For those who do go down this path, best of luck, for me I hope more fulfilling opportunities await graduation.
7 comments:
Consulting is very tough. It's good for some time, specially before an MBA, but there's more to life than this.
You'll get your chance, for sure :)
You won't fall in the trap will you?
I vow here and now that I will not be a consultant after INSEAD unless it is a self-employed version.
le blog - thanks for your comment on my post on the 'startup that never was'. You never know when and how we will cross paths! I sure would like to meet you somewhere...
in your opinion what are the 'right' MBA for bankers then? :)
A senior banker once said (joking) that his brains are always picked by us consultants, then we turn around and advise his people on how to do banking and send him an invoice for our service! I agree with him, it's a win-win situation!
I linked you to my blog, see you in class!
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