Consulting Career Expo 2008

I was at a career fair today with some of the biggest names in Management Consulting (McKinsey was absent as they start their annual recruitment cycle in Sept).

1. One company had this to say about my university (on powerpoint):

- Prestigious School
- Strong historical yield
- Track record of top performance by graduates already in the firm
- Academic direction in line with firm's strategy

And listed out our peer competitors:

- Penn, Berkeley, Wash U (St Louis)

2. Another lets slip that in this part of the US, Duke and the *college up the road* are the other core (strategic) schools they target for recruitment.

3. We also learned that applications and resumes from my school *will* be read by at least one alumnus already in the firm.

Advice was given: 'So don't try to (bullshit) us. We know the school, because many of us are alumni.'

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The student consulting club actually shortlists applicants for club membership. 85 applied last year. They accepted 12.

Which is quite different from most campus student organizations (open membership). Elitism starts early. Even before you graduate.

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My friend had this to say about such events.

"It allows both parties to pat each other's backs and do some joint prestige wanking together."

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I-banks are pretty much absent from the campus recruiting scene these two semesters. I think it has a lot to do with the current situation in the financial markets.