Timothy Little ⋅ Tampa, FL U.S. Army Reserve, Lieutenant Colonel ⋅ 22 years served

Hi Alton,

If you haven't done so already, make sure you're checking out the veteran section of each prospective company's recruiting page.Often times you can submit your resume there and it is a way of differentiating yourself from the general huge pool of candidates. This is how I was able to get my job with Booz Allen Hamilton following completion of my MBA.

Also, don't underestimate the value of your clearance when applying for jobs in federal consulting (Booz Allen, Deloitte, TASC, etc.). It makes you a much more attractive candidate because they won't have to pay for the very expensive clearance process.

Finally, I would suggest that you attend any veteran specific job fairs that take place near you. The big firms often recruit at these events. One example is MOJO https://www.militarymojo.org/event-locations/. Shoot me an email if you have any other questions.
Respectfully,

Tim (Tim.k.Little@gmail.com)

Carol Lindberg ⋅ San Diego, CA ⋅ 10 years experience

My Top Tips for Future Consultants

Consulting sounds as though it should be the ideal job, one in which the hours can be customized and where you don't have to answer to a boss. The work sounds easy and returns are probably good. Those can be realistic results of starting a consulting firm, but not without facing difficulties. Turn your expertise into a career, but only after following sound advice.

Confidence Sells

One might undersell his or her skills in order to attract more clients, but that doesn't work. People who are used to big expense accounts and dealing with millions of dollars in profits expect to pay well for consulting expertise. Charging too little is like saying you lack confidence in your talents and expertise. If so, why? At least, that's what the big clients will be wondering. Present yourself as you wish to be seen: professional and successful. Dress the part without appearing lavish and arrogant.

But Start Small

If you are nervous, start by appealing to smaller companies with their small consulting projects. Get your feet wet before jumping in up to the knees. Learn the ins and outs of what is, essentially, a new business venture. Although you are an expert in a given field, you are not an expert consultant -- yet. Develop organizational and planning strategies for now. High-paying clients will come alone when a portfolio shows your consulting experience is authentic. Demonstrate that the fees you charge are worth a company's while.

Prepare Emotionally

A lot of individuals take up self-employment so they can work with fewer people and stick to a schedule of their own choosing. In reality, clients are demanding, and they have the right to be since they are paying the bills. Days will not be your own until the project is finished. There is so much work involved in starting a business, too, and it can be exhausting, not to mention frightening when a client doesn't pay his bill on time and your mortgage payment is due. Prepare for the likelihood of stress by setting up a line of credit, ensuring family members know what to expect, and by establishing a core of mentors who will support you with good advice in times of trouble.

Emotional Intelligence Resource:
http://projectmgmt.brandeis.edu/resources/infographics/emotional-intelligence-the-key-to-successful-leadership/

MBA Resource for Veterans:
http://graduate.norwich.edu/resources-mba/infographics-mba/how-an-mba-can-equip-veterans-during-their-transition/

Charles (Chuck) Postma ⋅ Muskegon, MI Alcoa ⋅ 42 years experience

The best way I have found to get into a great company is to take a temporary assignment sometimes called a contract-to-direct position with them. You can look each other over and if the match is a good one an offer will be made. The company that I'm working with for the client company has also sometimes given me an offer.

Good luck, sir.

Chuck

Drew Schildwächter ⋅ Wilmington, NC Salesforce ⋅ 8 years experience

Alton: there are great corporate programs which will tremendously improve your networking. Check out, for example, Deloitte's CORE program:

http://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/join-deloitte-core-leadership-program.html

Li Tian ⋅ Carlsbad, CA Transamerica Financial Advisors ⋅ 5 years experience

Hi Alton,

Thanks for your service.

Like any corporate job, it's much easier if you have a connection within the company you want to get in, and use that to get your application into the hands of the hiring manager as well as the HR department. Sending resume by responding to a job posting is like throwing your resume to a black hole and is very rarely effective.

Linkedin is a great networking resources and I have some friends in companies you've mentioned, so if I can be of any help, please let me know. I recommend that you find jobs that you are well suited for, and then, find someone who works in the company for those jobs, and contact them, and ask if they would be willing to refer you from within the company.

Best of luck!
Li

Biswajit Dasgupta ⋅ Roanoke, TX Fidelity Investments ⋅ 16 years experience

Alton,

I don't intend to discourage you but I have had some experience in this space and the following are my observations -
1) Making that switch is a huge step and it is very difficult to crack the top 5 consulting firms
2) Main reason is they prefer to hire from top tier campuses for entry positions
3) For lateral positions, prior experience in a consulting company is a must (They may tell you otherwise but trust this from an insider)
4) Project Management and consulting are completely different things - for the latter PM skills are taken for granted and they expect complete domain knowledge in a topic(s)
5) Then certain firms specialize on different things - Mckinsey for instance is great in corporate restructuring, Deloitte is great in Human resources, Accenture is great in systems integration, PWC great in the taxes space and Capgemini great in the BPO space
6) These firms naturally offer the entire gamut of services but their fame is primarily in these spaces
7) The reason its very tough is also due to the sheer numbers - no: of applicants vs. openings
8) They also have a completely different recruiting process - I suggest going to the Mckinsey website for this. they have some sample questions
9) Finally - if this is what you really want to do, don't give up. However you may want to consider the lesser known firms. Some of them are excellent and they will provide a great platform to move to a bigger firm at a later date

Again, I don't want to discourage you but provide a realistic picture of whats ahead. Good luck!

Sean Butler ⋅ Keller, TX Thought Ensemble ⋅ 6 years experience

Alton,

Tim and Gerald really hit the two major points; Networking and Veterans Initiatives, either initiatives that the prospective company undertakes, or veteran specific job fairs and the like.

Between the two of these, the most critical is networking. Period. I wound up at both of my two post-military employers (PepsiCo and PwC) because of the people I knew. Good networking skills are especially important if you want to be a consultant with a Big 4, because networking isn't just a way to get a job, it is a requisite for actually doing the job (you have to be able to quickly plug in to all the right people at the client) and demonstrated networking skill both with the clients and within the firm is pretty much required for promotion (more networking = more opportunities to sell client work).

If you want to shoot me your resume, I can take a look and we can go from there!

Best,

Sean Butler
sbutler04@gmail.com

James Watson ⋅ San Diego, CA General Atomics ⋅ 30 years experience

Alton-

I am retired after a 40 year career in industry where I hired over 100 people. Now I am helping veterans like yourself by helping with their resumes. If you would e-mail me your resume (drjamesfwatson@gmail.com) I would be happy to comment on it.

Jim Watson

Gerald Mannikarote ⋅ Houston, TX dMann Training Technologies ⋅ 20 years experience

Alton,
Kevin has provided some very good points.
The only other points I would add are:
1- networking is very important. Find local groups where you can connect with others. A local chambers group is one such group. There you may connect with someone that knows someone.
2- volunteer. Volunteering will not only make you feel good, but it will also connect you with people.
I hope this helps.
Warm regards,
Jerry

Kevin Callahan ⋅ Arlington Heights, IL The COO's Bulldog, Inc ⋅ 27 years experience

Alton,

First of all, thank you for your service to our country. A number of years ago, I was a senior project manager looking to move up. I went back and did my MBA. My ultimate goal was not necessarily to be a management consultant, but that's where I wound up. However, there were interim positions along the way. For example, my first position after the MBA was as the Director of Project Management at a service firm where most services were rendered as Projects. I leveraged my MBA knowledge and PM experience to help the company function overall.

You may want to be looking for positions such as this as stepping stones to a position with one of the large consulting firm. There is not a lot of room in this space for a fuller explanation, but if you want to get in touch, I would be happy to have a phone conversation. I would also like to send you a copy of my book, Project Managment Accounting, which shows how to bridge the gap between projects, business operations and finance.

If you would like, please contact me at krcallahan@alumni.nd.edu.

Best regards,

Kevin