Pro-Tips To Crack Any Consulting Internship

Pursuing an internship at a consultancy is a great value addition to have in your resume for the final placements. Consultancies exhibit a very dynamic and experiential work culture which can be a great start to your professional career and lead to better opportunities when you pass out. But in the array, are thousands of students who dream to fetch a consulting internship with the leaders in the industry. So, ask yourself the questions:

• “What is it that will make the Big 4 pick me from many of my peers?”
• “What is it that they look out for?”
• “How can I be a better prospect and crack my internship at a top consultancy?”

The answer to these questions is not very difficult but achieving those pointers could be. To help you prepare well for your consulting internship in India, we have collated the pro-tip to give you a head start to the top.

Be Proactive to gain an extra edge

Bagging an internship involves more than just prepping for the selection procedure. It has more to do with you as a professional and your character and skills. The consultancy of your dreams, demands more than just academic excellence to evaluate if you are their type material or not. Being proactive in your college can take you an extra mile here.

To build an exceptional resume, you need some out of the box achievements. So, ensure that you miss no chance to add particulars to your cart. Participating in corporate competitions and other inter and intra-college competitions can do great wonders to your problem-solving skills, experience and earn you an extra badge.

Playing an active part in college committees like the alumni committee or the student's council or the finance and accounts committee will not only brush your managerial and operational skills but will also add to your network. This will make you look like someone who doesn’t miss a chance on a good opportunity.

Similarly, being active in sports and various clubs shows that you are outgoing and not dull. So, the point here is that you need to have an engaging life beyond your regular academics which earns you some fruitful experience and keeps you a notch above than a regular fresher. Being proactive shows that you take initiative and can multitask. Keeping active participation also improves your people skills because you deal with many stakeholders and train yourself to be a team player.

A resume that reflects you are different

The second most important thing is how to present your profile in your resume. Know that a copy pasted or cliche resume will do you no good. So, show your creativity and prepare an outline of your resume which can encapsulate your skills and achievements in an effective manner. The resume shall be concise and very crisp. Make sections for your People Skills, Software Skills, Extra-Curricular Engagements, and highlight your key achievements and learning at all places. Showing that you understand your improvements or observed the benefit of your engagement will create a lasting impression on your interviewer.

Another great trick to crack any consulting internship is to highlight the keywords in your resume. The recruiters know what they want and get so many CVs that they depend a lot on shortlisting based on keywords related to their requirement. So, if what you are looking at is an internship in finance, then highlight and use technical terms used in finance domain. This will help the recruiter easily find and shortlist your CV.

A peep into what the Big 4 see in prospective candidates

The first thing that pops into any student’s mind while looking for consulting internship in India is the Big 4 consultancies - Deloitte, PwC, KPMG and EY. Landing a consulting internship with these firms is a dream for many. So, what is it that such firms see in a prospective candidate? Is it their academics? Or their extra-curricular? The answer is quite simple, they check problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills. The case studies that will come your way will be aimed at checking your entrepreneurial acumen and approach towards solving problems. Candidates who have good problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills are result-driven and are able to quantify situations to take strategic decisions. They wish to see a spark that can be widespread through effective coaching. In fact, problem-solving, critical thinking and business acumen is something that almost all recruiters look for, in their employees.

How to stand out in the various selection rounds?

Let's cut the chase to the main deal and find out how you can head start your way to your dream consulting internship by keeping the following points in mind.

Case Study:

The first trick to solving your case study like a pro is listening very patiently while the case is being briefed to you. Make notes. Ask leading questions where you feel confused for a more detailed explanation and reaffirm your assumptions as many times as possible. This way you can build a good rapport with the interviewer and let them lead you towards the correct path. Asking a lot of questions shows your enthusiasm, seriousness, and the intent to solve the case sincerely. This creates a good impression on the interviewer.

Group Discussion:

Group discussions are basically organized to see your knowledge on various topics and how you stand firm on your views. Being confident and putting your points loud and clear is the way to go ahead. For doing so, you need to carry a very firm understanding of the facts that you speak. Remember one thing, you need to understand others first for being understood. Do this and lead the discussion exactly where you need it.

Personal Interview:

When they are past checking your knowledge, entrepreneurial and problem-solving skills, they will be most interested in checking your people skills and behavioral traits in the PI. So, dress professionally and carry a confident posture. Have clear answers in your mind about questions like, “Why do you want to join us?" or “Why do you want to pursue an internship in this particular field?” Remember, they are analyzing you for your thought process, intent and your seriousness for the job.

A very important part of the interviews is Guesstimation Exercises. Almost all the Companies have a round of this. In this, students are given a problem and they have to make a guess about the estimated result of the problem. It is a very tricky form of interview and requires a lot of practice. Make sure you have ample preparation for the same.

Landing your dream consulting internship could be just a few tricks away. Follow the above-mentioned mantras to be distinctive and create a lasting impression on your interviewers.