The USC Career Center kicked off their annual Industry Insights Series on September 17, 2024 with a Consulting panel.
Moderated by Lucas Damasco, an Employer Engagement Student Intern, the virtual panel invited professionals from top firms around the globe to speak about their experiences in the industry as well as give advice to students looking to pursue a career in consulting. With over 140+ attendees, the panel explored many areas of interest, including: qualities sought in ideal interns, recommendations on what to focus on in college, and opportunities for personal growth in the panelist’s professional careers.
Panelists:
- Jennifer Eisenberg – Director, Transformation Delivery at KPMG
- Jenny Lee – Senior Associate, CORE at EY-Parthenon
- Zain Shaikh – Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Co
- Wayland Tsai – Cloud Engineering Consultant at Deloitte
- Jessica Lin – Senior Consultant, Medical and Healthcare at L.E.K Consulting
- Andrea Raull – Consultant, Software and Platforms at Accenture
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Q: As people currently working in corporate, what changing industry trends have you noticed over the past years, and do you have any recommendations for students looking to make themselves more desirable/marketbale to reflect these trends?
- Eisenberg (KPMG): “The pace of technology right now is just unprecedented… being flexible and staying up to date with the latest in technology is something our newer grads/consultants have been doing.”
- Lee (EY-Parthenon): “What might be helpful for those coming straight from campus would be understanding what delivering value at your respective level for the different industries can look like… where you really provide value is not necessarily like a pure understanding of seeing where certain industry trends are going but being able to understand your value on a team… [and] also your value to the client and the impact that you can make.”
- Lin (L.E.K Consulting): “As someone who has been monoculary focused on healthcare and for anyone who is interested in one specific industry vertical, I think it is easier to pay attention to what’s been going on in that specific space rather than trying to be a jack of all.”
Q: What qualities do you seek in ideal interns?
- Shaikh (McKinsey & Co): “Something we look for, especially at McKinsey, is being able to feel really comfortable with large data sets. Being able to keep up with trends around what’s happening with the Gen AI side and how it translates to the foundational blocks that build it. One of the things we ask our analysts to do is not just analyze data sets in Excel but go beyond it… to draw insights and take from the data being shared by clients because data is only getting larger and larger as [companies] try to train their models based on the pace of innovation and AI.”
- Tsai (Deloitte): “In your interviews and your interactions with recruiters and practitioners, try to stress how your experiences (internships, student org leadership experiences, etc) now and your personality traits right now can translate into the industry or work that they currently do.”
- Raull (Accenture): “It’s cheesy, but being someone that is passionate about learning, enjoys learning, and is curious is something. If you’re someone that’s a lifelong learner, I feel consulting is great for you. Also, coming from someone who was an intern to full time, making sure that you show you are proactive… [is] super valuable and really big in consulting.”
In the later half of the panel, students were offered the opportunity to ask the panelists questions in a large group setting as well as in breakout rooms. Here are some main insights from this year’s consulting panel:
- Stay up to date with everything technology (Gen AI, industry trends, etc). The rate of growth and innovation in technology is unprecedented, and being well versed in tech will make yourself a more valuable candidate.
- Figure out how you, as an undergrad/new grad, can provide value to the specific group you are applying for. Stress these points in your interview rounds.
- If you are interested in a certain area, lean deeper into that industry vertical. A demonstrated interest/passion in a certain field will help you stand out amongst other candidates.
- A great consultant is a lifelong learner. Don’t be afraid to learn something new!
Find the recording for this panel here and stay tuned for additional industry takeways.
