Consulting Employer Expo Connects Students with Recruiters and Alumni

The office of Career Exploration and Development (CXD) organized the afternoon expo to give students interested in consulting jobs a jump-start on what can be a lengthy process, as well as to broaden students' awareness of the diversity in the sector.

"It's way more than management consulting, which is what most people think of when they think of consulting," said Kimberly Buonaiuto, CXD's assistant director of employer engagement. "I would venture to say that for any industry a student wants to get into, someone is doing consulting for that industry. If they're interested in energy, the environment, nonprofits, or education, there is a consulting job for that."

Sixteen employers attended the expo, including ones offering services in business, government, nonprofit, life sciences, finance, the environment, technology, and marketing. "We tried to cast a wide net to meet student interest," said Buonaiuto.

Additionally, the timeline for hiring entry-level analysts has accelerated, said CXD Director of Employer Engagement Dawn Gerding. Consulting companies are racing against one another and large banks for top talent.

Of the sixteen companies at the expo, ten or more are expected to be actively recruiting for interns and new employees by early fall, Gerding said. "By holding a consulting expo in the spring, it helps students to get ahead of the accelerated consulting recruiting cycle," she added.

Recognizing the importance of preparation, CXD also partnered with Bain & Co earlier in the week on a workshop on how to interview for consultancy jobs. This session was led by Matt Egan '12, a senior manager for the company.

CXD also held drop-in hours the Friday before the expo for students to discuss how to approach conversations with alumni and recruiters at the expo.