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Consulting numbers for 2010 are on the rise

Published: Mar 29, 2010

 Consulting       

We're just three months into 2010, and already firms are showing huge improvements over the modest (at best) growth in 2009. The past few weeks alone bring enough evidence of this point: BCG has announced the opening of three new offices—in Casablanca (its first in Africa), Canberra and Istanbul—bringing its total count to 69 offices in 40 countries, and opening the door to new hiring.

Other firms seem equally poised to bring in some fresh meat. IBM has just posted its first quarterly revenue gain in a year, likely due to an uptick in customer spending on software and outsourcing. CEO Sam Palmisano recently told shareholders, “I am optimistic about IBM’s prospects to lead the era we are now entering.” Accenture has announced that it will be hiring 9,000 consultants in the US, and 50,000 around the globe in the next year. The firm is looking for telecom consultants, finance experts, software specialists, among others. And what's the best way to land one of these jobs? The old-fashioned methods are just that: old-fashioned. According to an article in , the best way to catch the attention of Accenture recruiters is via LinkedIn. Says John Campagnino, Accenture's head of global recruiting, "This is the future of recruiting for our company," and he plans to make as many as 40% of his hiring through LinkedIn this year.

Perhaps most promising are Deloitte's hiring numbers. The firm, currently boasting utilization rates of upwards of 80 percent is said to be handing out positions at a breakneck pace—roughly 50-60 positions for experienced consultants per week, coming out to a total of about 700 consultants by June. Added to that are the roughly 800 MBAs and undergrads the firm has brought into the fold, and the 1,000 more it plans to bring onboard before this frenzy reaches its peak.

All this speaks to a much-improved business outlook for the consulting industry in 2010, and gives much hope to experienced consultants and to students looking for a place to hang their soon-to-be-framed MBAs.

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