| Topic Name: |
Cover Letter |
| Message Name: |
shoot for the moon |
| Date Posted: |
02/02/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
I have business experience, but the key word seems to be "relevant" experience. I have managed projects, teams, and so on. I've even been involved with R&D consulting work with fortune 500 firms, as well as startups. The thing is, I have little to no experience in accounting, corporate finance, and the typical core of an MBA. I'm largely self-taught in these areas -- meaning i'm conversationally fluent enough to understand anything you might freely talk about in conversation. I have read case-studies, keep up with the Harvard Business Review, and read the Wall Street Journal. I've certainly done my homework on the different areas of the corporate world in my soul-searches. I spend my free time reading stuff about M&A (e.g., the book by Donald DePamphilis) (disclaimer: contrary to the image i'm painting here, i'm not a boring man). I have a "speaking" knowledge of financial markets (bonds, equities, options, hedging). I just haven't "done" anything with these things, so I can't say that i'm as fluent as an MBA might be at say coming up with a financial model (and I may require help setting up a spreadsheet model with respect to the accounting aspects of it). But the process is very scientific (basically its about simulating scenarios, testing assumptions numerically, and coming up with "reasonable" solutions), which means my PhD gives me the strengths to get up to speed and possibly contribute in a more critical way.
So, when you say "business skill" is it possible for you to be more specific about what that might entail? Is it simply a question of being able to "hit the ground running" if they threw you in a room with a PC and excel and told you to build a model?
This then leads me to my next question: What type of training do the big firms offer M/B/B for their associate level hires? I know McK prides itself on its mini-MBA program designed to bring non-financial types "up to speed". Does Bain do anything like this? |
| Message: |
Bain does a mini-MBA program, starting in the office. Later, all the new hires meet in Miami for New Consultant Training, a world-wide training program. The training programs are all world-class, as you might expect. None of the training is outsourced; it's all done by Consulants and senior members of the Firm (except maybe the session on how to submit your expenses). Also, during the downturn, Bain fully funded its training programs and never cut-back on training, unlike many other firms who found that training programs were a good budget to trim.
if you're unsure if you have relevant experience, then shoot for the moon and send your app to the MBA (Consultant) recruiter. With people in your situation, where you enter is occasionally subject to some negotiation.
Keep in mind that the fundamental skill of an analyst is building models, gathering data, and running numbers. The fundamental skill of an MBA-level Consultant is managing client relationships, problem solving, workplanning, and managing analysts. The basics of technical analysis, accounting, and finance are the price of admission. Any MBA-level hire is assumed to know that sort of stuff. The difference between an analyst and a Consultant are the soft skills, and this is often determined through the interviews.
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