From Law To Consulting

Question: After reading the series of articles you posted on Vault.com, I have decided to try and enter into the field of management consulting. I am a third year law student with above average grades, however I have no idea where to begin my job search. My school offers a joint MBA/JD program, but I am not sure if I need an MBA. What do I do and where should I begin.

Hannah: Consulting is truly an exciting and stimulating career in so many ways. There are many attorneys who have traded in and transformed their sharp legal services into excellent consulting skills. Their focus on client service is better than many consultants' and can offer a perspective and skill set others cannot. Just be sure to research consulting enough to know why you want to go into it and why you think you would be good at it. When you get an interview, it will be critical for you to be able to express these ideas clearly.

How easily you get into consulting will be determined by a number of factors, including your school name. McKinsey, for example, hires many lawyers, but they only recruit from the top three to five schools, depending on their need for that year. If you are a third year student, it doesn't sound like you've got any summers left for interning. So I suggest either networking (your alumnae should be a good start, because I'm sure others have gone into/are in consulting now), or search for a part time job while finishing out school. Even getting the part time job is probably best done through networking. Also, make great use of your career services office to help you with the networking. There are also other avenues, like fraternities, churches (or other religious organizations you might belong to), volunteer groups, friends, industry functions, etc. Industry functions are pretty easy, because all you need to do is find out where they're held and show up, though some might require a fee. Be sure to bring your resume with you everywhere you go, and make sure every conversation turns into a networking goldmine - "Hi. My name is XXXXX, and I'm a third year law student at XYZ University, though I'm looking to go into a field other than law." This should spawn lots of conversation about where you go to school and/or what you want to do. People like to be helpful, and if your conversation partner has useful information, s/he will likely give it to you. Just be sure to sound like someone who is worthy of the information, as in that person won't regret giving it to you.

Also scan the job boards for internships and solicit for job information from the HR departments directly. Also read the local newspapers. Stay abreast of current events (local, national and international politics and business), especially where local senior businessmen are mentioned. If you've got the courage, cold call or write to these people and let them know you congratulate them, thank them, admire them, respect them, was inspired by them, etc. Close with an offer for a meeting and an offer to be of assitance to them in any of their endeavors. You'll get lots of silence in return, but you can also get lucky easily by taking the initiative. I recently did this and got a job offer I didn't even want/need.