In order to introduce you to the world of consulting, Raphaël, consultant at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the Paris office, agreed to answer our questions. He reveals his daily life and looks back on the missions that punctuate his daily life.
The job of junior consultant at BCG
You joined the Paris office of the Boston Consulting Group as a junior consultant, after obtaining your diploma from HEC Paris. What does the job of junior consultant involve?
The work of the junior consultant is based on several axes. The client proposes a problem that needs to be addressed. To do this, it is necessary to define the framework of the problem and then carry out analyzes in order to be able to propose relevant answers. The approach is analytical. Next, we need to create presentations to submit the proposals to clients.
What mission did you start with at BCG?
When I arrived at BCG, I was in a learning process. I wanted to progress and improve my skills. This is why I started with a relatively long mission, in order to fully learn to master PowerPoint and Excel thanks to regular feedback from my managers.
Business school learning is very general, so I did not have specific knowledge about an industry and I chose the mission more for its length than for the industry to which it belonged, given that all industries interested me.
How does the assignment of missions work?
The BCG human resources team does its best to reconcile supply and demand in terms of mission. Consultants rank the topics they want to work on in order of preference. THE staffing then takes place: the consultants are assigned to missions according to their choice according to the needs of the moment.
The daily life of a senior consultant at BCG
Now that you are a senior consultant, do you feel a real difference in the nature of your missions?
A junior consultant works on the same missions as a senior consultant. The real difference lies in the aspect of the mission that is handled. Where a junior consultant works more on a benchmark or a competitive study, the senior consultant faces more complex themes, which require more experience. There is also greater exposure to the customer.
A mentoring system is established between the junior consultant and the senior consultant. Thus, the junior consultant learns from contact with the senior consultant and quickly improves his skills thanks to the help and constructive feedback he receives.
What were the missions you worked on?
I started with a 6-month mission in the data science department, BCG gamma. Then, I carried out a mission in the pharmaceutical industry. I found it very interesting and wanted to increase my knowledge in this area, which is why I carried out three other projects in this sector.
For a year now, I have joined the climate and sustainable development section. This is a subject that is close to my heart and in which I wish to get involved, which is why I decided to carry out missions for companies in this field.
Become a strategy consultant
What do you think are the qualities of a strategy consultant?
A strategy consultant must demonstrate analytical skills. The real added value of the consultant, who has less sectoral expertise than his client, is to succeed in bringing structure to the problem in order to propose relevant levers of action.
To resolve a problem, the consultant does a lot of quantitative data analysis. He must then be able to take a step back to adequately interpret this data and have a real overview.
What advice would you give to a student who wants to become a strategy consultant?
Firstly, we must work effectively on recruitment interviews, not only the cases but also the part fit. Firstly, it involves acquiring the major case resolution structures. Then, it is important to practice solving cases live, with friends who are also preparing for recruitment interviews in consulting, for example.
THE fit should not be neglected, because it counts for a lot in the rating. It is by asking themselves their real motivations for joining a consulting firm that candidates can find an authentic answer, which will convince recruiters.
