NANYANG MBA

Exploring a Career in Consulting

On 18 September 2021, Nanyang Business School’s (NBS) Consultancy Club, led by NBS alumnus Mengshi Liu, held the first panel session for the MBA class of 2021-2022.

This event was a kick- off briefing to help MBA students from a non-consulting background understand what a career in consulting looks like, and the hallmarks of a qualified consultant.

NBS alumnus Kenneth Xi, a project manager at Bain & Company and Maggie Li, a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) participated in the panel, which was attended by more than 15 students from the Nanyang MBA. Through the sharing session, participants had a sneak peek into the life of a consultant as well as an understanding of the organisational culture in consulting firms.

Kenneth provided an overview on the recruitment processes at the firm and shared his experience in developing case analysis skills and relevant resources. Maggie, on the other hand, shared her career journey and transition from Lazada to BCG.

To be an effective consultant, Kenneth said that it is critical to develop structural thinking skills that help to define problems clearly and provide effective solutions for clients. In terms of communication skills, consultants need to be persuasive, with their claims constantly backed by data and logic. To this, Maggie added that because consultants work with numerical information to project realistic ROI, critical thinking is an important skill that helps to predict possible results, thereby suggesting appropriate processes to undertake.

During the Q&A sessions, the alumni speakers suggested the many ways one can develop soft and hard skills relevant to consulting, discussed the differences in the working culture of a China versus Singapore firm, and how to align industry experience with a potential organisation’s requirements.

At the end of the informative sharing session, participants expressed their appreciation to the organisers for the detailed and practical advice on a career in consulting.

“Through the session, I gained insights into the challenges that consultants face and how Bain consulting supports its employees in overcoming them. We also received tips on securing career progressions and promotions within a company,” said Armin Saljunovic, a participant from the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA programme.

Meanwhile, the career path and job-hunting stories of the guests themselves are very inspiring. Hope we can attend more activities like this.” The NBS Management & Consulting Club was very pleased that the first event was a success and extended gratitude to the distinguished speakers for their insightful sharing.