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Each management consulting firm follows its own recruiting process, but all of them have a common denominator – they hire the best candidate from the crowd. To do this, they employ a variety of tools to point out who can add additional strength to the organization. The process usually starts with the identification of manpower need and ends with the signing of employment contract. In between these points are the steps explained below.

Once the need for additional experts has been recognized, recruiters post advertisements on their website, social media accounts, newspaper and online job boards for dissemination. However, prestigious firms carry out an all-year round recruitment of candidates by conducting information sessions, sponsoring club activities, participating in career fairs and joining networking events. They even utilize their internship program in observing students who can adapt well to consulting responsibilities and work environment. These are considered a wise way of publicizing their services and at the same time spotting potential employees. Fortunately, most firms receive hundreds of cover letters and resumes per month as this industry is quite popular among recent graduates and experienced professionals.

Job application screening follows the step above. Due to lack of time, recruiters reject applications that are poorly written and structured. For a written marketing tool to catch attention, there are three things applicants must bear in mind. First, the application must be specifically tailored for this industry. It is different from the application to other companies because details on education, experience and other qualifications must be stated in a way relevant to the target firm. Second, skills, knowledge and abilities must be emphasized. This will make the document stand out in the crowd. Lastly, it must be free from typo errors, grammar mistakes and design nuisances.

Then, some firms administer tests to further weed out applicants who are not qualified for the job. The results tell the recruiters about the capability, skills and personality of the taker, the reason why it’s considered an effective tool. The test may be a combination of numerical, verbal, abstract or personality questions. Those who are selected for testing may call the firm’s Human Resources Department to ask some information about the test materials. Awareness can definitely help them be equipped for the challenge.

Hiring decisions can’t be made based on mere test results, though. For this reason, recruiters in this industry conduct two types of interview. The first one is called fit interview, and it may be done either in person or through a telephone call. This is the time when the recruiters get to know the applicants – their education, experience, interests, achievements and other relevant details. They also make use of behavioral questions to dig information on how applicants behaved in their previous job or at school. They also pose situational questions, a good strategy in knowing an applicant’s commitment, sociability, industriousness and reaction to stressful instances.

The other one is called case interview, something classic to management consulting. It begins with a presentation of a vague business case, and the inteviewee is asked to analyze it from various perspectives and to generate recommendations within 20 to 30 minutes. Most applicants spend their recruitment preparation in this aspect since it’s the most mind-boggling part. It calls for mastery of business cases, consulting frameworks, operational techniques and facing the interviewer confidently. Further, it is also the ultimate test of the interviewee’s analytical thinking, problem solving ability and communication skills. Applicants shortlisted for case interviews usually have to undergo this challenge one to three times on different days.

After the final interview comes the grueling waiting period. Applicants can only stretch their patience at this time since the hiring decision is something they have no control of. To maximize the time for waiting, they are encouraged to look for and work on other opportunities constantly. Since it’s a fact that people do not always get their dream jobs, it is a wise move to have back up plans.

A numerical reasoning test gauges not only how well you can deal with numbers. More sigificantly, it measures your ability to analyze, interpret data and think logically. This ability is a pre-requisite for positions, such as management consultants, who need to deal with financial reports, salary structure, market figures and other quantitative documents. They need to go over the information meticulously to be able to generate effective and practical solutions for their client.

This is the reason why many firms administer the numerical reasoning test to applicants. For recruiters, it is an effective tool that distinguishes the best from the good ones. If you are scheduled for this test, make the most of it. Management consulting is a very popular career; so many applicants would go an extra mile just to get a position in this industry. There are specific ways to prepare for this challenge, and they are elaborated in the following paragraphs.

The first thing to do is to reinforce your basic mathematical concepts. If you’ve already mastered the MDAS (multiplication, division, addition and subtraction) rule, then proceed with answering ratio, fraction, percentage and word problems. Since you’ve already passed this subject in high school, this won’t be an overwhelming preparatory step. All you must do is to open a math textbook, familiarize the rules and answer some exercises.

Gain knowledge of reading tables and graphs, too. You must know when to use them and how to interpret the included data. Do not disregard the description or legend integrated in the problem; otherwise, you’ll come up with wrong assumptions and answers. It is preferable that you become skilled at this. Since this is what professional management consultants do, many interpretation questions will definitely come out in this test.

There’s also a need to improve your computation speed. What makes the numerical reasoning test tough is its time limit. As you practice answering mathematical questions for mastery, try to monitor your pace. This will help you in dealing with the pressure during the actual examination. Utilizing math tricks is another way of speeding up your computation. Look for some shortcut methods on the Internet and see if they’re applicable to the problems you encounter. Using mental math is another tactic to boost your efficiency. Through the power of your mind, you can reduce the need for hand calculations, thereby saving yourself some time for the more difficult items.

You can also enhance your numerical skills through games. During your free time, grab a Sudoku puzzle or a Rubrics cube and do the challenge. Games for mental exercise are also available online. Performing these exciting activities during your free time keeps your memory and sharpness at a high level. Because they stir your mind, they prepare you for any difficult, intellectual challenge.

Being mindul of the things happening around you is the most practical way of enhancing your numerical reasoning ability. When you dine out at a restaurant you frequent, try to compute its monthly income based on the menu and the number of customers. When you go shopping, estimate how much you need to pay for the items in your basket even before you reach the counter. When a new shop opens in your city, guess if it will survive in the next ten years based on figures. Using these common situations in preparing for your numerical reasoning test can be beneficial on your part.

For the last tip, practice as much as you can. There are tons of free resources on the Internet, and you can also buy some reviewers at bookstores. This gives you self-assurance on the examination day. Further, it also makes the test easier since it increases the chance of encountering similar or familiar items. Practice is the best way to learn, and that’s perhaps the reason why it’s always placed beside perfection.

When you enter the testing center a few minutes befor the schedule, be calm. As you answer the items, stay focused. Just bear in mind that you can do it. At times, all it takes is the right mindset to ace the test.

The benefits of using a dedicated PCB design consultancy

Many companies will struggle through the design phase of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and incur extra costs and time delays along the way. In business it is best to focus on what it is you do best, and by concentrating on your core activities and using an outsourced service provided by specialists, you could gain an all important competitive advantage.

One of the main benefits of using the services of a PCB consultancy is their ability to manage the process from the initial concept through to the finished product, leaving your business free to concentrate on those activities it is you excel at.

Typically the services provided by PCB design consultancies are used by companies operating in the aerospace, automotive, communication, defence, medical, security and rail industries, and can shape the success such companies can expect when their products hit the market.

An experienced consultancy will be quick to grasp exactly what it is you are looking for, enabling them to improve your process by:

• Reducing the time to market
• Removing the need for numerous prototypes
• Improving the PCB design
• Reducing manufacturing costs

Simple design is just one of the services a dedicated consultancy will be able to offer. A far more diverse range of services will also exist, including but not exclusive to:

• Pre-design efficiency studies
• Signal integrity
• Data management
• Reverse engineering
• EMC pre-compliance testing
• PCB fabrication and assembly
• Consultancy and training

There are plenty of other benefits of outsourcing to a dedicated PCB design consultancy, with flexibility and expertise high on the list. There is also the certainty of a fixed cost for the work. Rather than redesign after redesign and escalating costs, a PCB design consultancy will work on a single price for the job, which will help companies when costing their project.

Such expertise will also help to ensure that the design of printed circuit boards is performed using the very latest software applications. This access to technology will improve the performance of your product and guarantee a bespoke solution to your requirements, rather than an adapted one size fits all approach, which would reduce the performance and relevance of your product when it finally hits the shelves.

Deadlines are particularly important when developing and designing new products. The rewards of being the first to market can be lucrative. When working with a specialist PCB design consultancy you can rest assured that deadlines will be met and your product will be swiftly available to your customers.

The most terrifying part of the screening process for a vacant management consulting position is the case interview. A 30 to 45-minute conversation with an interviewer can be nerve-racking. You need to answer questions about a complicated business problem. However, you must try hard in this challenge because it’s the only way of breaking into the industry.

The first step to acing consulting interviews is to understand what it is all about. This includes knowing its purpose, understanding the process and familiarizing the types of questions that will be possibly posed. This can be easily done through web research. Management consulting firms, especially the well-known ones, provide sufficient information on their website. If you’re still a student, seek advice from consulting clubs and university professors. People who are current employees of your target firm can also give their perspective from an insider’s point of view.

This awareness is vital because it directs your preparation. For instance, if you know that the firm usually presents marketing-related cases, then you can concentrate on resolving problems in this area. If you hear that the interviewer prefers asking estimation questions, then you can practice resolving this type of question.

The next step to excellent performance is mastering the consulting frameworks. These are step-by-step guides that help you generate sensible recommendations.. By using this, you will know how to approach the vague scenario and identify the factors affecting the dilemma in a logical manner. You will learn how to break ambiguity into comprehensible chunks. Many applicants have excellent analytical capability but at times, they couldn’t nail the questions down because they are not well-versed with the frameworks. Because of their disorganized answers, they are rejected for the succeeding interview rounds.

The third step is to practice as many cases as you can. This will consume your time because you need to go over them one by one, and there are tons of cases to review. As you dissect problems related to market strategy, operations, pricing, human resources and competition, choose which framework is the most applicable. If you’re a student, join mock interviews organized by your consulting clubs. Some facilitate a peer-to-peer program to support each other in this endeavor. At times, they invite experts from top-tier firms to practice case interview with the students. You shouldn’t miss developmental opportunities like this. If you’re an experienced professional, you must have already encountered these cases, but you can’t be too self-assured. Review those areas where you think you are weak at.

Another step is to enhance your mental math. When you deal with business cases during interviews or in real life, you will encounter numbers. If you need to compute for the possible sales of a new product within a year, can you do it in a few seconds without a calculator? If you need to determine the quick and dirty estimate of the market, can you do that without any delay? To enhance your mental math, use it as often as you can. When you go to the grocery store, try to add the total cost of all the items in your basket before you pay at the cashier. While reading books at a bookstore, try to estimate how much do they possibly earn per day?

Lastly, think how you will project yourself emotionally and physically. Sometimes, what it all takes is the right mindset and confidence. All your knowledge and preparation will be wasted if you don’t believe in yourself. Relieve yourself from too much worry because it will only cause you to stammer, fidget and panic. If you’ve followed all our guidelines above, there shouldn’t be a problem. Moreover, look professional when you appear for an interview. Wear a well-ironed business suit, fix your hair and clean your nails. This doesn’t only build up your confidence; it also influences the way interviewers interpret your personality in a positive manner.

Your resume is effective if it creates an impact on management consulting recruiters within less than a minute. To go in this direction, ensure that it emphasizes your strengths, it contains no errors and it is written in a well-customized manner. If you, unfortunately, swerve to the wrong direction, you might commit any of the common mistakes of applicants.

Mistake 1: Providing Irrelevant Details

Brevity, not length, is the main principle to be followed when writing a resume. A long list of information doesn’t necessarily mean you are better than other applicants. It can even mean you are not capable of organizing information in a concise manner. Include only the information that is relevant to the management consulting position. Unnecessary details just cause the document to appear wordy. Ideally, it should only have one to two pages. Anything more than that is quite dragging.

Mistake 2: Failure to Highlight Accomplishments

Too many applicants apply for a single management consulting position. Hence, recruiters are challenged to shortlist them based on the knowledge, skills and abilities stated in their resume. They will also look for your accomplishments in your previous workplace or as a student. If you place a description of your previous responsibilities, it will give recruiters an idea of what you used to do, and this is good. However, if you state a few bullets of accomplishments, it will tell them how you performed, and this is much better. Recruiters believe that past behavior predicts potential performance at work. If they appreciate what you have done in the past, they will most likely bank on your capability.

Mistake 3: Not Specifying ad Quantifying Performance

Numbers matter in a resume, especially if they uncover your performance. Thus, when stating your accomplishments, quantify it as much as possible. Instead of saying, “Led a team to investigate marketing issues,” say, “Led a team in market segmentation and recommended measurable strategies in launching the new product within a month.” The second statement is better because it’s specific. Further, the recruiter will be able to appreciate your conscientiousness and dedication since you could finish the project within a month.

Mistake 4: Failing to Review Content of Resume

Grammatical errors and misspellings are a turn off for recruiters. If they see your resume with these blunders, more likely you will be rejected. There are three reasons for this. First, written communication skill is a must for management consultants. If you can’t perfect your resume, how will you be able to write reports for your clients? Second, mistakes indicate you are not meticulous with details, another winning characteristic important in dealing with information. Third, remember that there are heaps of qualified applicants for the vacancy. Why would recruiters favor you over those who can describe their competence excellently?

Mistake 5: Using a Disorganized Layout

The manner of presenting information also matters. If you squeeze in too many details in a page, management consulting recruiters will feel tired to peruse your resume. Hence, make use of the features of the word processor you are using. Italicize, underline or bold phrases for emphasis. Insert white lines in between categories for the eyes to rest after reading a chunk of information. Using bullets is also a good way of breaking long sentences. It makes your document reader-friendly. It’s a great idea not to use fancy fonts. Times New Roman, Tahoma, Arial and other readable fonts are more professional-looking.

Mistake 6: Sending a One-Size-Fits-All Resume

Management consulting firms are unique from each other; thus, you must ascertain that all given information is in line with their goals, work values and corporate culture. To be able to do this, conduct an intensive research about your target firm. Browse their website; almost all information is stated there. You can also refer to people in your network who are and were connected with the firm. If you send a generic resume, recruiters will feel your impersonality. However, a well-tailored resume is more attention-grabbing for them.

Do not take for granted the power of a resume to sell your services to a management consulting firm. It may be just a simple document, but it can pave the way to your promising dream job. Spend sufficient time in writing and proofreading it. You will be grateful for your effort once you are called for an interview.