Consultive Magazine

Mind the generation gap

By Snehil Priya. March 4th, 2011. Posted in Your career No Comments »

Companies are now investing more in initiatives to attract the best graduates to join them – and not their competitors. In this quest, they are recognising the need to update and modernise their policies to suit the new “Gen X” candidates who are tech-savvy, time poor, uber-confident and bursting with ambition to climb the ladder as fast as they can. There is a stark difference in the mentality of graduates today versus graduates 20-30 years ago. The words ‘meritocracy’, ‘opportunity’ and ‘autonomy’ have replaced words like ‘experience’, ‘loyalty’ and ‘hierarchy’. Over recent years, consulting companies have accommodated for the Gen X mentality by having open plan offices, flattening lines of reporting, investing in new technologies, allowing for flexible working hours … the list goes on.

With the emergence of young CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook (26), Andrew Mason of Groupon (30) and Pete Cashmore of Mashable (25), Gen X graduates are leaving university powered by the thought that there is no limit to what they can achieve – and rightly so.

Where to find your perfect consulting job

By James. February 18th, 2011. Posted in Your career 1 Comment »

After months of publishing articles dealing with the pros and cons of working in the consulting industry, and exposing some of the day to day challenges of the job, we thought it would be a good time to point you to some of the best resources for finding you your perfect consulting job.

Learning from The Apprentice

By Mike. December 20th, 2010. Posted in Your career 1 Comment »

‘You’re fired’ – not words that anyone wants to hear, and especially not on BBC1’s ‘The Apprentice’ where it signals your exit from the competition to win a job in one of Lord Alan Sugar’s companies. Each week the contestants demonstrate working with each other can be trying at the best of times, let alone when tight deadlines loom and the pressure is on.

For the last few weeks, the candidates on Wednesday night’s show ‘The Apprentice’ have demonstrated many of the behaviours which come out under pressure, as well as what reaction those undertakings get from other team members. Although ‘The Apprentice’ may not exactly mirror your day to day office life, there are still many lessons to be learnt from the behaviour and thought processes of the candidates.

How to network like a pro

By James. December 10th, 2010. Posted in Your career 3 Comments »

Consulting, like any other service sector business, is powered by relationships. The more relationships people in your organisation have with contacts outside of your company, the more business your firm will win. This, in most consulting firms and in business in general is referred to as “Networking”. Never has the adage “it’s all about who you know” been so true.

So how does this insightful information help you as a new consultant? Read on to find out.

What is your interviewer really thinking about?

By Snehil Priya. December 6th, 2010. Posted in Your career 1 Comment »

Like all of the recruitment websites and interview handbooks will tell you, adequate preparation for an interview is essential. The more you prepare, the better your chances are for success. During a consulting interview, your interviewer will be looking to see if you have a sound understanding of the role, company, industry and competitors. They will also be expecting you to demonstrate key competencies which make you suitable for the job – all of which should be detailed on their website or job description.

However, even if you tick all of the checkboxes in terms of understanding and competencies, this does not necessarily “guarantee” you a golden ticket to next step of the recruitment process or getting a job offer.