CV Skills for PhDs – Management Consulting Cambridge Careers Service
9 October, 2008
Agenda
Introduction
10 mins
How to write a CV and cover letter • PhD skills • CVs • Cover letters
30 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins
The interview process
10 mins
Questions and wrap-up
10 mins
Introductions – who we are Two former PhD students
Frank Breitling
Karthik Tadinada
Consultant with BCG
Junior consultant with BCG
Joined as a junior consultant in March 2006
Joined as a junior consultant in March 2008
Has mainly worked in the healthcare, consumer goods & retail, and private equity sectors
Has worked in energy ener gy,, private pri vate equity, equity, and healthcare sectors
Prior to BCG • PhD in chemistry, Imperial College London • Undergraduate studies in chemistry and business administration in Aachen and Hanover • Internships at IBM, Bayer, BASF
Prior to BCG • PhD and postdoc in structural biology, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge • Bachelor of science in chemistry, Vanderbilt University
Who are you? How many of you are doing PhDs? What fields do you work in? What areas do you want to work in? Who has started applying for jobs? Has anyone got interviews yet? How many of you brought your CV?
Backup
So is there life after a PhD? There are many future career options
Education 48% • Teaching (Uni. & school) • Research • Administration
Finance, business & IT 9% • Commercial & industry managers • IT professionals • Finance professionals • Marketing, sales, media & advertising occupations • Consulting
Manufacturing 16% • Pharmaceutical Pharmaceutical firms • Chemical companies • Engineering firms
Public Administration 6% • Civil service • Lawyers • Central & local government
Health & Social Work 16% • Hospitals • Medical research • Social work
Other 6% • Armed forces • Journalists • Charity work • Clerical & secretarial occupations • Other
Applying for jobs is a structured process
Choose a field Academia, industry, business etc Decide what you like about your chosen fields
Segment the field What sort of work do potential employers do? Where are they based? How big are they? Who do they employ? How much do they pay?
Select target employers
Research your targets
Which segments are most attractive and realistic for you?
What work do they do, what distinguishes them from other firms?
Do some employers have a good or bad reputation?
What is the culture like? What sort of people do they tend to employ
Work out what they look for What education, training, and personal qualities does the employer want? Use multiple sources Look for subtle differences between companies in the same industry
Tailor your application Your CV and cover letter should reflect all you know about what the employer does and what they look for Your qualities and achievements should match what the employer looks for
Your CV should be tailored
Academia Rely heavily on academic credentials • Details of PhD work • Supervisor • Examiners • Details of publications • Conference attendance • Teaching experience Extracurricular Extracurricular activities only to round the picture
Industry Understand what the company is looking for Tailor your CV: Being one of the 'best and brightest' is usually not enough Highlight relevant technical skills
Consulting Provide evidence of 'academic excellence' • Focus on few key achievements Demonstrate drive and achievement in at least one area not related to your studies Focus on quality not quantity
Include evidence of project management skills Extracurricular Extracurricular activities are important for interview
Guidelines for fellowships
Company website and job advertisement advertisement
CV skills workshop
Backup
What does BCG look for? Interview assessment criteria
Analytical skills
Interpersonal skills
Strong logic and problem solving • Fact oriented analysis • Structured thinking
Communication and listening skills Team working skills
Numeracy
Leadership
Ability to prioritise
Maturity
Creativity
Interest and drive
Ability to generate hypotheses
Excited about business
Ability to deal with ambiguity • Make assumptions, see patterns and generalise
Not intimidated by process or problems Demonstrate initiative and energy
Ability to synthesise and see the big picture Fun to work with
Not looking for prior industry knowledge
Agenda
Introduction
10 mins
How to write a CV and cover letter • PhD skills • CVs • Cover letters
30 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins
The interview process
10 mins
Questions and wrap-up
10 mins
What specific skills can PhDs offer? PhDs bring a range of qualities to consulting • High level of academic ability and intellectual curiosity • Problem solving and analytical skills • Organised and disciplined approach • Bringing new insights into a field (original thinking) • Mature and self-motivated • Written and oral communication skills Based on the opportunities and experiences a PhD offers • Working independently to solve a problem • Using a range of approaches and skills (often self-taught) • Teaching undergrads • Organising meetings, conferences etc ... • Proposal and grant applications It is important to emphasise these points in your application • You should come across stronger than undergraduates • You may be up against people with business experience or qualifications
So what skills do we look for? Research
Strategy Consulting
Problem solving
• Ability to prioritise • Strong logic & analytical skills – Structured and fact based • Numeracy
Communication
• • • •
Creativity
Interest and drive
Interpersonal Interpersonal & listening skills Team working skills Leadership Maturity
• Deciding on the next experiment • Writing a research paper • Convincing your peers / supervisor
• • • •
Giving presentations / seminars Working in teams / collaborations Teaching / supervision s upervision Breadth of experience, age
• Ability to generate hypotheses • Ability to deal with ambiguity • Ability to synthesise & see the big picture
• Designing a new experiment • Pursuing a new experiment • Writing up your findings in your thesis, paper, seminar...
• Not intimidated by problems • Initiative & energy • Broad interest, steep learning curve
• Pursuing a research project for three years...
Not looking for prior industry knowledge
Agenda
Introduction
10 mins
How to write a CV and cover letter • PhD skills • CVs • Cover letters
30 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins
The interview process
10 mins
Questions and wrap-up
10 mins
Highlighting these skills in your CV is crucial Strong academic achievement is vital
We look for two things in your CV: 1. Evidence of strong academic achievement 2. Drive, commitment, initiative and achievement in non-academic activities 1. Make sure your CV very clearly explains your academic record • Include your A-level, Undergraduate and any Post-graduate results – Writing just “BSc from Oxford University” looks like you got a third • Include papers, conferences, book chapters and other publications – but be sure to explain their significance – “Published a high -impact paper in 2 nd year of my PhD Published a first-author paper in Physics Review Letters, the highest impact-factor journal in the field” – “Presented my work at a major international conference Selected from 50 applicants as one of 10 speakers for an international conference. Presented my work to an audience of 200” • Describe your awards and scholarships – “ARC PHD Studentship Awarded an Arts council scholarship worth £15,000 p.a. for 3 years. 500 awarded from 3000 applicants”
Your CV will determine if you get an interview or not With non-academic achievements valued as highly as academic abilities
2. Show that you have achieved outside your formal study • This is not an academic job, so don’t leave out your non -academic activities • Think carefully about what are your most impressive achievements – Better to have a smaller number of clearly explained, convincing activities, than a laundry list of club memberships –
“Elected president of a university society eg, ballroom dancing
200 peers elected me from a field of 4 to manage 10 events per year and a budget of £20,000. Designed and negotiated a new room allocation system for graduate students” –
“Organised a conference in my field for 120 delegates
Secured £10,000 funding from the university and the Arts Research Council, designed a speaking program for 12 invited speakers, ran successful publicity program (220 applicants for 120 spaces), and organised logistics for a 3 day residential event” event”
Format, format, format: don’t make reading your CV hard w ork
Academic excellence isn't just about university and grades Show that you can communicate effectively with non-specialists
Details of your PhD
• What is the topic? Can you explain it laymen's terms? • Why do you think it is important? • Which achievements are you most proud of?
Scholarships
• Did you receive a scholarship? • How competitive was the application?
Publications
• Have you published in peer-reviewed journals? • Have you been first author on a peer-reviewed article?
Presentations at conferences
• Have you presented at a national or international conference? • Were you invited to speak? • How big was the audience?
Prizes and awards
• Have you won any awards from your department or university? • Have you won a prize for a conference poster? • How many entrants were there?
Non-academic activities highlight personal qualities Great for examples of teamwork, communication skills and personal traits
University
• Did you play a leading role in a university/college committee? • Which impact did you have with your committee work? • Did you organise a major event? How big was it?
Sports
• Are you engaged in any sports at competitive level? • Are you taking a leading role in your sports club? • What are you doing differently to previous leaders?
Arts
• Are you playing an instrument? At which level? • Are you selling your paintings? What do they cost? • Published a book? How many copies were sold?
Charity
• Have you organised a major fundraising event? • How much money did you raise? • How many people did you involve?
Work experience
• Who have you worked for? • What was your task? • What did you achieve that you are most proud of?
Other ...
• Other areas of life where you have had impact ...
An exercise Imagine you are applying to BCG
Think about how you would write a two-line CV entry to describe 1• Your most impressive academic achievement 2• One of your non-academic roles or activities 3• The subject of your research
Agenda
Introduction
10 mins
How to write a CV and cover letter • PhD skills • CVs • Cover letters
30 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins
The interview process
10 mins
Questions and wrap-up
10 mins
What to think about when writing a cover letter lett er Your cover letter has to pass a very basic hygiene test • Spelling and grammar have to be correct • Facts should be correct, eg, company are you applying to? – Which company are – Which position are you applying for? How long should my cover letter be? • One page Ideal, two ok, more not good • Most job applications get looked at in a limited amount of time Use the opportunity to highlight your strengths and motivation • Great place to emphasise rounded set of skills, but • Be structured and concise Sometimes cover letters will get only superficial attention • Make sure all important facts are in your CV
If you are worried about showing your cover letter to your friends because it makes you cringe — write it again!
Agenda
Introduction
10 mins
How to write a CV and cover letter • PhD skills • CVs • Cover letters
30 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins
The interview process
10 mins
Questions and wrap-up
10 mins
Getting an interview is only a start to getting the job Examples of BCG and other firm selection tasks
Numeracy test General interview Short case study Phone interview
General interviews Case studies Group exercise Panel interviews
First round
Final Round
A typical typical BCG interview 15 min: Introduction and general interview 25 min: Case study 5 min: Candidate questions
Interview process typically includes a case study interview Maths and reasoning tests What to expect: • Multiple choice / short answer tests • Looking for basic numeracy, logic and verbal reasoning – often under time-pressure How to prepare: • SAT SAT tests, GMAT tests, Civil Service Fast Stream exams
Case studies What to expect: One-on-one discussion of a real-life business • One-on-one question • Often requiring some on-the-spot mental arithmetic How to prepare: • Case study examples online or in books • Videos in career service, or from firms • Practice with a friend
CV questions What to expect: • Discussion of what you put in (and left out of) your CV • Questions on your motivation for and commitment to a career change How to prepare: • Practice with friends or the career service
Group exercises What to expect: • A case study to be solved as a group • Often with challenges and questions from a ‘client’ or ‘manager’ How to prepare: • Be comfortable with case studies • Consider how you want to come across • Treat work-related meetings as though you are being assessed
Backup
Focus on conveying the qualities we are looking for Numeracy tests • Consulting requires you to be numerate, NOT a mathematician • You should be comfortable performing simple operations with pen and paper – eg, 5%, adding/multiplying by 100, 1,000, 1,000,000 • Practice can improve your performance considerably (GMAT tests, Fast Stream tests etc)
Group exercises • Designed to gauge how you interact with other people • Are you capable of – Courtesy – Persuasion – Compromise • Looking for your capacity to work with others, not individual problem-solving skills
Backup
Some companies set group tasks/discussions These are primarily a test of behaviour
How you behave in the group ...
... should demonstrate the qualities being assessed
You may be asked to participate in a group exercise or discussion • At BCG you are given 30 minutes to read some material and then take part in an assessed group discussion
Engaging personality
You may or may not choose to take on a specific role • eg, Summariser, chairman, timekeeper
Sense of humour
They key is not to stand out for the wrong reasons • Don't dominate the discussion • Don't be overly competitive or serious
Good listener Respects others
Fun to work with Self confident Doesn't waste time Professional manner
This is not like a case study interview: the emphasis is on behaviour, not content.
Background questions allow the interviewer to engage with you and test your communication skills Your interviewer will want to know • Why do you want to leave academia/research? • Do you match the person they expected from reading your CV? • Are you genuinely interested in and informed about the job you are applying for? • Can you communicate clearly and confidently? • Would you be credible and persuasive in front of a client? • Will they enjoy working with you? • Can you work with others or in the job environment? • Remember first impressions count! Interpersonal skills are as important as analytical ability in consulting • Communication, tact (client management) • Character (drive, confidence, ability to handle stress) • Team work Practice being interviewed by friends, family or career advisors Be prepared to talk confidently about every entry on your CV
This part of the interview is no less important than the others!
Prepare for the obvious questions
Background and CV Generic • Give me an example of a time you showed leadership? • What interests you about consulting? Specific • What did you do as Assistant Secretary of the Athletics Club? • What did you learn in this role that you can use as a consultant?
Degree specific questions Why did you choose your degree? What do you think the day-to-day role of a consultant consultant is? What difficulties do you expect moving from research to consulting? What did you do in your PhD? What skills did your degree give you? and how could these be applied to consultancy?
Remember — your interviewer has done this before, so think carefully and honestly about these questions rather than trying to rote-learn an answer.
Candidate questions offer you the chance to t o find out more The last part of the interview turns the tables • You ask the questions • But you are still being interviewed! You may end up spending years of your life at the company in question • It is not credible to have only one or two superficial questions • You should have a range of questions covering different topics – Clients and industry specialties – Working culture (days out of the office, hierarchy, career development) – Training and bonding activities – Business prospects (growth, market position, outlook) – Opportunities to travel/work abroad – Pick up on articles you have read about the firm – ... the list is endless (so the interview should not finish early!) Questions should be appropriate to the interviewer
Agenda
Introduction
10 mins
How to write a CV and cover letter • PhD skills • CVs • Cover letters
30 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins • 10 mins
The interview process
10 mins
Questions and wrap-up
10 mins
Questions and wrap up
Have we answered these questions today What are selectors looking for?
Applying to BCG How to Apply Complete the online form at www.bcg.com
What kinds of problems do they pose? What would be an effective way to answer? Should you take notes? What if you ask for more information? What basic information could you be expected to have at your fingertips? What if you don't have any business experience? What can you do to practice and improve your technique?
Important Dates • Cambridge PhD Presentation 14 th October • Cambridge Careers Fair 16 th October • Cambridge Presentation 21 st October • CV Deadline 7 th November
