Question about getting into Consultancy from scratch

What’s good, folk. The message below is from a UK-based reader who wants to break into Management Consulting, but came to this realization late in his collegiate years. So, instead of building up the standard set of educational and internship experiences during his undergraduate years to prepare for Consulting recruiting, he developed a collection of media and journalism related experiences. He’s asking for my advice on how he should proceed if his end goal is to make his way into a Consulting position. Unfortunately, I’m responding to this message pretty far after he sent it to me, so I’m not sure if my advice will get to him early enough to be of use.

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RB wrote:

Hi Marquis,

I just spent an hour reading your blog, and also an interview you gave at Management Consulted. Lots of insightful info for the novice like myself!

I know you get a lot of these emails, so I’ll keep this as to-the-point as I can. I’ve recently graduated from a solid UK university. It’s not Oxford or Cambridge, but it’s seen by most as being in the top 10. I studied History and Politics for 3 years, then for a final MA year specialized in Political Science.

I only became interested in consulting towards the end of the all of this. For a long time, I’d had my heart set upon journalism. I did work experience at as many papers and magazines as I could find, got published wherever I could, and finally realized (perhaps too late) that journalism wasn’t for me.

So I’m currently in a situation where I have:
— A fairly good, but non-quantitative degree
— Lots of work experience in the media, was also Editor of the student paper, etc
— No experience in consulting, or in business

Do I stand a chance in applying anywhere in this situation, and is it even worth doing? My alternative plan is to take a year out, and spend 12 months:
— Doing as much work experience/internships as I can beg or persuade people to give me
— Distance-learning for an 8-month mathematical qualification to boost my quantitative skills
— Helping friends involved with startups and the like, to get some “hands on” experience
— Learning as much as I can about MC in the meantime

Does that sound like a more sensible approach?

I know you get a lot of these emails, so no worries if you can’t reply to this right away. Just thought I’d pick your brains for some advice, since you seem to know what you’re talking about in this area!

Best,
RB

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My video response:

Question about getting into Consultancy from scratch from Marquis Parker on Vimeo.

Key points:
– It isn’t impossible to get into Consulting given his background, but with the current market, it’ll be tough to make it happen right now; Key issues include:
— Questions about analytical and quantiative skills
— Lack of business experience without deep industry knowledge to lean on as a candidate
— No mention of leadership experience
— Significant media-related work experiences, but that won’t get him much run with applying for a Consulting position
— Tons of other people applying to Consulting firms, many of whom have more traditional business-focused backgrounds

– It never hurts to apply now on the off-chance that his profile will catch someone’s eye, but, given the current environment, he shouldn’t be surprised if there is no immediate interest

– My recommendation is to go with his proposed alternative plan because it makes a lot of sense with all things considered
— It could address questions about quantitative skills and analytics
— It adds diversity in his work experiences and offers the opportunity for building industry knowledge
— It allows time to fully prepare for the consulting recruitment and interview process (i.e. learning how to do case interviews)