Career Options

Some candidates leverage industry (e.g., financial services) or functional (e.g., supply chain) expertise in presenting themselves to specific practice areas in consulting firms, while others pursue generalist positions. There are many different types of management consulting firms and cultures, including large diversified firms (“the Big 4”), boutique firms, “elite” strategy firms, technology firms, etc.

Economic Consulting

Economic consultants help business and government clients improve their performance and policies. They give advice on regulatory issues and policies and apply micro- and macro-economics to help clients in their business decision making. Typically, economic consulting takes place within a legal context, offering economic and financial expertise in litigation matters related to antitrust, securities, labor, energy and telecommunications, intellectual property, and more.

Firms that provide economic consulting services include the Analysis Group, the Brattle Group, Charles River Associates, Cornerstone Research, NERA, and FTI.

Emerging Markets Consulting

Emerging markets consultants help businesses cultivate new commercial opportunities in high-growth emerging markets. This commonly plays a role in international development, helping developing countries capitalize on available business and investment opportunities and build profitable and sustainable enterprises.

Firms that provide emerging markets consulting services include APCO Worldwide, Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and McKinsey.

Energy Consulting

Energy consultants help businesses and government agencies with a range of energy issues, including plant construction and management, renewable energy, sustainable practices, and compliance with laws on the local, state, and federal levels.

Firms that offer energy consulting services include McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Accenture, Deloitte, Bain & Company, and IBM.

Public Sector Consulting (usually includes Federal, State, Local and Nonprofit Organizations)

Firm websites provide great overviews of how they do business and their hiring expectations. Large consulting firms generally have consulting offerings for the United States federal government, as well as state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Some consulting firms are dedicated exclusively to clients in these sectors. Federal consulting is by far the largest client in the public sector consulting space. Service offerings include all of the consulting domains to include financial management, supply chain, and IT. Projects commonly relate to defense, healthcare, procurement, and other logistics related to military and government operations.

Firms with large federal consulting practices include Deloitte, Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, Alvarez & Marsal, IBM, and BDO. Most of these firms will only consider candidates with Permanent US Work Authorization.

Financial Services Consulting

Large consulting firms generally have financial services offerings, and some firms are dedicated exclusively to financial services consulting. This sector entails three main areas: corporate finance, risk management, and corporate restructuring/turnaround. Corporate finance advises on budgeting, project valuation, or P&L reporting; risk management advises on disaster planning and reducing risks and liabilities; corporate restructuring involves advising the senior management in refurbishing a company’s strategy and operations.

Firms that offer financial services consulting include Alix Partners, Alvarez & Marsal, EY, PwC, KPMG, and Capco.

Healthcare Consulting

Consultants conduct organizational evaluations and design improved systems, processes and procedures to help pharmaceutical, medical technology, healthcare payers, hospitals and other healthcare industry clients deliver higher quality of care at a lower cost. This often requires an understanding of changing government policies and current standards. Healthcare consulting projects may relate to finance, accounting, regulation and compliance, healthcare standards, marketing, billing, coding, and other business functions.

Firms that offer healthcare consulting services include Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, PwC, ECG Management Consultants, Kaiser Associates, and the Chartis Group.

Human Capital / Human Resources Consulting

Large consulting firms generally have human capital offerings, while some firms are dedicated exclusively to human capital consulting. Human capital (or human resources) consultants specialize in helping organizations position the right people with the right skills in the right roles. This often takes place within the context of organizational or departmental restructuring, systems implementations, or other workplace cultural initiatives.

Firms that focus on human capital consulting include Mercer, Hewitt Associates, and Willis Towers Watson.

Information Technology / IT Consulting

Information Technology (IT) consultants apply comprehensive knowledge of computer, data, telecommunications and information systems technology to help clients meet their business goals. IT strategy consultants focus on how to most effectively apply technology solutions to meet a strategic goal, while IT implementation consultants help clients implement that strategy.

Firms that focus on IT consulting include Accenture, Deloitte, Cognizant, Gartner and IBM.

Operations and Supply Chain Consulting

Operations consultants evaluate and advise on an organization’s internal processes and procedures, including production, distribution, order fulfillment and customer service. In contrast to a strategy consultant who helps clients set goals, operations consulting is focused on helping a client meet goals. Goals may include improving distribution, organizational restructuring, or improving product quality.

Firms that focus on Operations / Supply Chain consulting services include A.T. Kearney, EY, and Accenture/Kurt Salmon.

Strategy Consulting

Strategy consulting is the practice of helping client organizations become more efficient and improve their overall performance. Strategy consulting helps a client’s most senior executives understand and manage the macro-level challenges of running an organization.

Firms that focus on strategy consulting services almost exclusively include McKinsey, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Bain & Company.

Global Opportunities

Large U.S. strategy and management consulting firms have offices worldwide and offer opportunities throughout these locations.