| Dear PhD, Postdoctoral, MD, and LLB students,
I hope you are having a productive semester! As a graduate student, it was about this time of year that I found myself thinking about what life after the PhD might look like.
My name is Raminder Gill and I am a McGill graduate (PhD – Pharmacology, 2015) and a Project Leader with The Boston Consulting Group. Since I recently made the transition from academia to consulting, I’d like to share my experience and answer some common questions that advanced degree candidates (PhDs, MDs, or LLBs) have about consulting and BCG in particular.
INTERESTED IN MANAGEMENT CONSULTING?
The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm and the world’s leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises.
What do consultants actually do?
Consultants are responsible for owning a piece of our client’s problem. As an example, I recently helped a major Pharma company craft their strategy for commercializing a new technology. My role was to understand what capabilities they needed in order to win in this market.
Most of our projects involve flying to the client site, in this case Chicago, to work closely with them on developing the strategy. I recently met with the Head of Marketing and delivered our strategy, and she’s excited to get working on launching the product.
After the meeting, we took the clients for dinner at a locally renowned restaurant, and followed up with a basketball game!
What does BCG look for?
Strong candidates are smart, capable, and possess strong leaderships skills. We derive your “smarts” through your academic achievements (grades and test scores) as well as your ability to communicate the impact of your research to a broader audience. We want to hear about the capabilities you have developed from your experience both inside and outside the classroom or laboratory. What difficult things have you accomplished in the past?
If you are interested in learning more about the work we do at BCG and who we are, please join us at one of our upcoming Connection Events. |
