2014 Ivey MBA

Consulting Club
On-Campus Recruiting Report

Table of Contents
Context.1
Key Insights..3-8
Survey Results...9-12

Selected Firm Profiles.13-17

Context

Read this first!

The 2014 Ivey MBA Consulting Club prepared this document to

transfer knowledge to the 2015 Ivey MBA class. Our intention is
to share our perspective about the on-campus recruiting process
for Consulting, and to pass on best practices.
A few notes:

This document is about on-campus recruiting during the fall

of 2013. We havent covered anything that happened during
the just-in-time season.

These perspectives are based on a survey of members of the

2014 Ivey MBA Consulting Club. We had 39 respondents
from our 60 member club. There are several people who
participated in on-campus recruiting (some might have even
received offers) whose perspectives arent included here.

Times change quickly in the Consulting industry, so make

sure you do lots of research beyond this document. There

are plenty of great resources out there, so make sure to keep

up with the latest information.

Key Insights
1

(1 of 6)

Have realistic expectations

In fall 2013 the Consulting market was tough. Gone are the heady days
of the late 90s and early 2000s when MBB (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) offers
were abundant at Ivey. The industry is consolidating (e.g., MonitorDeloitte, Secor-KPMG, PWC-Booz) meaning fewer new hires in general.
Firms are increasingly promoting analysts into roles that previously would
have gone to new MBA hires. Toronto offices are increasing hiring
Canadians who attend big-name MBA schools in the U.S.
All of this means that you need to have realistic expectations about your
job search. From a group of approximately 60 students in the 2014
Consulting Club, only 19 offers were extended (to 15 individuals) during
fall recruiting. Your Ivey MBA guarantees you nothing; youve got to put a
lot of hard work in to land an offer.

Focus on a few key firms, and be realistic

The most successful students focused on a few key firms. Networking
and applying to a single company takes a significant amount of time and
effort, so dont spread yourself too thin. It is best to pick a few key firms
that you are interested in, and go deep there.
Also, dont be too obsessed with MBB. You should aim high, but there is
a risk that you if you spend all of your time focusing on these firms, you
wont learn about the other 90% of the industry. Be realistic with yourself
very early on about your chances at the top firms. If by July you dont feel
you have a realistic chance for an interview at MBB, focus on the other
firms where Ivey has had great success, and where you could have a
great career.

Key Insights
3

(2 of 6)

Networking is critical
The easiest way to get an interview is to know someone at the firm, make
a good impression on them, and have them recommend you to HR. Dont
worry if you dont already know someone there; there are lots of
opportunities in the program (e.g., Get Connected, Ivey Partner program)
to meet them as long as you make it happen.
Networking is a great way to learn more about the firm, and to
demonstrate your skills and desire to work there. This is especially
important in second round interviews when firms weight fit heavily.
Remember to be yourself. People know you are playing the game, so
dont be too pushy. Make sure to network early, because by the time
September rolls around, people wont have time for you (and some firms
have policies prohibiting their people from talking to you).
Make sure not to burn any bridges when networking. If you approach
every interaction as a transaction, you wont get very far.

Work on your behavioural

During first round interviews, the firms will emphasis case performance.
However, as you move on to second round the emphasis shifts to
behavioural. Do not neglect this in your preparation.
When practicing cases, always devote time to behavioural questions.
Work with lots of different people to test your responses and approach.
Prepare a script of answers to questions you anticipate you will hear in
interviews. Make sure you have multiple examples and responses to key
questions (e.g., Tell me about a time when ).

A typical criticism of Ivey students is that we are very well prepared for
cases, but need work on the behavioural / fit component. Keep this in
mind and work to address it.

Key Insights
5

(3 of 6)

Dont be too robotic when solving cases

There are all kinds of frameworks out there to help you solve cases (e.g.,
Business Situation, Profit and Loss, etc.). It is helpful to learn these early
on during your preparation, however, you need to get away from using
them as soon as possible. During interviews, firms are trying to assess
how you would act in a real client situation, and rigidly using frameworks
just isnt realistic. Interviewers have laughed at people for blatantly using
frameworks.
However, learning frameworks in April or May will help you organize your
thoughts. By the time July or August roll around, you need to stop using
them. You need to be able to act fluidly, respond to new information, think
clearly, and present creative ideas. Frameworks give you the building
blocks to get started, but wont lead to offers.

You need to have a well rounded profile

Firms will consider all aspects of your application across the following
broad areas: experience, academics, leadership.
Work experience is a big differentiator. Having previous Consulting
experience, or relevant industry-specific experience (e.g. FS experience
for Capco) will help a lot. If you dont have this, make sure you can
describe your career success and achievements clearly.
Academically, Ivey grades matter. On average, 2014 offerees had a GPA
of at least 82%. The GMAT appears to matter less probably because
most people at Ivey have very strong scores to begin with.
Leadership and extracurricular activities matter. The firms want to know
that you are someone who does more than the bare minimum, cares
about their community, and can deliver impact as a leader. This is nonnegotiable.

Key Insights
7

(4 of 6)

New interview formats are emerging

Typically, firms will follow the same interview format which includes a
case and behavioural interview. Increasingly, they are using new formats.
For example: McKinsey has an interviewer-led approach. Bain final round
interviews have a written case whereby you prepare and present
PowerPoint slides. Monitor-Deloitte final rounds include a group case
where you work alongside a team of 5 to 6 other candidates. Accenture
made use of some brain teasers.
Increasingly, firms are using data exhibits during case interviews. Make
sure you learn about the consulting-specific charts that could surprise
you (e.g., Merimekko, Paretto, etc.).

Work hard
Landing a Consulting job is a big accomplishment that will provide great
future career opportunities and financial rewards. If you want to be
successful, recognize that this is going to take a lot of hard work.
Remember that you are competing against a broad pool of very skilled
candidates that include MBAs from Canada, MBAs from big-name U.S.
schools, and other qualified folks with PhDs, etc.
Expect that you will need to practice at least 50+ cases and devote
100-200 hours (or more) to your preparation. The only way to truly do
well in your interviews is to put this much work in, and to start as soon as
possible. We mean it.
At the end of the fall recruiting season, the last thing you want is to regret
that you should have done more. You have a potentially life-changing
opportunity available to you. Work for it.

Key Insights
9

(5 of 6)

Become a good interviewer, and be tough

You should be meeting regularly with your classmates to practice cases
and behavioural interviews. Mix up your partners so that you see a
variety of approaches and styles. It is also easier to find interview
partners if you cast a broad net and ask a lot of different people
If you are very good at giving interviews you will find it easier to find good
partners. Giving feedback is critical to being a good interviewer. You have
to be candid and constructive.
Similarly, make sure to be tough; play the role of bad cop in the
interview room. You never know what type of person you will meet in the
actual interview, so prepare for a range of personalities.

10

Some resources are better than others

Take advantage of the sessions that Career Management puts on. Some
are less valuable, but the instructional sessions about how to perform in
interviews are very helpful. You should also start by looking into a few
key books to develop a base of knowledge before getting started: Case
in Point by Marc Cosentino and Crack the Case by David Orvhall.
Victor Cheng has some great resources, too. He has an 8-hour lecture on
Youtube that covers everything you need to know. His website,
Caseinterview.com has some great articles, and he writes an email
newsletter almost daily during the height of the recruiting season. He also
has prepared an audio series called Looking Over My Shoulder that
allows you to listen to good (and bad) examples of case interviews.
When it comes time to practice cases, you will want to look at school
case packs (e.g., HBS, Kellogg, etc.) for example interview problems with
solutions. Try to work through these systematically, reserving the most
difficult cases for just before the interview season.

Key Insights
11

(6 of 6)

Track and review your progress

As you work through your 50+ practice cases, you can experience huge
improvements by tracking and reviewing your progress. After each case,
immediately record what you did well and areas for improvement (it can
be in a notebook or in Excel). Periodically look back and review how you
are doing. You can then identify areas or types of cases that you need to
work on. This means you will need to be very organized and should keep
a binder for all of your interview documents and other important files.

12

Consider not taking an elective in August and September

August is a critical month for networking and interview preparation. As a
result, you should strongly consider not taking an elective during this
month. Most people involved in on-campus recruiting dont take any
electives in September (including folks pursuing Finance and other
industries). The one potential downside to be aware of with this strategy,
is that if you arent successful during on-campus recruiting, you might
have a heavier load during the January and February just-in-time
recruiting season.

13

Work with your classmates

Dont get caught up in thinking that you need to do better than your
classmates. Typically firms will make offers to all the qualified candidates
that surpass their quality bar. This means that you are not competing
against your classmates for jobs. It is much better to work with them.
Ivey gives you a very unique opportunity to prepare for interviews with a
group of 50-60 like-minded and very qualified students. This is a rare
advantage that folks from smaller MBA schools and non-business
programs will not enjoy. Take advantage of this opportunity to form
relationships that might pay off a few years down the road.

Survey results

(1 of 3)

What were the most important resources for you?

Rating (out of 5)
Super Saturday
School case packs
Mock Super Saturday
Caseinterview.com
Looking Over My Shoulder
Darren workshops
One-on-one CM meetings
Consulting Club weekly meetings
Victor Cheng Youtube lecture
Case in Point book
Victor Cheng emails
Rocketblocks.me (website)
CM workshops
Crack the Case book

David Orvhall session

1

Useless

Indifferent

Valuable

Super Saturday in Toronto was critical for cases practice and networking
School case packs were essential as starting material for interview practice
Mock Super Saturdays were helpful for meeting new people
Caseinterview.com articles provided information on hundreds of topics
Looking Over My Shoulder helped students hear good and bad examples

Survey results

(2 of 3)

Which networking activities were most valuable?

Rating (out of 5)
Personal networking

In-person conversations
with firm consultants

Ivey Alumni networking

Get Connected

Event at firm's office

Phone conversations
with firm consultants

On-campus infosession
1

Useless

Indifferent

Valuable

Personal networking continues to be the biggest and most important

avenue for networking, try to make these meetings in person if possible
Alums working at your target firms are a great resource because you have

a common Ivey background to get the conversation started

Company info sessions are important, but not critical for networking

10

Survey results
Degree

What is your
educational
background?

(3 of 3)
Students

Offers

Engineering

16

Business

13

Social Science

Science

Technology

Educational background doesnt seem to have much of an impact on

recruiting success
Degree

What is your
previous work
experience?

Students

Offers

Consulting

Financial Services

Engineering

IT

Industrial Goods

Consumer Products

Entrepreneur

Pharma / Healthcare

Public Sector

Sales

Legal

Previous Consulting or FS experience helped students land offers

Engineers did well this year

Folks with various industry experience can be successful

11

Recruiting statistics
Applicants

Round 1
Interview

Round 2
Interview

Offer

Accenture

14

AT Kearney

26

Bain

29

10

BCG

27

Booz

Capco

Capgemini

Deloitte

13

E&Y

McKinsey

28

Monitor-Deloitte

18

PWC

RBC

Rogers

Roland-Berger

10

SECOR-KPMG

19

ZS Associates

Firm

12

Selected firm profiles

Offices

Toronto

(1 of 5)

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

14

Interview

Standard interview format with some oddball questions thrown in.

Thoughts

Accenture tends to value industry experience above most other

considerations.
Be prepared for odd questions in the second round; highly unconventional
which threw me off.

Alums

Rishi Chawla (13), Chris Casey (11), Daniel Moro (11), Derek Fournier (10)

Offices

Toronto

Interview

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

26

First round interview includes two standard 30 minute interviews (i.e. 10

minute behavioural portion and 20 minute case portion.)
Second round interview includes a standard case, a partner fit interview,
and a case presentation. You are given 1 hour to review a case and then
prepare slides that you present to a panel for 30 minutes.

Thoughts

Cases were focused primarily on supply chain management and tested your
ability to dive deeper into a seemingly normal issue.

Approach the ATK interview process as if you are working on a fun project
with your colleagues as the firm really wants to see if you enjoy the cases
rather than just cracking them.
Alums
Note:

Gad Elharar (14), Natalie Shield (14), Brent Duffin (12), Mike Forcht (11)

Thoughts were collected from 2014 MBA class survey and represent individual respondents opinions.
List of Alums may not be exhaustive

13

Selected firm profiles

Offices
Interview

Toronto

(2 of 5)

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

29

10

First round interview is 30 minutes, and focused almost exclusively on cases

with no behavioural.
Second round interview includes a case presentation. You are given several
hours to review a case and then prepare slides that you present to a panel.

Thoughts

Cases are relatively simple to crack but Bain focuses on communication,

delivery and pushing the envelope during interviews, composure is very
important.
Bain is a shorter, faster interview. You have less time to get too caught up in
the details.

Alums

Andrew Spergel (12), James Larsen (11)

Offices

Toronto, Montreal

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

27

Interview

Standard interview format

Thoughts

BCG is really looking to gear-up with staff. They have a VERY high bar, but
were much friendlier and inclusive in their recruiting efforts than McKinsey
was. The opportunity at BCG seems very promising from a development
perspective.

Alums

Cory Tanaka (14), Deep Dhillon (13), Jennie Rittberg (11)

Note:

Thoughts were collected from 2014 MBA class survey and represent individual respondents opinions.
List of Alums may not be exhaustive

14

Selected firm profiles

Offices

Toronto

(3 of 5)

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

Thoughts

Capco is solely focused on financial services.

The culture is more similar to a financial services / investment banking
business than a traditional consulting firm.

Alums

Imran Mohammed (13), Gunpreet S. Rekhi (11)

Offices

Toronto, Various

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

13

Interview

Varies by type of role (e.g. Human Capital vs. Operations)

Thoughts

Broad range of consulting services; understand where you fit in.

Alums

Sagar Kolli (14), Rishi Sahel (13), Sapan Narang (12)

Offices

Toronto

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

Interview

Standard interview process in the first round. The second round included a
written and presentation based case.

Thoughts

Cases were heavily focused on increasing process efficiencies in the FS

industry (e.g., mortgage process, credit card applications, etc.)

Alums
Note:

Jacob Avinash (14)

Thoughts were collected from 2014 MBA class survey and represent individual respondents opinions.
List of Alums may not be exhaustive

15

Selected firm profiles

Offices
Interview

Toronto, Montreal, Calgary

(4 of 5)

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

28

Interviews conducted in interviewer-led format. This means that the

interviewer will guide you through the case in a more structured way.

Thoughts

McKinsey likes to be 'different'. They will emphasize how they do not like to
interview with someone who is too prepared, but that's not an invitation to
be lazy. In particular, prepare your behavioural stories and learn about how
specific they want you to be.
McKinsey seemed to not be really interested in hiring Canadian MBAs. It
will take a very, very special person to get a job in Toronto.

Alums

Leslie Shaw Calgary (14), Wei Lin (12), Alex McMurray Calgary (12)

Offices

Toronto

Interview

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

18

First round interviews will include one written case. You will be given a
package of 3-4 slides and asked to review it on your own for ~20 minutes,
then the interviewer will come back to the room to discuss what you found
Second round interviews are conducted in a group format. You will be sitting
in a room with a group of 5-6 other candidates and must present your
answer in front of the group plus observers.

Thoughts

Monitor-Deloitte seems to be very selective as they go through the merger.

Very selective they werent exactly clear on why no offers this year.

Alums
Note:

Tom Pickles (14), Lucy Li (13), Eric Cheung (11). Vipul Lalka (08)

Thoughts were collected from 2014 MBA class survey and represent individual respondents opinions.
List of Alums may not be exhaustive

16

Selected firm profiles

(5 of 5)

Business Architecture
Offices

Toronto

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

Interview

The 1st round case was a conceptual case. A single table was provided and
the interviewee was asked to talk though the main question / approach.

Thoughts

The RBC BA group is an internal strategy group that works to ensure

consistency in the development of new processes in Canadian retail
banking., aligning strategy and execution. Not the overall strategy group.

Alums

Drew Rankin (14), Smurti Patel (13), Vivek Kalwani (12), Razy Farook (11)

Offices

Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver

Applicants

R1

R2

Offers

19

Interview

1st round includes back-to-back cases. Final round is a written case

presented to a panel. You are given a 12-page case and 10 excel
worksheets of raw data and must produce a PowerPoint deck in three hours.

Thoughts

The firm itself is more quirky than your average firm - personality is allowed
to shine through and friendliness and camaraderie are important. A more
casual firm, but still professional.
In the written case, leverage your DMA. I installed data analysis tool kit on
their computer. Determine what you would like to explore further, what
additional data you would have liked, how you would test conclusions etc.
Still going through KPMG merger so some details are still being ironed out.

Alums
Note:

Diane Ring (14), Chris Snow (14), Karim Lallani (13)

Thoughts were collected from 2014 MBA class survey and represent individual respondents opinions.
List of Alums may not be exhaustive

17