GradFUTURES Structured Problem Solving like Consultants: Part 3/4

In partnership with Graduate Consulting Club (PUGCC), GradFUTURES is offering a 4-part series called Structured problem-solving like consultants on Feb 11, Feb 12, Feb 23 and March 2. 
Lunch and refreshments will be served
Learning Objectives: 

• Familiarize students with what consultants do in practic
• Demystify the networking and case interview process 
• Give students experience with hypothesis-driven problem-solving approaches
• Provide students with tactical skills necessary for consulting success
• Help students avoid the most common pitfalls of new consultants
• Individually improve students’ core skills in data analytics using Excel and data-driven storytelling using PowerPoint for consulting
• Give students a sense of the roles and responsibilities of members of a consulting team
• Have fun and take chances in a risk-free environment!

Schedule for Day 3: Feb 23

Session 5: 5 pm

Practice Case Interview #5 and Data Analytics for Consulting: Prior to this session, participants will be asked to purchase an online module that will walk them through the building of an Excel model for consulting. Students will hone skills within areas related to: importing and cleaning data, using vlookups and index matching to look up and connect key data, create and conduct dynamic analysis of data using pivot tables and sensitivity analysis, and more. The module will help students begin to master time-saving keyboard shortcuts. During the session, students will be asked to explain the findings of the model to a “skeptical” client. Lastly, we will discuss techniques to create a clear and concise PowerPoint presentation to walk a client through the Excel model by using a concept known as storyboarding. We will then conduct another practice case interview.

Guest Speaker: Brendan Boler, PhD is Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia's School of Leadership and Public Policy. He previously spent seven years as an award-winning professor at UVa’s School of Commerce. He has extensive experience in management consulting and banking, having worked at Accenture, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. Throughout his career, he has been heavily involved in recruiting and has leveraged his experience to conduct research on decision-making, talent assessment and selection, and high-performance coaching.
For doctoral dissertation, Boler and a colleague travelled to six top MBA programs where they recorded and analyzed over 230 case and behavioral mock interviews with candidates who had been invited to interview at top consulting firms. More about the project can be found here. At UVA School of Commerce and Business, he has taught courses in management consulting and strategic thinking. Given his teaching and research interests, he also is passionate about coaching students to achieve peak performance in high stakes employment assessments including behavioral interviews, case interviews, and case competitions. He coached thousands of MBA candidates preparing for case and behavioral interviews and helped them gain offers from firms including McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, Accenture, and Kearney.

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