From Bain To McKinsey: How HEC Paris Is Preparing MBAs For Careers In Consulting
Karan is the president of the HEC Consulting Practice, that helps prepare students for consulting careers
From the Consulting Club to a student-led consulting practice, find out why MBA grads are leaving the HEC Paris MBA ready to seamlessly flow into consulting careers
The HEC Paris MBA class of 2019 flocked to consulting. Nearly a third of students (27%) launched consulting careers, making the sector the number one career path for the most recent graduating class—the figure has increased from 18% in 2017.
There’s an ever-growing network of HEC Paris MBA alumni working as consultants and official corporate partners with seven of the world’s top consulting firms, which bodes well for future cohorts. But how is HEC Paris ensuring that candidates are ready for the rigors of the industry? How does the school’s MBA create graduates tailor made for consulting careers?
Cracking the case interview
Hassnan Gardezi (pictured below) entered the MBA after working as an entrepreneur. He was drawn to the degree after realizing there were gaps in his knowledge. “There’s so much going on in the world today, across industries, and I need to be a part of that.”
Consulting was recommended as a career path for him in conversations with friends and peers. He’s drawn by the opportunity to work across an array of industries and projects in various business functions.
He chose the HEC Paris MBA because the 16-month program was the perfect balance between time out of work and rigorous education. The campus atmosphere also stood out, as well as the rapport he built with alumni when interviewing.
“In conversations with them, there was this feel of, ‘I fit with these people, and they’re the kind of people I want to be surrounded by’.”
His career aspirations led him to the MBA’s Consulting Club, and then the presidency, to which he was elected by fellow students. The club acts as the bridge between cohort and consulting firms.
Members have access to online tools, blogs, and insights into case-cracking methodology. There’s also a one-on-one case-cracking program.
Students sign up and every week they’re randomly paired with another member to crack a case. There’s also a WhatsApp group that students can use for instant access to case-cracking partners.
The diversity on offer is staggering, says Hassnan. At any time standing in a group of five-to-seven people you realize everyone speaks a different language, is from a different country. Learning to draw from diverse perspectives, coupled with the academic focus and the skills you develop through case cracking, makes for great consulting candidates, Hassnan adds.
The HEC Paris Career Center holds a range of workshops and brings in consultants—often MBA alumni—who talk students through the interview process. People who were senior partners at firms and are now professors at HEC Paris walk members through the mistakes they’ve seen candidates make, and how to best prepare.
Something vastly overlooked, thinks Hassnan, is the ‘fit’ interview, whether you match a company’s culture.
The Consulting Club assists students by connecting them with firms through a series of in-person meetings and webinars—actions pushed fully online by coronavirus. Through these conversations about the industry and traits inherent to different organizations, students discover if they see themselves fitting in with a certain consulting firm’s culture.
That’s not to say everyone who is part of the club is looking to enter consulting. Hassnan says that he sees the Club’s responsibility as going far beyond that. He says all of the club leaders have worked tirelessly with the aim of empowering their fellow students. The consulting skills you develop through the club—the ability to case crack and solve complex problems—are transferable across industries, he explains.
Consulting firms that hire from the HEC Paris MBA
The top consulting firms that hired from the HEC Paris MBA class of 2019 include Bain & Company, McKinsey, and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Monitor Deloitte also actively hire, as well as Strategy&, the strategy consulting team of PwC.
An MBA alum from the Amsterdam office of Monitor Deloitte comes regularly on campus to recruit for internships and full-time job offers, and he has already spoken to Hassnan about a company presentation and recruiting visit this autumn.
The HEC Consulting Practice was set up in 2018 by MBA alum Harsha Singhraj. The Practice gives students exposure to real world challenges, and a way to apply everything learned in the classroom. Student-driven teams work with an array of clients that need support with business strategy, digital transformation, and global expansion.
The current president of the HEC Consulting Practice, MBA student Karan Nimrani, explains that pre-coronavirus, students were working as MBA consultants for an Austrian venture capital firm, as well as a French travel and tourism firm.
When the pandemic hit, the Practice had to shift its strategy. Students created a crisis response model that could be applied by their clients to help them navigate the torrent of disruption the virus caused the global economy.
The Practice is now working with a Norwegian service provider that wants to change its business model. There is also a project with an American venture capital firm wanting to adapt its portfolio to a post-coronavirus growth strategy.
Developing MBA consulting skills
Students are pushed on the projects to adapt to new industries and quickly climb the steep learning curve that’s put in place. Dealing with client requests, managing expectations, crunching data, and running analytics all give a sneak peek into how life would be as a full-time consultant.
Rend Stephan (pictured above) is a visiting professor at the HEC Paris MBA. He provides mentorship to the Consulting Club, in the form of insights into what is expected from the industry and how to break in. He’s a former partner and managing director for BCG, and currently the founder and CEO of endCX.
He says the diversity of the cohort and the variety of perspectives that students are exposed to when solving problems in the classroom help to develop the skillset needed to problem solve and attack challenges from multiple viewpoints. This also can help them learn how to contain complexity—a major impediment to performance.
Among the key skills needed, Rend identifies the ability to define and solve a problem; more specifically, the ambiguous and multidimensional problems clients bring to the table—you train a lot for that during the MBA, he adds, and the program gives you a solid base from which to build when you enter a consulting firm.
Communication and strong soft skills are also vital. You need to be able to switch between leadership and management styles when working with different types of clients; you need to be able to delegate and seamlessly work together with your own consulting team; and you need tight time management and organizational abilities.
“You learn some of it during the MBA because of the interactions you have with a diverse group of people, with students who have different backgrounds and different ways of thinking,” Rend says. “It gives you an awareness that you cannot be just IQ focused, you have to be EQ focused too.”
I have met the most competent and diverse batch in this school. These people not only thrive on their own but also makes sure that you are doing it with them. The professors will take your had and walk you through all milestones and make sure you are not left behind. I have found their extracurriculars extremely engaging. There was always a room to have social life after academic life. The only hindrance is the location of the school, it is slightly outside city and living in city is expensive.
Sarah
Verified
18/03/2022
On Campus
Internationality and diversity of opportunities
About my programme I would say it is very international and flexible: we have the opportunity to choose exactly the courses we want. But at the same time, the frame of the campus is crucial in students' life and enable us to create friendships.
Student
Verified
29/10/2021
On Campus
Great selection of people
While HEC's MBA is highly selective, I really enjoy the type of people HEC's selects to make sure everybody gets the best out of their MBA experience and networking opportunities. Not only it's an incredibly diverse pool of people (~60 nationalities) but most importantly they make sure to let in friendly empathic and curious people.
Veronique
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
Best in France for Grande ecole
A prestigious business school. Languages are important. It is better to have a scientific baccalaureate with excellent grades in high school and good assessments.
The courses are well designed as per the latest trends and practicality of learning in stressed upon. Overall, a very good experience.
Ghadi
Verified
11/06/2022
On Campus
Diversity and quality of fellow students
Very international and interesting place to be and opens a lot of opportunities, however the administration is very french and facilities are subpar (gym, classrooms) meaning the academic affairs is pretty much useless and lastly we are graded on a curve which can create a toxic environment because of the competition. With that being said the pros outweighs the cons by far.
Student
Verified
27/03/2022
On Campus
The quality of the teachers, the campus, the clubs
The school is very international indeed, we have courses with international students and share things with them within the extra academic life (in the social clubs especially). We have great career prospects if we prepare ourselves well - however, the global curriculum is still very finance-oriented, which is a pity for other interesting domains of the company world, which does not rely on finance only. The social clubs are good practice for the management and for now, are quite independent.
Lb
Verified
26/03/2022
On Campus
HEC Paris awaits you
HEC Paris is really a nice place to do a master's in business. Many classes are useful and interesting (corporate finance, financial accounting, contract law…), some are less - but the curriculum is to be reviewed in the year to come. Regarding the student life, it is incredible, with about 130 clubs, lots of great parties with even greater people. The Jouy campus offers a lot of opportunities to do sports, and you can breathe fresh air every day. HEC also helps a great deal to find an internship or a job.
Rajarshi
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
A dream institute
Enrolling in the HEC MBA was by far the best decision I made for myself. The people and faculty are great, with lots of opportunities to meet people and expand your horizons. Very nice campus where I have had some good running sessions.
The alumni network is superb and very helpful. It also has a good support system for entrepreneurs. Would definitely recommend it!
Student
Verified
19/10/2021
On Campus
Good choice for a career boost
The classes were extremely practical and relevant to the current challenges that businesses are facing. You have access to a wide range of professionals and good career prospects once you leave the university.
Student
Verified
7/07/2022
On Campus
Cultural experience
I have met the most competent and diverse batch in this school. These people not only thrive on their own but also makes sure that you are doing it with them. The professors will take your had and walk you through all milestones and make sure you are not left behind. I have found their extracurriculars extremely engaging. There was always a room to have social life after academic life. The only hindrance is the location of the school, it is slightly outside city and living in city is expensive.
Sarah
Verified
18/03/2022
On Campus
Internationality and diversity of opportunities
About my programme I would say it is very international and flexible: we have the opportunity to choose exactly the courses we want. But at the same time, the frame of the campus is crucial in students' life and enable us to create friendships.
Student
Verified
29/10/2021
On Campus
Great selection of people
While HEC's MBA is highly selective, I really enjoy the type of people HEC's selects to make sure everybody gets the best out of their MBA experience and networking opportunities. Not only it's an incredibly diverse pool of people (~60 nationalities) but most importantly they make sure to let in friendly empathic and curious people.
Veronique
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
Best in France for Grande ecole
A prestigious business school. Languages are important. It is better to have a scientific baccalaureate with excellent grades in high school and good assessments.
The courses are well designed as per the latest trends and practicality of learning in stressed upon. Overall, a very good experience.
Ghadi
Verified
11/06/2022
On Campus
Diversity and quality of fellow students
Very international and interesting place to be and opens a lot of opportunities, however the administration is very french and facilities are subpar (gym, classrooms) meaning the academic affairs is pretty much useless and lastly we are graded on a curve which can create a toxic environment because of the competition. With that being said the pros outweighs the cons by far.
Student
Verified
27/03/2022
On Campus
The quality of the teachers, the campus, the clubs
The school is very international indeed, we have courses with international students and share things with them within the extra academic life (in the social clubs especially). We have great career prospects if we prepare ourselves well - however, the global curriculum is still very finance-oriented, which is a pity for other interesting domains of the company world, which does not rely on finance only. The social clubs are good practice for the management and for now, are quite independent.
Lb
Verified
26/03/2022
On Campus
HEC Paris awaits you
HEC Paris is really a nice place to do a master's in business. Many classes are useful and interesting (corporate finance, financial accounting, contract law…), some are less - but the curriculum is to be reviewed in the year to come. Regarding the student life, it is incredible, with about 130 clubs, lots of great parties with even greater people. The Jouy campus offers a lot of opportunities to do sports, and you can breathe fresh air every day. HEC also helps a great deal to find an internship or a job.
Rajarshi
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
A dream institute
Enrolling in the HEC MBA was by far the best decision I made for myself. The people and faculty are great, with lots of opportunities to meet people and expand your horizons. Very nice campus where I have had some good running sessions.
The alumni network is superb and very helpful. It also has a good support system for entrepreneurs. Would definitely recommend it!
Student
Verified
19/10/2021
On Campus
Good choice for a career boost
The classes were extremely practical and relevant to the current challenges that businesses are facing. You have access to a wide range of professionals and good career prospects once you leave the university.
