How competitive is it among consulting firms on campus?
It’s competitive, but there’s no animosity. We’re all doing the same types of things to try to differentiate ourselves. We all try to pull candidates aside to make it more personal. To get that personal interaction, we’ll often take groups of students out to get to know them. Q: How does Mercer set itself apart from the other big firms? A: We go by a mantra: opportunity, impact, and choice. At Mercer, as a relatively small firm, associates still have the opportunity to work for an identifiable brand. But they also have the chance to get in front of clients frequently and earlier than in some of those larger firms, where there’s a far more hierarchical and structured approach to client involvement. Q: How can B-schools better prepare future consultants? A: The case-based model that many B-schools are using is great. But all of our work is data-driven, and there’s often not enough time spent on the technical skills of Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. Students should also get more practice
