Hi Simran, the daily activities of a consulting graduate can vary hugely depending on the specific area of consulting and the projects available. One thing all graduate consultants have in common is that you'll be expected to engage with multiple internal and client stakeholders from the very start. You would meet with the client or engagement partner, determine what the client's problem is, and work as part of a team to address it

16 October, 2018 16:04

The diversity of the function is definitely one of the aspects that makes it so exciting! Can you tell me a bit more about what you maybe do on a day to day? I am a Chemical Engineer so it would be quite interesting to know what sort of projects colleagues of yours with a similar background may be doing too?

16 October, 2018 16:05

Of course. I studied Physics at university and currently working as a Cyber Security consultant. Recently I've been working on projects helping a national insurance provider assess and improve the security of all of their third parties. This has involved going to client sites by myself, conducting interviews with members of the client's information security team, and collecting evidence of the cyber security controls that they have in place.

We then write up a report where we provide recommendations on how they can improve based on our own experience and our knowledge of best practises within financial services. With a Chemical Engineering degree, you would be eligible to apply for most of consulting programmes and you will definitely find colleagues with similar backgrounds there

16 October, 2018 16:06

Thanks so much! That's some really good insight

16 October, 2018 16:16

No problem!

16 October, 2018 16:16

Do you also work on implementation after proposing solutions? Also is there a particular style of consulting such as lean six sigma? What made you want to go into tech consulting versus the more general business?

16 October, 2018 16:16

In Cyber Security we don't do much technical implementation work, though other areas of Technology Consulting do. There's no specific style of consulting that we follow, though we constantly adapt to whatever he most appropriate is for the given client project.

16 October, 2018 16:18

From a scientific background such as physics or engineering, did you find it hard to go into consulting? Especially since a lot of management and business students have modules more aligned with general consulting work practices? How would you best suggest preparing for the application process? Should I be sudying case studies etc for example?

16 October, 2018 16:18

I have always been interested in technology and the rapid pace it is evolving. I felt that technology would only become increasingly important and fascinating so decided that was the area that I wanted to start my career in.

Coming from a scientific background, I didn't find it hard to move into consulting. Although you may not have any specific experience in consulting previously, a lot of the soft skills you have picked up throughout your degree are exactly the same as the ones you'll need in order to excel as a consultant.

To prepare for the application process I would thoroughly research the role you are applying for, what EY is like as a company and our values, and practise as much as you can for the online tests

16 October, 2018 16:20

Are the online tests numerical, verbal and logical such as those provided by SHL?

16 October, 2018 16:26

If you take a look at the following link, it has plenty of information on our application process and how to apply:

Https://ukcareers.ey.com/students/how-to-apply

16 October, 2018 16:28

Thank you :)

16 October, 2018 16:34

No problem!

16 October, 2018 16:36

What made you choose EY over other large professional services firms?

16 October, 2018 16:39

I felt that EY showed that they cared the most for their individual employees and had the best people culture compared to other professional services firms. Even throughout my application experience I felt that EY demonstrated that they invested the most in individuals to ensure that they had a positive experience

16 October, 2018 16:44

Thank you! Also for technical backgrounds, is it 1 or 2-page cv?

16 October, 2018 16:47

I'd say 1 page CV is preferable though 2 shouldn't be a problem either

16 October, 2018 16:50

Thank you :)

16 October, 2018 16:51

No problem Simran!

16 October, 2018 16:53