Company Presentations

Very early into your first year, you will see notices about company presentations. In the early fall (August to October), these presentations are typically geared towards full-time positions. Later (November to March) the presentations are geared towards internships. Some companies will only visit campus once, and their presentation will be for both first and second years. Most internship presentations are almost identical to the full-time presentations, so attending both is typically not necessary.

The typical presentation

Focused on consulting, there are probably between 5 and 20 consulting firms that come to present, based on your school. Most presentations will be extremely similar. The presentation format is similar across firms:

30-60 minutes: Presentation. A partner or manager will discuss the firm’s mission, structure, differentiators, culture and people.
15 minutes: Q&A session. The presenter will answer questions to the group.
5 minutes: Introductions. Other employees of the firm in attendance, typically also alumni of the school and also from a variety of offices, will introduce themselves.
60-90 minutes: Reception. Typically beverages and appetizers will be served, while students are given the opportunity to interact with employees of the firm.

Notice the amount of time one full presentation requires. Now multiply this by the 5 to 20 firms whose presentations you may attend. You then begin to see how much time these really take.

What should you do?

Many people go to presentations focused on getting a free meal and drinks while catching up with their friends. They do not talk to anyone at the firm. It is very easy and comfortable to do this. Some of these same people end up receiving offers at several consulting firms as well. The majority of those who do succeed, however, do more than sit, listen and eat.

You should use the presentation itself to begin to really understand what the company believes separates itself from its competitors. For example, if one firm expands on its "results-based approach" and shows a graph of stock price, where another firm discusses "thought leadership" and portrays books written by its partners, you should be able to make inferences as to how the firms' work product and culture differ. Take notes on these differences – they will be tremendously useful when you are building stories to answer the question "why do you want to work for our company?"

You should:

Use the reception to build connections with employees of the firm and get yourself invited to a dinner or placed on the closed list for interviews.
Learn by conversation the culture of the people at the firm. It took me 3-4 conversations with employees at each firm to begin to understand the culture of the people around me. And, yes, the cultures really are different.
Keep in mind that not everyone loves answering question after question about the minutia of consulting, and try to talk about personal life too. Try to show that you, too, have a personality and can carry on a conversation with these people. Remember, you want the employees to believe you can pass the airport test: will I enjoy this person’s company if stuck in the airport with them for six hours waiting for a flight?
Get business cards for those conversations that you really enjoyed, and send a thank-you email the next day.

A great conversation at a presentation will not get you a job, but it may get you invited to a dinner or placed on the closed list.

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