After completing her summer MBA internship with EY-Parthenon, Breanna Spurley is confident in her decision to enter the Management Consulting career field. Read more for Breanna’s insights to maintaining a healthy dose of curiosity and adaptability for those considering a Management Consulting MBA internship.
MBASchooled: What initially attracted you to Management Consulting? How did that play out during your summer internship?
Before attending Goizueta Business School, I had worked on the most extreme ends of the finance spectrum. I was initially employed at an investment bank and, most recently, at education and social services non-profit. Given my breadth of exposure, I knew there was so much that I could learn both functionally and across industries. I believe that management consulting is the best way to get a vast range of functional and industry experience in a short amount of time.
Ironically, I wanted to be placed in a government- or education-facing role – something more familiar to me. To my surprise, I was placed on a Life Sciences divestiture project! Although confused initially, I grew to appreciate the challenge and learned about an industry that was utterly unfamiliar to me before. I came in with no preconceived notions and approached everything with fresh eyes.
MBASchooled: What was an important lesson that you learned from your summer Management Consulting internship?
This summer, I learned the importance of fostering relationships – some would even say relearned. The importance of relationships is often taught to us and is something we must practice consistently. When entering a new field, it is especially important to connect with the people around you. Those connections will lead to higher levels of trust and increased social bonding across your team. When joining a new team, it is easy to feel like you are drinking water from a firehose; every task assigned feels like it should have been finished yesterday. Having solid relationships with your peers means that you will have trusted individuals who will act as sounding boards and provide strategic advice in your times of need.
I have also noticed that it is better to take an extra 10 – 15 minutes to ask a question and ensure that your thoughts align with those of the team instead of jumping directly into an assignment.
Communication was key during my summer Management Consulting internship. When I was not there, I spoke up and it made all the difference in my ability to foster quality relationships. Pushing yourself to talk to people outside of your project team is just as important – it is a great way to build a network and be exposed to different projects!
MBASchooled: What did you do for your summer Management Consulting internship? What projects did you work on?
Breanna: I spent my summer with EY-P as a Summer Consultant in their Transaction Strategy & Execution (TSE) sub-service line. I joined a team working on a divestiture in the Life Sciences space. A large pharmaceutical company had spun its women’s health products to create a new company in over 140 markets.
My team’s tasks included ensuring that there were no product disruptions for either company. We worked on everything from supply chain management to artwork and trade regulation. My team was in an interesting role as we were brought in to act as independent advisors serving both RemainCo and NewCo.
Interns also participated in two case competitions during the summer. The first competition was meant to mimic due diligence work, while the second was similar to a Request for Proposal (RFP) response. I really enjoyed the case competitions because I had the opportunity to work with other interns in the New York office. I was more aligned with the team in New York despite working virtually from Atlanta, so it was great to interact with some of the students in my cohort.
MBASchooled:What aspects from your previous work experience or skills you had were relevant in your Management Consulting internship? What were some new skills you had to build or use?
Working at a non-profit taught me to manage up and down. This management system was particularly helpful during the summer as I worked with both internal and external teams, requiring critical thinking about how the actions of one company would affect the other – while remaining independent to both. I relied on my previous experience in this area over the summer and continued to hone that skill while working with various client groups over the summer.
Everyone is expected to put out great work – that’s a given. I found it more important to expand not only within my team’s responsibilities, but push myself to learn as much with and from the people around me. Finding the right balance of work and socializing within a new space is never easy, but I’ve learned just as much from people who work on completely different projects as I did from my team members.
MBASchooled: Knowing what you know now, what would you do to prepare in order to be even more successful in your Management Consulting internship?
I actually wouldn’t change a thing! A huge part of being successful in management consulting is thriving under ambiguous circumstances. Understanding that you don’t know something or can’t always be fully prepared gives you the space needed to make strong assessments and meet challenges. I didn’t feel unprepared outside of the lack of industry knowledge.
I would encourage anyone to take away key lessons from the classrooms, remain curious, and be open to acknowledging what you don’t know – that will get you far. It never hurts to brush up on hard skills such as Excel and PowerPoint, but I wouldn’t stress over it. Every organization has its systems of doing things that you will learn.
MBASchooled: What was a challenge that you had to overcome or work through?
I had no experience with Supply Chain and Life Sciences. Coming into a team that lives and breathes both was intimidating, but I quickly realized that this was what I wanted. I wanted to be placed in an area I wasn’t familiar with. I wanted to be challenged. Working with my team pushed me to reflect and tap into previous experiences, both academically and professionally. I made sure to set up a time to speak with as many people on my team as possible. The opportunity to sit in on client meetings and participate in the team check-ins immediately after those appointments helped me piece together what seemed like a new world in Management Consulting.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have for MBA students considering internships in Management Consulting?
Breanna: Remain curious. It is very easy to be hyper-focused on one area, but that prevents you from learning and experiencing things that don’t align with your immediate interests. The “non-traditional background” guise is becoming outdated as consultants come from all walks of life. Use your background and curiosity to improve your strengths. Lastly, acknowledge your weaknesses but don’t be defined by them.