Breaking into management consulting is challenging and requires a combination of academic excellence, work experience, and networking skills. This article shares insights from Antoine Rabiloud, a SIM graduate from the University of St.Gallen, on how to get into the industry.
Management consulting is a highly coveted career path for many individuals. It is a challenging and dynamic job that offers the opportunity to work with top-tier clients and significantly impact their businesses. However, breaking into the industry can be a daunting task and it’s not always clear how to start.
After several internships across different industries, Antoine went into his studies with a general idea. “Consulting was kind of the career that I wanted to have at least in the first couple of years,” he recalls, “and the SIM helped me really achieve this.” (00:16)
However, during his time in the University of St.Gallen’s SIM program, Antoine experienced a big shift in his priorities. He explains, “I don’t want to only pursue a career. I want to have an impact on people. I think that’s something that really changed throughout my whole SIM experience. The vision of who I wanted to be not only as a professional but also as a person.” (01:59)
Undoubtedly one of the biggest influences on Antoine’s renewed mindset was the SIMagination Challenge. Beyond just a catchy title, the course aims to inspire a genuine interest in generating social value. In essence, SIM students develop key leadership qualities by crafting a solution to a real-world societal issue.
However, rather than writing up guidelines from the comfort of Switzerland, each participant spends five to ten days in the community they work with. Often working hand-in-hand with an NGO, student teams weigh up the short- and long-term strategy and predict potential impacts further down the line.
The challenges span the globe, from Guatemala to Rwanda, passing through Bangladesh, Haiti, Kenya, and Malaysia. The topics past students have tackled include gender equality regarding period poverty and the stigma around it, clean drinking water, local entrepreneurship, cleaning the oceans of plastic, and teaching financial literacy.
As you can see, the St.Gallen SIM program offers engaging and exciting opportunities that positively influence graduates’ personal development. The goal is to help students become well-rounded individuals.
Antoine sees clearly that the St.Gallen SIM program helped him gain both confidence and technical knowledge. “When I started out, I was very ambitious, but I didn’t know exactly how to get there. The SIM gave me the support I needed to gain confidence and the technical knowledge I needed to succeed in my career. Through the courses and all the training and support we get, I was able to really learn and develop as an individual and gain a lot of confidence.” (02:47)
Focused primarily on strategy, leadership, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, and international management, the SIM trains students in the core disciplines of leadership. However, it also prepares students for disruptive changes like digital transformation, and enhances the learning experience with skills workshops and international opportunities.
With close mentoring from faculty and repeated real-world experiences, students become familiar with their business surroundings. This translates into a high confidence level when they move on into the professional sphere.
Antoine notes that one of his biggest surprises was the SIM community’s strength. Located in the foothills of the Swiss Alps, St.Gallen has a famously personal community among the student and teaching bodies. Despite being a rather small institution, it boasts the country’s largest faculty, which perhaps explains its consistently high position in the Financial Times’ European Business School Rankings.
But the prestige of the SIM Community goes beyond the internal support network, as Antoine explains: “I had heard about people being very open and willing to help, but when I started applying for jobs, that really struck me. I would just contact people that were very high up in some companies or pretty busy, and they were extremely responsive within the day.” (00:42)
This sense of community was a big factor in Antoine’s success at the SIM program, and it’s a common theme among other SIM students. “A lot of people are interested in the startup world, in VC (venture capital), and there’s a lot of alumni that are there to help them to get into that space. Same thing for FMCG, pharma, anything really.” (02:30)
Career opportunities are bountiful for graduates like Antoine. He is armed with a degree from one of Europe’s leading business schools, a dynamic network, and highly adaptable skills. In addition, the university trains students to self-reflect and identify their key skills before assisting them with interview training and self-presentation techniques.
When choosing a career direction, the Master in Strategy and International Management opened Antoine’s eyes to all kinds of pathways. “You come in, you’re always thinking, ‘OK, I want to do a career in this or that industry.’ But a couple of elements within the program, such as the SIMagination Challenge, for example, really shows how much you can become passionate about elements you would never have imagined.” (01:31)
Even so, Antoine’s early decision to go into consulting was only strengthened. He recently started a career in management consulting in Zurich, along with many of his fellow “SIMies”. Now at a turning point in his career, Antoine can look back at how the last phase has influenced him. “I was able to really learn and develop as an individual, gain a lot of confidence, and now I think I have a good understanding of what I want to do, where I want to be, and how I want to act in the future.” (03:11)
If you want to speak directly to a St.Gallen SIM graduate, look no further than the MASTERGRADSCHOOLS Ambassador’s Page.
