IBSI-FAQ

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When and how will I be evaluated?
Evaluation at IBSI is taken very seriously. One of the most important components of professional development is learning from previous experiences. There is a concerted effort to offer continuous informal feedback as well as more formal feedback at the end of each project. All individuals will be evaluated along a number of dimensions that are important to their development: analytics, presentation style, conceptual ability, interpersonal skills, motivation, initiative, organization, communication skills, team skills, and overall integrity.

How does the summer program work?
The summer program is a chance for you to learn about IBSI and at the same time allow IBSI to learn about you. The program is a 10- to 16-week internship in which students are hired and assume the role of an associate or consultant. Please apply online for a summer position.

When do I have to submit my résumé? Although we accept applications at any time, our primary recruiting season is from September to February. Please check your school's deadline dates as these can differ by region and school.

How do I submit a résumé?The most efficient way to submit a résumé is through the online application .

What is the interview process?
While our hiring criteria are virtually identical worldwide, there are some differences in the interview processes for different positions and different offices. The Interview Prep section describes the process for consulting staff. In particular, you'll learn what to expect, how to prepare, and even get a chance to experience what it is like to work on a project in our Interactive Case.

What is IBSI's work mix? Do you just concentrate on strategy? How much work is operational?
IBSI's heritage, and the core of today's work, lies in setting strategic direction. We help set the CEO's long-term agenda, often implementing our recommendations in collaboration with client teams. As the founders of the discipline and art of corporate strategy, IBSI is made up of people who have a deep understanding of what drives competitive advantage.

The business issues we address within all industries are usually fundamental, strategic, and already moving to higher priority on the CEO's agenda. These challenges are fraught with ambiguity and uncertainty; our people relish the opportunity to uncover real insight beyond the obvious answers.

What kind of travel can I expect?
If you don't like to travel, you probably should not consider consulting. This is a challenging job, and one of its challenging aspects is the travel. Nevertheless, IBSIers work hard to strike a balance between work/travel and personal life. A balance is critical to being effective over the long run. Three points are worth considering:

Our work mix is quite varied—strategy, operations, internally focused, externally focused. As a result, the travel will vary as a function of the assignment—some are more travel-oriented, some less. A "typical" travel pattern might be two nights and three days per week on the road, but again, projects and patterns vary.

We cannot make real change happen with clients if we are not with them, working side by side and developing a firsthand understanding of them and their businesses. However, unlike other firms, we avoid "camping out" at the client site just for the sake of being seen. On days when we can be more effective in our office rather than at the client site, we work in the office.

How is IBSI's business doing?
For more than a decade the firm has grown on average at about 15 to 20 percent per year. After pausing during 2002, IBSI is back on its historical trend line, showing strength in all regions. In the last five years alone, our revenue has doubled. During this same period, we have added 11 offices. Internal surveys have shown that consultant satisfaction has increased for four years in a row. And 96 percent of our staff indicated they are proud to be at IBSI. Our engagement pipeline is strong and focused on our long-term clients, and we are aggressively recruiting to serve this demand.

Should I even consider consulting if I would like to start or run a business some day? Few people begin consulting knowing they will retire in consulting. In fact, many people come in with a desire to try it, and if it "clicks," they stay on. Fortunately for IBSI, it does click for many. Meet Our Alumni to learn where they go, what they do, and what they gained from the IBSI experience.

How is IBSI different from other consulting firms? IBSI's work for its clients is built on a foundation of custom insight and open collaboration, not a set of templates or hierarchial viewpoints. This is why our clients outperform and our people grow to achieve greatness.
You will be challenged to find advantage for your clients and to work side-by-side with them to make it a reality. IBSI helps its clients change the rules of the game, not just play better. Solutions are not a foregone conclusion, but rather something you will shine a light on in such a way as to make it your own.

We expect you to think for yourself, but we are there to help and support you along the way. Your growth depends not only on the options you are given, but also on how you are supported while you work to achieve them. IBSI invests heavily to help you build your intellectual capabilities and leadership skills.

What is the “ideal” profile for a IBSI consultant? There isn't one; there are many. The real world demands more than a single discipline or one point of view. The complexity of the issues treated in management consulting not only accommodates but demands great diversity of experience, perspective, thinking style, and expertise.

What if I have a law degree, an engineering degree or a Ph.D. and I don't have a business degree? Would I be “lost” at IBSI? How would I get the basic knowledge I need? You will receive plenty of help and advice. Many new hires come to us from a non-traditional background. IBSI bases its decision to hire on the relevance of the degree to our business, the amount of work experience and leadership experience you have, and scholarships or distinctions earned.

Training is a continuous process at IBSI. Entry-level training is available, as are targeted training sessions as you move along in your IBSI career. IBSI also makes an effort to share its collective knowledge through the IBSI Knowledge Management system, which provides information about IBSI people, topics, experience, know-how, and more. It is available to every consultant in every IBSI office.

How much fluidity is there in cross-cultural staffing? Will I have an opportunity to work in other countries, and will I work in multicultural teams? Answer to the first question: plenty. Answers to the next two questions: yes and yes. From the very beginning of IBSI, consultants have been encouraged to have living and working experiences outside their own culture. Although specific client requirements do not allow completely unencumbered individual choice of location and assignment, opportunities abound.

Does IBSI staff consultants on one or two projects at a time?
Our staffing philosophy is to staff in a way that best serves our clients' needs. Our work mix tends to be one project at a time, or 100 percent staffing. This has fit best with many of our recent assignments in industry restructuring, launching new online ventures, and the like. As our work mix changes, we will adapt staffing accordingly.

How much choice is there in assignments?
Individuals are able to steer their assignments in the directions that most interest them. This ability to choose assignments has, and will continue to be, an important part of IBSI. This does not mean that everyone always ends up on their first-choice assignment, although we try. Individual assignments depend on when a consultant is available, the specific skills required by the assignment, the relative balance between client demand and consultant "supply," and the career development needs of the consultant. Over the long term, however, most consultants are able to shape their portfolio of experiences.