Oxford

CONSULTANCY
HARRY BROWNE
Consultant – Solon
Harry studied Philosophy,
Politics, and Economics at
St Hilda’s College, 2013.
WHAT: Since I left Oxford I have
been working in strategy consulting.
Currently I am a Consultant in the
London office of Solon, a firm that
specializes in providing support
to companies and investors in
TMT (technology, media and
telecommunications). While that may
ALUMNI PROFILES
sound quite narrow, I have worked in
everything from mobile to apps to TV, and
everywhere from Latin America to Africa to
here in London.
WHY: I initially chose a career in consulting
because I had heard (with no actual firsthand
experience) that the work would be
varied and challenging, and that I would
be given responsibility early in my career.
Further, I would gain exposure to top
management and the biggest questions
facing many large and exciting firms today.
All of that has been true, and more.
Each task is unique and the projectbased
nature of all our work means
that things never get stale. On my
first project I was part of a small team
assessing the opportunity of satellite
television in Sub-Saharan Africa for a large
telecommunications company. From the first
day I was entrusted with a large amount
of responsibility and encouraged to do my
own thinking.
ALUMNI PROFILES
ADVICE:
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Speak to as many people as you
can in the industries that interest
you. There really is no alternative
to finding out what it is like to do a
job on a day-to-day basis. When
the interview comes around you
will also be able to demonstrate
your interest, and the knowledge
you have built up about the
industry.
]]
Also, don’t panic if your ideal job
doesn’t turn up straight away –
the experience you build up in
interviews is valuable, even if it
doesn’t work out.
TOP TIP:
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My job hunt was helped by
the CV clinics and The Student
Consultancy programme run by
The Careers Service: it is definitely
worth taking time to make use of
their resources.
VICTORIA MORRISON
Consultant – Bain & Company
CONSULTANCY
WHAT: My job is about helping our
clients crack their toughest business
problems. We help clients both when
their business is doing well and when
they are facing difficult challenges.
WHY: Consulting is a fantastic place
to learn core business skills and see
a wide range of different industries
in multiple countries – I couldn’t
recommend it highly enough as a
place to start your career! I have been
exposed to a phenomenal range of
business problems, and learnt to solve
these with a brilliant set of colleagues,
many of whom are now close friends.
On the downside, hours can be long
and the travel demanding.
CAREER PATH: I’ve spent nearly 4 years
at Bain and my role and responsibilities
have changed drastically. You’ll move
quickly from cracking one piece of
the puzzle to being responsible for a
larger part of the case and managing
junior team members. Promotions are
based on merit rather than tenure –
those changing careers or coming from an
advanced degree can really benefit from
their previous experience.
GETTING IN:
We look for people who have demonstrated
academic excellence, leadership and
initiative in any area they are passionate
about (sports, music, charity – or anything),
and people who will work well in a team.
You need to be comfortable working with
numbers (but it’s not all about maths) – and
a positive, proactive attitude goes a very
long way!
Use your time at Oxford to pursue whatever
you’re interested in – I was Editor of
Cherwell which was great experience for
much of the work we do.
TOP TIPS:
Speak to as many people as you can in
your chosen career or firm(s) and really
understand the day to day nature of the
job – what will you really be doing in your
first weeks, months and years? That’s key to
knowing whether it’s for you.
Victoria studied History at St
Hilda’s College, 2011.
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