Michael

I studied Applied Maths and Economics at the University of Glasgow. Before applying to consulting I had little understanding of who any of the different firms were and ultimately, I ended up choosing OC&C on the basis of a really positive interview day; of the various processes I went through it was probably the key one that left me feeling excited about the prospect of working there.

Since joining, the biggest thing I have learnt are the parts of a job/career that motivate me and those are primarily: doing project based work, variety (through exposure to different business models/industries) and working in teams with driven and smart people. My favourite project was when I was working for an ecommerce retailer in New York. The key question was in a world where Amazon is so dominant how could they differentiate themselves. The project had a great team, really nice client, interesting question and good work-life balance while spending two months in NYC!

There is always a lot going on at OC&C; I am involved in both the touch rugby and cycling clubs but there seems to be a sports mailing list for just about every sport. The office is really social so it’s fast to make friends both in your peer group and more widely across the firm.

My advice to those who want to apply to OC&C is- be proud of the interesting things you have done, especially if you feel they don’t fit the typical professional interview context. Don’t worry if you have done a degree course that has given you little technical exposure to things like excel. Similarly, also don’t worry if you do not have a series of investment banking/big 4 type internships for prior experience. The training provided when you join is excellent and you really quickly pick up on the skills needed to be an associate regardless of background/experience.

"My favourite project was when I was working for an ecommerce retailer in New York. The key question was in a world where Amazon is so dominant how could they differentiate themselves. The project had a great team, really nice client, interesting question and good work-life balance while spending two months in NYC!"