Consulting, without the gloss.

A note before you dive in

This knowledge base is intentionally not designed to present consulting as an ideal, a default career choice or a guaranteed path to success. It is one possible trajectory among many: intellectually stimulating, but neither inherently meaningful nor inherently impactful, and certainly not right for everyone.

This is not an argument against consulting, but against unreflected choices. Whether you pursue it or not, the aim is that the decision is yours: informed, independent and intentional.

How this knowledge base is structured

Instead of asking which firm is "best", ask which problems you want to work on, which skills you want to build and in which environment you learn and perform best. This overview is not exhaustive; many niche and hybrid roles exist.

Functions: what consultants actually do

Industries: where consulting is applied

Firm types: how consulting firms are positioned

An orientation aid, not a ranking. Boundaries are fluid and many firms combine several types. Differences are about focus, structure and problem context, not quality or prestige.

How the dimensions interact

A strategy role in automotive at an MBB firm looks fundamentally different from an operations role in energy at a Big Four firm, even if the job titles sound alike. And the same firm can offer very different experiences depending on the combination.

What firms actually recruit for

None of these belong to a single discipline. They can be built in business, STEM, social sciences, law and many other fields, which is why firms don't recruit "business students" or "STEM students" as categories, but people who show these capabilities.

A common misconception

Why STEM backgrounds are actively encouraged

STEM subjects systematically train analytical rigour, formal reasoning and comfort with abstraction and uncertainty. Many firms want more STEM applicants than they receive: the pool is skewed towards business, often because of self-selection and misconceptions about eligibility. At the same time, STEM is not "better" in general. Its value shows when analytical depth meets communication, judgement and openness to other disciplines.

What each background brings to a team

None of these is sufficient alone. Interdisciplinarity is a practical necessity: no background guarantees success and none disqualifies you. If you come from an analytically rigorous field, don't underestimate your fit.

What to look at

• Talk to people who work there, for example through events, alumni or 180DC partners. Nothing replaces first-hand accounts.
• Read recent project and insight pages to see what a firm is actually proud of.
• Use employer review platforms with care: they show patterns, not the truth about your future team.

Firm database

A starting point for your shortlist with links to each firm. Search or filter by type.

The list is roughly ordered by how competitive recruiting is: firms further up are usually harder to get into. That does not mean they are better, or the right place for you. The list is not exhaustive and firms change; always check the firm's own careers page.

The CV

We don't provide our own templates. A very good reference is the bullet point resume template from Harvard's career services: clear, one page and easy to adapt. Use it for orientation and make it your own.

Design best practices

Structure

1. Education

   Exchange semester (if any), university, vocational training (if any), secondary school.

   • Possible bullets: grade average, relevant projects, relevant courses with grades
2. Work experience

   All relevant positions with a formal employment contract.

   • Bullets: what you did and the results it led to, quantified
   • Responsibilities and what you ensured (weaker than concrete tasks)
3. Extracurricular activities

   All relevant voluntary or informal positions, with bullets built the same way as work experience.

4. Additional qualifications

   • Scholarships: list them by name, leave the line out if you have none (and consider applying for the Deutschlandstipendium)
   • IT: Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel) plus any tools or programming languages you used in projects
   • Languages: add your CEFR level in brackets if you can prove it
   • Interests: only authentic ones. The more unusual the better, as long as you could discuss them in depth

Writing strong bullets

Each bullet should say what you worked on, what you contributed and what impact it had. Quantify the impact whenever you can.

Action verbs

Existing online resources are mostly poor. The best resource is feedback from friends or professionals, in every application cycle.

The cover letter

Honestly: it matters less and less. Competitive consultancies often don't ask for one anymore. At smaller, lesser-known firms it can still show authenticity and motivation, and occasionally tip the decision.

Structure

1. Summary and application

   State the position, period and location. Mention any contact who referred you, and why this firm in one sentence.

2. Interest in the industry

   One to three main reasons you personally find consulting interesting, ideally linked to your traits or experiences.

3. Your path so far

   The background to key decisions, and the learnings and successes that don't fit into CV bullets. Build a story of why you are where you are and why this is your next step.

4. Interest in the firm

   One to three reasons, linked to your experience. Don't copy the firm's website.

5. Closing

   Optionally what you want to learn, then a short closing line such as "I would be glad to convince you of my qualities in an interview."

Personal fit interview

This part is about who you are, how you reflect on past experiences, and why consulting, or this specific firm, makes sense for you. Interviewers look for consistency: does your story hold together, and do your reasons sound like your own?

Behavioural interview

Here interviewers look for patterns in how you handled responsibility, conflict, failure, teamwork and learning. The emphasis is not on perfect stories, but on judgement, ownership and reflection.

Prepare four or five real experiences that you can adapt to different questions: leadership, a conflict, a failure, a moment you had to persuade someone, a time you learned something quickly. Use the structure as a checklist, not as a script.

Case study interview

The case shows how you approach an unfamiliar problem: structuring ambiguity, reasoning logically, working with numbers and communicating your thinking under pressure. It is less about the "correct" answer than about how you think along the way.

Common case types

End-of-interview questions

Your chance to engage as a peer rather than a candidate. Thoughtful questions show genuine interest, perspective and an understanding of what actually matters in the job.

A successful internship is not about being perfect. Clear goals give direction, precision builds trust and proactivity creates momentum.