could anyone advise me on this problem. I have just finished a Part-time degree in Business Management and got a first (75%)with many people advising me to look into a consultancy role especially in strategic analysis. However after some research and discussions with some of the big companies the lack of good A-level scores mean I wont even get through the application stage. Any ideas? thank you

Well... how old are you, for starters? If over the age of say 28, I doubt A-level grades are going to be the deciding factor on your application. If younger... then I guess it could make a difference (and almost certainly will do if you're looking at a top tier firm), but you could give it a shot anyway! Take what the HR department tells you with a pinch of salt and remember you're trying to sell yourself to the head-honcho, who will probably have a more balanced view of your application than a box-checking 19 yr old. Basically you have to ask yourself this: Am I credible?

If you have a good degree from a good uni and make a compelling application, then your a-levels aren't the be all and end all.Having saif that it you got Us or Ns, maybe it will be!

You should also ask yourself why your A level results were not great, yet you've done well at degree level?Was there a temporary problem such as illness?Did you find the A level subject matter dull, but the degree interesting?Were you immature at A Level age but found your work rythym now?Being able to explain the gap might be imprortant in interviews. Don't leave it until you're asked to work out why!Also, I hate to say it, but part-time degrees can be looked down on by some snobbish MC types.

You might be best trying for work experience/jobs with some smaller local consultancies, e.g. those run by alumni of your university.The large firms look at a fairly limited range of people at the best of times, and right now they are going to be applying those criteria even more tightly.

Which university is the degree from? Unless it's a good one you're going to struggle (and it's hard to get into a good uni with bad grades, so that may be your problem).

Lie - continuously. If they won't let you in without the A-Level grades, lie and impress in the interview. The probably wont ask for proof and if they do it will be at the offer stage. Stall, work hard and HR will forget about it. Simply ignore any reminders from HR to send proof.If you get found out then you simply wont get a job you had no chance of getting anyway. Perhaps you might want to question why you'd actually want to work with people who look at past exam performance rather then what you can actually do now. If you still want to work with these people and they wont let you in, lie, and then perform better then they ever could in the job.