Hi,I just received my Ph.D last month (December 2015) and am looking at becoming a consultant ASAP. For the past year, I've been trying to land a good postdoc position with no success and so I never looked into this field until recently. I figured I'd graduate and then evaluate my options without having to do research, teach a class, etc. The question I have is: is it too late to get a position at a top consulting firm for 2016? I have plenty of time to apply in January if there's still time.

I feel like you probably have your answer by now, but I'll put my 2 cents in. First, I'm assuming you're not an experienced hire because firms hire those on an ongoing basis. Basically, you've probably missed your chance for the big firms. Most of these in most countries hire new grads in late-summer/mid-fall. 20/20 hindsight: you should have applied then while finishing up your degree. Smaller consulting firms probably don't follow this model and will hire as needed (and without the long wait time between getting an offer and starting). You're best bet is to go to them if your heart is set on consulting. You might also consider getting another job, and applying when the next round of hiring happens (starting in september).

Hi, you have missed out on graduate consultancy roles for 2016 and they are drawing to a close for 2017, you can see the PwC online registration form on their website (I have pasted the URL below as it is so long) and applicaitons are open until 18th Feb with first interviews scheduled to start 22nd February.We have written about this on our website, check it out at www.in2consulting.london we help graduates to get into consultancy roles by sharing information, publishing news, providing courses that give you inside tips and helping you to practice your interviewing skills with individual feedback, it is very competitive out there! Our article on closing dates is at http://www.in2consulting.london/news/We will try to find out about the dates for the other big constancies and post those for you too. Consulting really is a great career, we hope you find your way!KrissiPwC application URLhttp://www.ukcareers.pwc.com/PwCGradWeb/Searches/VacancyDetails.aspx?VacancyId=ba9a27f2650c474caa665d07fd0ef3b9&LoggedOut=True&Site=Graduate&EntryRoute=572F857BD7C5492787E57AA4269C5D16&BUArea=8CC8BDED55144291B82934C1DF10E30C&BusinessStream=983B07D8874A4F0697B586C6C8BAE38B&PageNo=1&StartPage=1&OrderBy=loc