Hi, what's the best way to apply direct to firms that don't have online application systems? Just send an email to the address they provide for career enquiries? I've done that once and never heard back from anyone, not even "No, thanks." Would you also cc: the message to people who actually have some hiring power (project managers, practice leaders, etc.)? Thanx.

I am going to assume you are talking about 'smaller' consultancies if they don't have recruitment. Working for a smaller firm myself, here is my 2p worth.Find out about them first - as much as possible so that you can have an informed conversation.Then call up and ask to speak to someone you have identified as working in the area you are interested in. This person will most likely be at director level.Have a pitch ready about yourself - tell them why you're calling, sell yourself, enthuse about their company, ask to meet face to face, offer to send your CV.Even if you don't meet face to face, make sure you follow up with telephone calls. If they say to send the CV to HR or a different person, put a covering letter on to say who you spoke with and reiterate what you said to them. Then follow up with the HR / other person.You may have figured this, but just sending a CV won't work unless they're actively hiring for someone just like you (unlikely with smaller firms). You have to persuade them that they want you.

If you know the decision-makers well enough that you can get an introduction or recommendation through them, then do so. If you're finding that when you email line managers directly they don't reply then they aren't interested and don't want to get involved. If they just forward your email to HR or suggest you apply to the general address then it means they aren't interested but are being polite. They don't tend to be so tied into protocol that they'll pass off a good candidate for the sake of which email address the application was sent to.If you don't know the individuals concerned though, don't cc them into general emails - they won't respond well to being copied into stranger's emails and people could get the wrong end of the stick (e.g. thinking you were pretending to have connections and affiliations to the line managers to push your application through). If you copy in the wrong people who aren't the decision-makers it could also be worse than not copying people in at all, as it suggests you don't understand the organisation (not that you should be expected to of course) but are making assumptions about how they work.

Good advice from Dan E. My comments are more for mid/large firms.

Dan E, anon, thanks a lot. If I am applying to mid/large firms but don't know the individuals concerned, how can I support my application then? Writing emails to Sirs or Madams behind general email addresses like recruitment@firm.com doesn't seem to be working at all. Don't take me wrong. I'm not being critical of HR people now, I am just thinking that copying someone at a more senior decision-making level within the firm (practice managers, directors, etc.) may increase my chances of being spotted/considered for the job.

You don't say whether or not you have an accountancy qualification - I suspect not. If you really want to get into finance I would suspect that you get yourself a CA, although this will mean 3 years of exams, and a bit of a sacrifice in terms of your personal time in order to study for them. However, this is a well recognised qualification that will open lots of doors and mean you'll always be in demand. What would an MsC in Finance provide? - it seems like a bit of a strange choice, or at least it's not a route int finance that I've ever heard of.In case you're wondering, I am a CA and it has given me loads of interesting opportunities, in consulting, that I wouldn't ordinarily have had, and means that I have a lot more choices than someone without.

I recently applied for a job via top consultant.com - on the career opportunities page. the organisation (consulting top 10) called me directly the next day, i went through the interview process dealing with the HR dept directly the whole time, and have recently accepted a job offer. Try looking at the opps there and submitting your cv via that route - good luck