Hi,I’m currently finishing up my biological sciences PhD at UCL and have taken up a research assistant position for the next few months while I tie up loose ends in academia. However, my plans are to make consultancy applications to start sometime next year, and looking at previous advice given on this board, I should have a reasonably good chance with the bigger firms given my academic record (1st for undergrad, distinction for masters, full academic scholarship, good programming and quant skills etc.). I was hoping I could get some answers from you helpful people and apologies in advance if this is just bringing up previous points…1) Is there anything I can be doing in the meantime to increase my chances of a successful application – e.g. could I get freelance work experience (or is that ridiculous for someone with no experience).2) Unusually for someone who trained in the life sciences, much of my PhD has involved endless programming and statistical analysis. Besides putting this on my CV skills section, is there any way I can make it clear that I’m not just a life sciences PhD lacking quant skills? 3) How will I be viewed by firms having taken up a research assistant’s position in the meantime – i.e. will I be seen as an academic or a fresh PhD (it’s possible that I’ll have been doing it for over 6 months – will this tar me with the dreaded academic brush?)4) I would quite like to still have some involvement with sciences/ technology (possibly pharma/ biotech) – does anyone have particular advice on getting into this sector, aside from recommending the likely firms? (I’m assuming the BSc/MSc/PhD helps.)5) Any other general advice for someone in my position?Many thanks.

Hi WR,I am about to finish my PhD in Astrophysics and also want to move into consulting. I sent some cv's stating clear those skills developed during my PhD which are usefull for this people: quant, analytical, data minning... but also all activities involving interaction with people: speaker in international conferences, representative of the dept. doctorands, etc.Whoever reads your cv will know that you are out of the business world, so doesn't expect you are able to solve a complex marketing problem. Therefore, you just must show that you are a smart guy, but not a geek!Btw, finally, I got a position in a top-5 strategic consulting firm!Good luck!

Cheers for the advice, and congrats on the job.

Based on my experience (as a non native speaker), native speakers of English have just as much trouble with spelling and punctuation as foreigners do, particularly with apostrophes, hyphenation and homophones. E.g. keeping up with the Joneses, Jones' new car, St James's Park, the 1950s, CVs, their vs. there, principal vs. principle, to sign off vs. the sign-off, etc.Although excellent communication skills (both written and oral) are extremely important in consulting, it is quite sad to see this forum being used by some punters, time after time, to berate other posters and divert the discussion from the topic at hand because of poor grammar and/or orthography. After all, this is an informal forum, not a client deliverable.WR & ast: You're right, these are some sought-after skills, however to get a job with the best firms, you need to be able to demonstrate extracurricular achievements as well. I don't think recruiters will hold academic post-doc experience against you, however getting some commercial experience wouldn't hurt either. I think the key is to think about everything else you've done outside your PhD (they know you've done it, and what it usually involves), and get filling those application forms. With year-round recruitment, you could be in a new job in three months!Good luck.

Thanks for the advice (and the informed appraisal of language difficulties in non-native English speakers).WR

2 cents,Thanks a lot for your points. I'd also say that it strongly depends on the country: for instance, having a PhD (specially in Science) in Germany or Holland is almost a key to obtain a good position in industry. On the other side, in Spain, France or Italy being a doctor is close to a handicap.Regards

To 'my 2 cents': Just to follow up on some of your advice - 'getting some commercial experience wouldn't hurt.'What kind of thing would be good? And how would I go about getting it? I'm guessing you mean something quite short-term given that 'm going to be making applications soon-ish. Muchos thanks again.

If you happen to stumble upon a good temp job, or can identify some other business-related short-term opportunity that would be relatively quick and easy to get involved in (e.g. raising money for a local charity, helping with a business plan for a university spin-out, etc.) you should take the opportunity.However, instead of spending loads of time looking for a "stepping stone" and applying for jobs you are overqualified but inexperienced for (and subsequently getting rejected), I'd suggest trying the direct academia to consulting route, as I think this will be the most straightforward one and get you where you want to be the quickest. You can always look for something else if you are unsuccessful in the case study interviews, e.g. for lack of "commercial acumen" (always ask for feedback after interviews, even first round, and start applying/interviewing with the Tier 2 firms first to build your experience). Anyone with strong logical thinking and basic understanding of maths can do these, especially after some practice (see McKinsey, BCG and Bain & Co websites for sample case studies and elsewhere on this forum or vault.com for guidance on how to "crack" them).So, to reiterate, apply now and see what happens. Make sure you draw examples from a wide range of experiences, and practice your 1-minute sales pitch. I.e. be able to articulate what it is about you that sets you apart from the crowd. What are your key strengths? How did you cope with difficult colleagues/subordinates/situations/problems? What did you learn? Why do you want to build a career in consulting (NB. this is NOT the same as "Why do you want to leave academia?").Also, it is quite likely that your interviewer (at least in the top tier companies) will have a PhD as well, so it's always worth asking questions about their careers and experiences with the firm/industry in the interview.Hope this helps.

Two cents,Thanks once again for the advice - it's very much appreciated. While I do have limited commercial experience (sales for my family's business during uni holidays), I will certainly try to gain more with the sort of thing you have suggested. You anticipated my next query which was: 'should I spend much time getting experience before making applications' - very helpful!WRWR