Hi there,I have a PhD in Pharmacology, does anyone think it will give me a significant advantage when applying for entry level consulting jobs? or was my PhD all a waste of time!?!

It won't give you any advantage, but it was only a waste of time if your reason for doing the PhD was to get into consulting. I suspect not (if it was, I'd question your common sense credentials are up to scratch for the working world).

If you did a phd in order to get into consulting, then yes, it was a waste of time. A small number of companies actively recruite PhDs e.g. McKinsey for JA positions, but of course it's competitive.For other consultancies you may actually find it a negative. Several of the people I did my PhD with got rejected from the likes of OW, Deloitte, ACN etc., despite having stellar academic resumes and being highly intelligent, because these companies did not want to risk taking on PhDs.The reason is that churn for PhDs in consulting grad programs is higher than non-PhDs, with quite a few exiting at around 6 months. Going from being a respected expert in your area (tiny though it may be) with a lifestyle that's under your control, to doing the most tedious, brain-dead work as a new joiner that could be done by trained chimps for 15 hours a day demotivates people.

I did a PhD because I wanted to go into research. However I dont enjoy the lab work so I am looking to get into new field like consulting but it seems like alot of people have a negative opinion of consulting, why is that so?

Dont believe all the negative comments you hear on here.For some reason this forum attracts more individuals that are unhappy with consultancy as a career choice rather than those that areI did my PhD in chemical engineering and then spent 6 years working in the Pharma industry in a variety of engineering positions. I then moved to PwC 3 years ago and its the best move I ve madeWork is very interesting, huge variety...and as far as my career goes, it is progresing nicelyMy advice to you....go for it!

I'll wager a fiver that "Anon" (the one who joined PWC 3 years ago) is a woman.

@ Steve McPhee: Why do you say that? Are women treated better in consulting?

If I answer that question, I'll be opening up a whole can of worms and setting myself up for some controversy. But let's just say... I bet I'm right.

haha this forum is making it harder for me to make a decision whether to go into consulting or not...

If your PhD is in Pharmacology then you might be best checking out firms that specialise in this area, as they, and their clients, often place a high value on PhDs. Maybe check out ZS, IMS Health etc.

Thank you so much for posting your advice, ecspecially anonmoose and anon (PWC). I will certainly look into applying for companies that specialise in pharma consulting :)

Steve McPhee You owe me a fiver

Actually, he was right. I am the original Anon.

I would like to introduce you a project that we have been working on for about 8 months now: http://www.phd2consulting.com/I believe that it is a great for PhDs transitioning from academia to management consulting. We do also have a very active Linkedin group that you can find answers to most of the questions occupying your mind. http://www.linkedin.com/groups/PhD-Consulting-3797868?gid=3797868&trk=hb_side_ghope this will help!

I would like to introduce you a project that we have been working on for about 8 months now: http://www.phd2consulting.com/I believe that it is a great for PhDs transitioning from academia to management consulting. We do also have a very active Linkedin group that you can find answers to most of the questions occupying your mind. http://www.linkedin.com/groups/PhD-Consulting-3797868?gid=3797868&trk=hb_side_ghope this will help!

Hi I am also a science PhD. Any luck with getting a consultancy job?