Be a vital part of the team

With more than 100,000 staff in 140 countries, Ernst & Young - one of the world's leading professional services firms - provides clients with financial, transactional and risk management solutions.

Although a numeracy-based degree is an advantage in some areas of the firm, the company will this year take on around 550 graduates with degrees in anything from business studies to psychology. As long as a candidate has a 2.1 degree, a minimum 24 Ucas points - the average is 28 - and what Rolls calls "raw potential," the company will want to learn more about them.

"Intellectual capability is core in our mission to advise clients and help them to run their businesses better, and because professional qualifications are an intrinsic benchmark in our industry, a proven track-record in being able to sit and pass exams well is essential."

Over at management and IT consultancy Accenture, which takes on around 500 graduates each year, it is often the candidate's extra-curricular activities at university that stand out on an application form.

"We are looking for people who have taken full advantage of the opportunities offered at university, whether that means playing sport or working on a campus radio station," says Suzy Style, graduate recruitment head at the firm.

"A well-rounded individual with self-confidence, but not arrogance, and with the antennae necessary to understand the particular client environment they are working in will ultimately do well in management consultancy," she adds.

While an interest in technology is important at the firm - where many of the jobs revolve around testing complex new systems for a client before they go live, for example - such is the breadth of the firm's client base that most graduates with an interest in business will find a niche, says Style.

Accenture's current client list includes Shell, BP, the London Stock Exchange, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury and Sony.

The Management Consultancies Association (MCA) defines its profession as "creating value for organisations through the application of knowledge, techniques and assets that improve performance."

Consultancies will typically offer a wide range of service in some or all of the following areas: strategy, development and change, human resources, financial management, IT consultancy, e-business and e-commerce, manufacturing, marketing, environmental management and quality management.

A newly hired graduate in management consultancy may become involved in gathering data relevant to the client's problem, interviewing clients about the situation they face, researching external sources such as the Web for clues to potential solutions and ultimately presenting recommendations for actions, often to senior clients.

Not surprisingly then, self-confidence is an important pre-requisite. Yet so too are strong inter-personal skills.

"The reason why our intake tends to be so bright intellectually is as much about emotional intelligence as it is about academic achievement," says Rolls.

"Whether they are working in something fairly technical like tax and finance or in business management generally, we need people who can forge real one-to-one relationships with external clients, not simply pore over the books with them."

As a graduate entrant, a would-be management consultant can earn between £20,000 and £32,000, with up to £250,000 (plus performance bonus) a distinct possibility at partner or director level. Opportunities for experienced consultants to become self-employed are well-established in this highly entrepreneurial sector.

Rolls is keen to dispel the idea that becoming a management consultant is a little like doing a postgraduate degree. "It doesn't matter if someone has never worked in their lives apart from doing a paper round, but it does matter if they have no understanding of, or feel for, the commercial world," he says. "I would recommend anyone coming to see us to read the business press and get a feel for the concerns of international management. Being able to talk coherently about what makes business tick is a great asset in an interview."