Honest Career Advise

Hi all,

I'd be very grateful if you could give some honest and truthful advise.

After leaving uni (BA degree in Economics) I started working for Deloitte in Spain (Spanish as mother tongue) as BA. I participated in CRM implementation projects as part of the Processes re-ingenieering stream (being promoted at this time) and in CRM support projects helping in defining processes and implementing best practices for the client.

I was then hired by one of those clients (top Pharma company) and moved to London to help them in creating an internal support structure for the CRM applications used in the different divisions. Hopefully this would be a successful project in the next 8 to 12 months.

Once we've got a quality group I'm planning to make a new move, this time into MC. I think I can offer financial understanding (univ degree), consulting experience (DC) and "blue-chip" company experience - all together 4 years experience in 2007.

Based in the above my questions are:

- Is my idea of getting into MC realistic without a MBA -something I cannot afford at the moment?

- Which firms should be my first option?

- Any advise on how to approach them?

Many thanks for the time spent reading my thread... and as I said, please be 100% honest.

Many thanks!

Yes - an MBA isn't essential for anyone - it's experience and track record that counts. From my point of view, I often think that self-funded MBAs are people who feel the need to bulk up their CVs. Unless it's a top MBA, it's a bit like grads saying "I've been travelling!"

good luck

Hi So. I'd like to ask your opinion on working in Spain: is it possible for a UK grad (speaks fluent English, German and Italian as well as some Spanish) to get a job in Spain? Assuming qualifications are okay, do you need to speak fluent Spanish or would they let this fly for the 6 months or so it'd take to get fluent?

Hi! Unfortunately the command of English (and others) in Spain is not as good as it should be. You can then find yourself applying for companies where 90% of the employees speak very basic English.

What is your current level (social, business,...)? Saying that, the environment in the big MC firms is more 'international' so getting into one of them might be easier... but you can end up presenting to a CEO or board with medium-low knowledge of English

Hope it helps!

Regarding my questions above, could somebody else provide more feedback? Being relatively new to the country my knowledge of the UK MC market is quite limited. Any comments are more than welcome.

Many thanks!

Yes, lack of MBA shouldn't be a problem.

I'd look at the websites of the big 4 and some of the bigger second tier and then call the recruitment depts and have a chat wit them

Thanks for your comments Beth!

Could you please tell me the name of those companies so consider are the biggest 2nd tier ones?

Thanks again!

Because you are with a company it would be wise to look at the companies ed program. most companies will pay all or a portion of your education. I would strongly look at this as a foundation before making a move. you need to focus on your fondation

Coach Don

www.domargroup.com

There are many, many successful consultants without an MBA and many recruits don't have one. Having worked with people who both have and don't have MBA's, to be honest, the qualification makes no difference, it's all about personal attributes.

I agree that the lack of an MBA, given your experience, is not likely to be a significant issue in getting into consulting.

If you are happy consulting with a CRM, marketing, or related specialism then you're going to be well-set at the end of your current project.

If you want to make a larger change, into a different type of consulting, then further study could be beneficial.

Ultimately, if you can't afford an MBA at this stage then it's not something worth worrying about. I'm sure the Big-4 would be interested in you, as would a number of specialist consultancies - it just depends what your preferences are for working environment and types of projects.