Insights with Bo

As Asians, we often fail to realize the gap between the

i)skills that would help us do well on the job

And

Ii)skills that will actually help us get the job

This week's episode with Jian Hong explores these issues at an Industry and a  granular level through discussing his experiences from being a summer intern at Oliver Wyman to working at OC&C as an Strategy Consultant that focuses on Analytics.

Jian Hong is also the co-founder of BestFit, a start-up dedicated to helping students like yourself through mentorships with working professionals from firms like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey. As someone who went through the program myself, I can assure you that having an insider is definitely one of the best ways to get a head-start for 2021 applications.

Time Stamp

• Developing trends within consulting  - 0:50
• How are Implementation focused firms compete with Strategy firms - 2:30
• When do you come in for a project - 3:30
• How do you differentiate yourself as a consultant - 4:30
• What does an Analytics consultant do - 5:30
• How does consulting work differ when you're at a developed economy - 7:00
• How are analytics consultant adding value to a generalist project - 8:00
• A cash cow for Computer Scientists? - 10:21
• BestFit Intro - 11:50
• Why technical profiency isn't the be all end all - 14:00
• Why Strategy Consulting from an Engineering Background - 16:00
• Actionable advice to break into consulting - 18:20
• Jian Hong's application journey - 19:00
• Experience as a Jardine Scholar - 21:00

Note: The comments made here by the interviewee do not represent their views in any way of form professionally. 

Linkedin Profile of Interviewee: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jianlim95/

To kick-off the first episode of the MBB series, I interviewed Stefany, a second-year Biomedical science undergraduate from the University of Edinburgh! Her journey to becoming an incoming 2021 Associate at BCG epitomizes an age-old conflict between pursuing a career-relevant to our field and trusting our gut.

Here, she challenges the dominant narrative that applications are a power-sum game while providing actionable insights that you can take today, especially if you're not attending Oxbridge/Target London universities with little history of MBB alumni.

These insights, coupled with tips on how you could leverage your extracurricular activities in the application process provides the foundation for you to address the growing urge to prepare for the upcoming recruitment cycle!

Time-Stamp:

Introduction - 0:54 Why join an industry-agnostic consulting firm - 2:20 Trusting your gut - 3:30 The benefits of studying in a London University - 6:30 5 Phases of preparation for consulting - 6:50 The importance of finding a like-minded community - 8:30 How to change your case interview preparation for different firms - 13:30

What happens before the case interview - 15:40 How to deal with the impersonal feeling from video interviews - 17:20 The rule of thumb before video interviews - 18:50 How to use your non-work-related experience for consulting interviews - 19:50 The importance of not becoming an overly technical candidate - 22:50

Curious about how to approach Investment Banking Division (IBD) Video Interviews for 2021 Summer Internships/Grad Schemes? Maybe you've somehow beat 90% of the applicants and landed the coveted Assessment Centre (AC), but was not successful due to a lack of experience?

If that's you, Krystal's journey from having more than 30+ rejections for spring weeks to securing an offer in one of the largest corporate and investment banks in Hong Kong might just be the missing piece of your puzzle.

In this episode, we cover the tried-and-test methods for nailing that Interview/ACs while exploring how an outgoing Singaporean who grew up in Beijing and Hong Kong discovered and pursued her passion in IBD from having no idea about it when she first came to university!

Time Stamp:

Spring Week Application Journey - 2:15 Do you need Technical Skills to do spring weeks - 4:30 How to Approach Psychometric Tests - 8:20 Is Finance for everybody? - 9:30 How to approach Video Interviews for Summer Internships - 13:00 How to research a company before an interview - 15:00 How to find the right firm - 20:00 How to approach IBD Assessment Centres - 25:00 How to build Commercial Awareness as a non-Finance student - 28:00 Why you have hope for the impending recruitment season - 32:00 The Importance of having a network and be humble - 35:00

Note: The comments made here by the interviewee do not represent their views in any way or form professionally. 

Linkedin profile of the interviewee:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystalyip/

In the last few weeks, I've had Assessment Centres invites and Internships cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation. Dejected, I approached professionals from different industries working in London for inspiration and advice on applications for graduate schemes in 2021.

After realizing that there were A LOT of International Students who were struggling to break into the 'City', I thought: why not start a podcast so that more International Students can benefit from these insights? Besides, our struggle was unique although the increasing BAME Initiatives under the CSR programs of companies are a welcomed development.

I recently interviewed Jae Sheng Ang (Audit Associate at EY and Strategy Intern at HSBC UK) for my new podcast! If you are keen to learn about how an easy-going international student from KL and a full-time frisbee captain at Warwick approached his applications from the online test to the Assessment Centre, then you just might find this helpful :) 

Time Stamp: Introduction - 0:15 2nd year application journey - 2:00 Selling yourself for Strategy Internships with no relevant Job experience - 4:00 Work Life Balance as an intern - 7:00 HSBC Strategy Intern Projects and other related work - 7:45 Biggest struggle during applications - 12:00 Jae Sheng's approach to Video Interviews - 13:00 Life as an EY employee - 15:15 Training as an EY employee - 18:00 Busy hours during earnings season - 19:00 Important skills to have for an Internship - 21:00 What should international students do about their soft skills - 25:00 

Note: The comments made here by the interviewee do not represent their views in any way or form professionally. 

Linkedin profile of interviewee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaeshengang291/