College Experiences That Helped a Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory Director at PwC Succeed
David emphasized that "networking, networking, networking" was crucial for career success, involving extensive outreach on platforms like LinkedIn, attending coffee chats, and leveraging professional organizations to expand exposure within the consulting industry. Complementing this focus on "relationship building," practicing case studies was also essential for securing a consulting job and internship.
Networking, Relationship Building, Consulting Industry, Case Studies, Internship
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
David Samuel
Director, M&A Advisory
PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services LLC
New York University
University of San Diego, MScGL and MBA
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Technology
Consulting
Veteran
Video Highlights
1. Networking: David emphasizes that networking was crucial in graduate school. He actively met people, reached out on LinkedIn, set up coffee chats, and leveraged professional organizations to get his name out and learn about the consulting industry.
2. Internship Importance: Securing an internship during grad school was vital, as it significantly improved the chances of full-time hiring in the second year.
3. Case Study Practice: Practicing case studies was important for landing a consulting job.
Transcript
What did you do in graduate school that set you up for success in your career?
The big one here goes back to relationships. It was networking, networking, networking, networking.
I was constantly meeting people, reaching out on LinkedIn, setting up coffee chats, and leveraging as many professional organizations as I could. This was to get my name out there and be exposed to as many people as possible across the consulting industry.
I knew getting that internship during grad school would be very hard. Once you can get that, it sets you up for the full-time hiring season, which comes up quickly your second year.
At the same time, knowing you're going into consulting, practicing case studies was also important in landing that job. So, I would say that networking, which goes right back into relationship building, is crucial to be successful while you're in grad school.