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An A.T. Kearney associate speaks of his summer internship days and what they taught him when he was a young graduate. Jordan Shapiro, Management Consultancy Associate at A.T. Kearney, says that his internship was a great experience and gave a real taste of his current role, rather than being a contrived summer experience.
"Having completed my BSc in aerospace engineering in Toronto, I went on to work for the Space Shuttle programme with MDA Space Missions (a prime contractor to NASA) for 4 years. Although very exciting - as you might imagine - I felt I had reached a plateau, which is when I decided to enrol at London Business School in 2004 for my MBA.
In the summer of 2005 I began my internship at A.T. Kearney, which lasted for 10 weeks. Recruitment for the internship happened on-campus - better known as the milk round - with interviews on-campus for the first round and at an assessment centre in the office for the final round."
And what is your current role?
I am now a full-time Associate with A.T. Kearney, where I am responsible for the delivery of one or more streams of work, within one project for a single client at a time. I also like to get involved in non-project related aspects of the company - delivering training, supporting recruitment, and maintaining the company's relationship with London Business School, for example.
What was your internship experience like? What project(s) did you work on?
My internship was a great experience and gave a real taste of my current role, rather than a contrived summer experience. As a Summer Associate, I was given responsibility at, and held accountable to, the same expectation as a full-time Associate.
I worked on two projects, the main one being to support development of a full-scale "model" office to simulate a real life situation. The aim was to test out an entirely new organization design before implementation, and in so doing, find gaps in technology, resources and people skills to improve efficiency and productivity.
The whole experience was really interesting for me, mainly stemming from the fact that I was new to consultancy and enjoyed the different analytical thinking and problem-solving angles to which I was not accustomed.
What skills, experience and perspectives did you gain in your internship that has helped you in your current role?
One of the key benefits was that the firm offered the full training and development program typically offered to a full-time Associate over one year within the ten-week internship. I'd describe it as a core consultancy toolkit. It focused on all the major skills you need on the job, notably, problem-solving, communication structuring and presentation skills, and it definitely gave me a jump-start when I took on the full-time position.
It was also good for me, having come from a totally different background, to gain exposure to a new way of thinking, dealing with ambiguity, and an altogether higher strategic level of thought.
Do you feel that the internship gave you a true feel for your current role?
Yes, without a doubt! Of course, given the time frame, I wasn't given exposure to the full breadth of opportunities that exist throughout the firm, but in terms of the level of the work in which I was involved and the contact with people and departments in the office I was offered, it was a mirror of what I am experiencing now.
What is noticeable, and is great, in terms of understanding A.T. Kearney's view on internships, is the huge effort put in to the recruitment of interns. The recruitment process for interns was no different from the full recruitment process for a full-time Associate. They give you a great feel for the culture and values of the firm, and the investment on the part of the firm, in terms of training and development shows that they have taken you on with the potential of a full-time position down the line.
Why did you choose to join A.T. Kearney full-time?
My decision was clear-cut. Key to it was the strong relationships I had built during my internship. It was also an added incentive to already know many of the very smart and incredibly talented people who would be my colleagues. Also, the management buy-out from EDS that was taking place in late-2005 also meant it was a very exciting time for the firm and the energy of the entrepreneurial environment that A.T. Kearney was becoming was a big attraction for me.
A.T. Kearney MBA Internships: Interview
By QS Contributor
Updated UpdatedAn A.T. Kearney associate speaks of his summer internship days and what they taught him when he was a young graduate. Jordan Shapiro, Management Consultancy Associate at A.T. Kearney, says that his internship was a great experience and gave a real taste of his current role, rather than being a contrived summer experience.
"Having completed my BSc in aerospace engineering in Toronto, I went on to work for the Space Shuttle programme with MDA Space Missions (a prime contractor to NASA) for 4 years. Although very exciting - as you might imagine - I felt I had reached a plateau, which is when I decided to enrol at London Business School in 2004 for my MBA.
In the summer of 2005 I began my internship at A.T. Kearney, which lasted for 10 weeks. Recruitment for the internship happened on-campus - better known as the milk round - with interviews on-campus for the first round and at an assessment centre in the office for the final round."
And what is your current role?
I am now a full-time Associate with A.T. Kearney, where I am responsible for the delivery of one or more streams of work, within one project for a single client at a time. I also like to get involved in non-project related aspects of the company - delivering training, supporting recruitment, and maintaining the company's relationship with London Business School, for example.
What was your internship experience like? What project(s) did you work on?
My internship was a great experience and gave a real taste of my current role, rather than a contrived summer experience. As a Summer Associate, I was given responsibility at, and held accountable to, the same expectation as a full-time Associate.
I worked on two projects, the main one being to support development of a full-scale "model" office to simulate a real life situation. The aim was to test out an entirely new organization design before implementation, and in so doing, find gaps in technology, resources and people skills to improve efficiency and productivity.
The whole experience was really interesting for me, mainly stemming from the fact that I was new to consultancy and enjoyed the different analytical thinking and problem-solving angles to which I was not accustomed.
What skills, experience and perspectives did you gain in your internship that has helped you in your current role?
One of the key benefits was that the firm offered the full training and development program typically offered to a full-time Associate over one year within the ten-week internship. I'd describe it as a core consultancy toolkit. It focused on all the major skills you need on the job, notably, problem-solving, communication structuring and presentation skills, and it definitely gave me a jump-start when I took on the full-time position.
It was also good for me, having come from a totally different background, to gain exposure to a new way of thinking, dealing with ambiguity, and an altogether higher strategic level of thought.
Do you feel that the internship gave you a true feel for your current role?
Yes, without a doubt! Of course, given the time frame, I wasn't given exposure to the full breadth of opportunities that exist throughout the firm, but in terms of the level of the work in which I was involved and the contact with people and departments in the office I was offered, it was a mirror of what I am experiencing now.
What is noticeable, and is great, in terms of understanding A.T. Kearney's view on internships, is the huge effort put in to the recruitment of interns. The recruitment process for interns was no different from the full recruitment process for a full-time Associate. They give you a great feel for the culture and values of the firm, and the investment on the part of the firm, in terms of training and development shows that they have taken you on with the potential of a full-time position down the line.
Why did you choose to join A.T. Kearney full-time?
My decision was clear-cut. Key to it was the strong relationships I had built during my internship. It was also an added incentive to already know many of the very smart and incredibly talented people who would be my colleagues. Also, the management buy-out from EDS that was taking place in late-2005 also meant it was a very exciting time for the firm and the energy of the entrepreneurial environment that A.T. Kearney was becoming was a big attraction for me.
Source: QS TopMBA Career Guide
This article was originally published in . It was last updated in
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