First person: a consulting internship with Oliver Wyman

Adam Ben-Yousef studied physics at the University of Oxford. He completing a ten-week summer internship with Oliver Wyman and chatted to targetjobs.co.uk about his work experience, answering our questions on training, projects, support, skills and job offers.

What sort of training did you get?

At the start of the internship, I received one week of in-depth formal training, a compressed version of the programme provided to new fulltime consultants. A wide range of topics were covered, from a broad overview of strategy consulting to detailed training on analytical methods and hands-on sessions on presenting recommendations to clients.

What work did you do during the internship?

I worked on two separate projects. The first involved working for a major UK energy company, identifying and analysing strategic growth opportunities in their home services and maintenance division. The senior management team had asked Oliver Wyman to investigate a range of concepts, from eco-projects to acquisitions, and I was given responsibility for building a business case for one of them.

My second client was a UK supermarket. Here, the challenge was to assist those responsible for each category of merchandise to make better strategic decisions about their category, and also to analyse the impact of their decisions. We worked with them to develop a systematic approach to evaluate different investment options, and built tools to make this easier.

What sort of support did you receive?

I received very strong one-on-one support from my immediate managers, who offered assistance and direction in a productive way. I loved the collegial atmosphere within the case team, and how easy it was to drop by someone’s desk for some help and advice when I needed it.

Were you given regular feedback?

Yes. I received two formal performance reviews during my internship, one at the end of each project I worked on. I also received regular informal feedback from my managers, which as well as being very helpful made the formal aspect of the review process much less intimidating.

What skills did your internship equip you with?

My background and degree course had equipped me with strong analytical and problem-solving skills. The internship provided me with the ability to take these skills into a business context, as well as picking up lots of new techniques and practical tips at the same time. Crucially, I was able to learn about the best ways to structure my work so that both methodology and conclusions could be communicated clearly to others.

Crazy hours – myth or reality?

I had been sceptical before starting that there would be lots of corporate buzz-phrases and working long hours for the sake of it. These two concerns were very quickly put to rest. The work was focused on problem solving rather than fitting pre-made solutions, and corporate jargon was nowhere to be heard. While we worked hard and my work really mattered, there was plenty of time for socialising and enjoying London.

What advice would you give to graduates looking for consulting internships?

Treat the internship as a two-way process: the firm is deciding who to offer jobs to, but you should also take the opportunity to assess whether the firm, people and the lifestyle are for you. If you enjoy the internship, then you’ll probably enjoy working in consulting!

Did you receive a job offer at the end of your internship?

Yes. I started full-time at Oliver Wyman in January. I was really glad I did the internship, as it made the decision to join full-time easy – after a fantastic internship experience, and a thorough grounding in what consulting is like, I was certain this was the job for me.