Business Analytics, Strategy and Consulting
The challenges of globalisation, new technology, evolving business trends and changes in regulation, have meant a rise in demand for consultancy and analyst services, particularly in the post-pandemic period. However, according to Consultancy.uk, there has been a 3.4% contraction over the last year (to April 2025) leading to redundancies in some of the leading players including Deloitte and McKinsey.
Major consultancy firms include McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group as well as the big four (PwC, EY, KPMG & Deloitte). Other major consultancies include Accenture (tech-focused), Oliver Wyman, PA Consulting and OC & C Strategy Consultants among others. There are also lots of specialist and/or smaller consultants offering services to niche industries (e.g. Carnall Farrar – experts in healthcare). You might consider using the FAME database in the library to identify boutique consultancies by location and size.
A career as a business analyst or consultant can be intellectually challenging, lucrative, offer varied work and opportunities for travel both nationally and internationally. Work environments will vary between employers, but you are likely to be working long hours in a high-intensity environment at early career stage.
Recruitment is highly competitive, so you need to be knowledgeable about the sector and prepare well for selection assessments. These typically involve psychometric testing and case interviews (see links below), which are a key feature of most consulting recruitment. It is advisable to dedicate a good amount of time to research and prepare for these in advance, to increase your chances of success.
Search on Handshake for Introduction to Case Interview workshops which are run each term to support you. Other resources to look at include:
- BCG – Case Interview Preparation
- Accenture – Secrets to a successful case-study interview
- efinancialcareers - How to prepare for the case study in a private equity interview
- Igotanoffer - case Interview examples from McKinsey, BCG, Bain etc.
- Career in Consulting – 280 free case interview examples (with answers)
- Kearney – Crack the Case – top tips on how to approach case interviews.
If you are interested in this area of work, this sector might also be of interest to you:
If you would like to do further research into this sector, the following webpages may be useful.
- History and structure of consultancy in the UK (Consultancy UK)
- UK’s Leading Management Consultants 2024 (Financial Times)
- Top Consulting Firms in the UK 2023 Report (Consultancy UK)
- A Career in Consulting Guide (MCA)
- Career Zone Podcast with Young MCA Consultant
- Bright Network – Career Path Guide
- How hard is it to get into consulting really? (targetjobs)
- Climb in Consulting podcasts which shares individual narratives of careers in boutique consulting and offers opportunities to develop commercial awareness and gain insights
Sector News
- Consulting News in the UK (Consultancy UK)
- MCA Awards Times Supplement – October 2023 (MCA)
- UK Consultancies cut numbers amid market slowdown (Financial Times, February 2024)
- Top Consultant – news articles, events and career opportunities
Making contacts is essential for success in this and other sectors. Many jobs in this field come through networking and speculative applications. You could start by speaking with the experts – find out what they did after graduation and contact them for advice. You may also find it useful to read our Researching employers page.
Making contacts for work shadowing, informational interviews and speculative applications
To help grow your network of contacts who may also be able to suggest ways to gain experiences look at:
- Ask an Alum: A fuss-free way to connect with University of Exeter alumni to ask careers questions.
- Career Mentor Scheme: A popular employability scheme which matches a student or graduate with an experienced professional, for sector insight and one-to-one careers advice and guidance, over a 6-month period.
- This video describes how to use the LinkedIn Alumni tool. Why not see if there are any Exeter alumni working in this sector that you can connect with to gain insights and learn more.
- Start networking to make useful connections. Attend events, comment on blogs, follow professionals on X and join a professional body, such as the MCA or the Institute of Consulting
Recruitment fairs, careers fairs, open days, talks, and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. For details of future events visit Handshake. If you have not yet activated your account, select the Single Sign On (SSO) option and follow the onscreen instructions.
It is worthwhile registering your interest with key employers to receive notifications of forthcoming events.
- McKinsey upcoming events
- Boston Consulting Group (BCG) events
- MCA and Young MCA events
- Deloitte Early Careers events
- Oliver Wyman events
Student societies at Exeter often also host employer events or presentations.
- Exe Consulting (part of Business & Finance student society)
- 180 Degrees Consulting Exeter (student society)
Many major graduate recruiters have policies and processes that are proactive in recruiting graduates from diverse backgrounds. To find out the policies and attitudes of employers that you are interested in, explore their equality and diversity policies and see if they offer Disability Confident Employer Scheme or are recognised for their policy by such indicators as Mindful Employer or as a Stonewall’s Diversity Champion.
The UK law protects you from discrimination due to your age, gender, race, religion or beliefs, disability or sexual orientation and more. For further information on the Equality Act and to find out where and how you are protected, as well as information on what you need to do if you feel you have been discriminated against, visit the Government’s webpages on discrimination.
To learn more about how to share details of a disability with an employer and the support you can receive applying for jobs and work experience visit our equality and diversity page.
Further information
Schemes which aim to increase diversity in the sector include:
- PwC – Black Talent in Business – 3-day paid programme.
- PwC – Women in Business – 3-day paid programme.
- 10000 Able Interns – addresses the underrepresentation of disabled talent for students and graduates of all ethnicities.
- 10000 Black Interns – paid internships for black students across a wide range of UK industries.
- Discover EY - (2-day programme for Black Heritage in Business and Women in Leadership and Social Mobility in Business).
Action
Explore roles in the sector by visiting the areas of work below. Each profile covers typical duties and responsibilities, entry requirements, key skills required, professional development opportunities and links to finding both work experience and graduate roles.
