My classmate and recent grad Alex Swan (MMS ’12) is now a Global Business Services Consultant at IBM in San Francisco. Recruiting for consulting positions begins earlier than for other jobs, and I thought it would be helpful for current and future MMSers to have some first-hand knowledge about the process. Alex was very determined to work in management consulting, and I thought she’d be the perfect candidate for a Q&A on the topic:

Alex Swan (MMS '12)

Why did you decide to pursue a career in management consulting?

Since I was in high school, I have always had a passion for international politics and economics. I loved both subjects and as a result, I was a member of both my high school and college Model United Nations teams. In these United Nations simulations, we were challenged to solve complex international problems. I followed my interest in politics, economics, and business through doing summer internships with Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), a San Jose Redevelopment Agency, and a Silicon Valley startup. After I realized that I did not want to go to law school and I was not going to be the next Kofi Annan, I figured the only way to solve the world’s inefficiencies was going to be through the private sector and working in management consulting.

When did you start preparing for the job search?

I started preparing for the job search in August.

What did you do to prepare for the job search and what was most useful?

In the summer, I researched companies and interview questions, crafted my resume, and reached out to Fuqua and MMS alumni about their consulting experiences. During the Fall Term, I practiced interviews and case studies with other MMS students and continued to speak to Fuqua alumni.

The most useful preparation I did was speaking to current consultants. I reached out to them in late August and early September. I talked to friends who successfully landed jobs in investment banking and consulting, and asked them for drafts of their successful “networking emails,” which I personalized for myself. When reaching out to alumni, it really helps to be genuine and appreciative! They are taking time to talk to you! When I spoke to them, I wrote down everything they said. This helped me to get a better understanding of how to describe consulting and why I wanted to work in that area. I probably spoke to over 30 alumni in the industry.

Another thing I found useful was working with other people on answering potential interview questions. My interview buddy and I would type out our answers then recite them to each other for feedback. This kind of mock interview preparation really helped my interview skills.

What was your experience during the consulting recruiting season? Was it difficult to balance out recruitment with school and other activities?

To be honest, consulting recruiting isn’t easy.

Consulting recruiters often do not know about the MMS program if they have not hired an MMSer before. Therefore, when going to info sessions, I would not only have to sell myself, but also sell and explain the program. I believe many people come into MMS thinking that the Career Management Center will get them a job, but in fact it’s really up to you. The more you do to create opportunities, the more opportunities you will have to choose from.

During the Fall Term, I literally had no time to do anything but go to info sessions, do homework, have informational interviews, and practice interviews. I was warned by previous MMSers that the only “free time” I would have during recruitment season would be for sleeping. The worst week I had was during the finals week of Fall Term I, when I had four interviews and three finals. After that week, I couldn’t have been more excited about Fall Break!

Take me through your experiences with the interview process at IBM.

The interview process with any on-campus recruiter starts with an information session. I first got to know IBM through attending their on-campus info session. After speaking to IBM recruiters, consultants, and partners at the info session, I understood that IBM had a lot to offer. During the following week, IBM Global Business Services (GBS) offered Office Hours where students met with consultants, providing an opportunity to learn more about IBM GBS and consulting. I was chosen to attend the session and got to speak to a senior consultant. I highlighted my experience in a Fuqua case competition where I worked in a team to decide who might win the current “mobile war” between Apple and Google — this emphasized my interest and insight on the industry.

I believe my time speaking with the senior consultant not only helped me learn more about IBM GBS, but also let IBM learn more about me as an individual. Thus, when I was chosen for an initial on-campus interview, I already felt that IBM knew me and my name. Prior to being selected for an interview, I had booked my Fall Break flight back home to California, and I was scheduled to leave two days before the interview. When I was chosen for the interview, I immediately asked the recruiter if I could reschedule or hold my interview in San Francisco. As anyone would guess, they said if I wanted to interview I would have to interview on the scheduled day in Durham. I was bummed I would have to delay my trip to California, but I rebooked my flight.

As for the interview, it consisted of three sessions with three different people within 1.5 hours in the Smith Warehouse in downtown Durham. I first had one case interview, then two behavioral interviews. When one of the interviewers asked, “How interested are you in IBM?” I immediately told him, “I changed my flight home for this!” Looking back on the interview, I think that changing my flight and mentioning it in the interview showed how serious I was about the position and about becoming a consultant.

Why did you decide to work for IBM?

I decided to work for IBM because it combined my passion for technology and consulting. I liked that IBM, compared to its competitors, often builds or owns the technology they implement. IBM can call on their experts to consult and solve complex problems with clients. I believe that being a technology company first and a consulting company second gives IBM an advantage over its competitors.

What advice would you give to members of the current MMS class who are interested in consulting?

The first thing I would recommend is to start early. If you know you are interested in consulting or a particular consulting company, reach out to alumni early, before every Duke undergrad and MMSer does the same. It will make you look more serious and will help you build stronger connections prior to the recruitment period.

Secondly, I would recommend listening during Business Communication classes, and especially pay attention to Fuqua’s career coaches and staff, including Mary Beth. The career service staff has great advice on job portals, how to write an informational interview email, how to learn more about a company, and how to frame answers to interview questions. I often sought advice from the career services staff after workshops. The best session is definitely the interview workshop. They will help you craft statements on introducing yourself and telling your story, which is crucial in the interview process.

Thirdly, it is important to prioritize. If you are not looking to gain employment with a US consulting employer that does on-campus recruiting then this does not apply to you. School is very important, but I decided that I was going to give 100% into finding a consulting position in the Fall. I knew that opportunities would be much harder to get after the Fall. I often did my career homework first and my real homework second. I made it a priority to email alumni, do informational interviews, and practice cases in my free time.

Thank you for participating in this interview, Alex, and best of luck at IBM!

Dame’s Chicken & Waffles

I had chicken and waffles for the first time during my sophomore year of college and immediately fell in love. This may seem like a weird combination, but once you try it, it all makes sense. Dame’s, located in downtown Durham, does the dish a little differently than what I’m used to. The waffle is a bit softer (it’s a bit like a thick pancake), and is offered in multiple forms, such as gingerbread and sweet potato (of course, regular is also an option.) The chicken is also a bit different from other establishments I’ve been to, as they offer chicken without the bone. The chicken is fried, very crispy, and has great flavor. My favorite way to eat the dish is to combine it, leaving the chicken right on top of the waffle, and I pour syrup over all of it, but some prefer to separate the two. Every time I went to Dame’s I had a great experience, with incredible food and really good service — their staff is incredibly nice and accommodating, and always helpful to customers who’ve never had the dish before. I highly recommend chicken and waffles in general, and you should definitely go to Dame’s. The line can be long for lunch on weekends, so try to go during weekdays — you can usually get a table right away.

Los Comales de Durham

Los Comales is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Durham, and I wish I had eaten there more. It’s a bit off the beaten track, north of downtown Durham and around 10-15 minutes away from Duke, but they have great Mexican food. This place is not a sit-down restaurant and the entire menu is in Spanish, so you may need to ask for help when ordering. I’m a really big fan of the tacos and tortas — very fresh and cooked perfectly. This restaurant also has Melon Water, which looked weird at first but tasted really good. This restaurant is a bit more authentic than your typical run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. If you’re looking for really cheap and great Mexican food, this is the place for you.

Q-Shack

I paid more visits to this restaurant than anywhere else in Durham, and while I’m not sure if that was the best decision for my health, I certainly have no regrets. My year in Durham made me love BBQ, and what makes Q-Shack special is that it features a wide range of BBQ — not just the typical NC style. One year in NC doesn’t make me a BBQ expert, and I still can’t hold a conversation on the differences between Eastern NC and Western NC BBQ, but I do know that all NC BBQ is pork, and Q-Shack has great pork (I’m a big fan of the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw). Texas BBQ is brisket, and even though brisket isn’t native to NC, Q-Shack has a great brisket — my favorite item at the restaurant. Besides the great BBQ, the restaurant also has great sides — I’m especially a fan of their fries and onion rings. Since hushpuppies are a necessity, you get them with your meal no matter what, although I do think the quality of hushpuppies is the one thing Q-Shack can improve upon. Q-Shack is located less than 10 minutes from Duke, and it should be a requirement that all incoming students pay a visit to the restaurant within their first week at school. BBQ is simply too important in NC to ignore.

Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen

Okay, so this might not be in Durham, but it’s close enough. Located in Chapel Hill, less than 15 minutes from Duke, Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen is a drive-thru only establishment serving up great biscuits, especially chicken biscuits. I didn’t even know that a piece of fried chicken breast inside of a biscuit was a food option (outside of my imagination) until I came to Duke, but luckily for society it is, and Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen has the best chicken biscuit I’ve ever had. There’s only two things I don’t like about Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen: it closes at 2:30 pm every day (after all, it’s a sunrise biscuit, not a sunset biscuit — and yes, I still don’t fully understand how a chicken biscuit is a breakfast item, but apparently it is) and it’s cash only, but this place never failed to disappoint and I highly recommend it if you are ever in Chapel Hill in the morning or early afternoon.

Favorite Professor: Sharon Belenzon

Favorite Off-Campus Hangout: My apartment (at The Forest)

Best MMS Social Event: Campout (not exclusively for MMS, though)

Best BBQ: Q-Shack

Favorite Late-Night Eatery: Cook-Out

Best Local Deals/Happy Hour: The Cookout Tray (under $5 for an entrée, two sides, and a drink)

One Thing I Wish I’d Done Differently: Started my job search earlier.

Bucket List: Visit Asheville, Charleston, and Savannah

Most random thing to do in Durham: See the lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center

MMS student-athlete Emma Hamm

To start, how did you get into lacrosse?

I started playing lacrosse in 7th grade when I began to get sick of softball. All of my basketball friends were playing lacrosse, so they told me to come to a practice. I fell in love with lacrosse because it was a combination of the soccer field sense, and basketball movement and mindset. Needless to say, I ditched softball with ease and loved the freshness of lacrosse.

Why did you to come to Duke for undergrad?

I came to Duke because nothing tops their combination of elite academics and athletics. The people here are just as smart as students at any school; Dukies just have more passion about school spirit and athletics, which drew me in. I also loved the team and coaching staff when I was being recruited, and that helped bring me here.

What was your undergrad major?

I studied psychology in undergrad. I also got a certificate in Markets and Management Studies, which is halfway between a minor and a major.

How do you feel about the way your season has gone so far?

Our season has been quite interesting, as always. This year we’ve had a lot more downs than we’ve had in the recent past, but the ups have been awesome, and we are truly starting to peak at the right time.

How do you feel about your NCAA Tournament game against UVA on Sunday?

I am SO pumped for our game on Sunday because not only is it an ACC rivalry, but it’s also a chance for us to get back a game that we lost earlier this season. We have the higher seed, so we are fortunate enough to be hosting the game, and I literally cannot wait until Sunday at 2 pm to play this game!

What have been the challenges of balancing out lacrosse with the MMS curriculum?

It has been very challenging to balance my lacrosse schedule with the MMS curriculum. I hate the feeling of missing out on things, and I feel like I was not able to invest as fully in MMS as I would’ve without being an athlete. But I learned to manage my time. The hardest part was probably for my academic teams because they always had to work around my schedule, so shout out to my MMS teams for being understanding and having my back! The MMS program was very different than my undergrad experience, but I learned a lot about myself throughout the challenges, so I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

What’s your favorite thing about Duke?

My favorite thing about Duke is definitely the school spirit and craziness.

Favorite thing about Durham?

The endless, good restaurants! My friends and I have attempted to try new restaurants as often as possible, and I am astonished that there are still more to try, and they are almost always beyond delicious. I am definitely going to miss a lot of food when I leave this place after five years!!

What are your favorite restaurants in Durham?

I would say Q-Shack for some southern BBQ or Satisfaction!

Thanks for taking the time to chat, Emma, and good luck in the NCAA Tournament against UVA on Sunday!

The Nou Camp, home to soccer team FC Barcelona.

One of the best perks about going to Fuqua is its spring break, and specifically the length: two weeks instead of one. We were out of class from March 4 – 18. Now, I have no idea who the brilliant mind is behind this, or why there’s such a long spring break, but I’m not complaining. Knowing that I’m soon going to be working and vacation days are going to be a rare luxury, I decided to take advantage of my two-week break by spending it all in Europe, visiting four countries in 15 days.

Fotinovo, Bulgaria, a little village in the moutains with about 600 people. This is where my friend who's in the Peace Corps lives.

Traveling is my favorite thing in the world to do, as I love experiencing new cultures, seeing new things, and witnessing a different way of life. This is something I’ve pursued heavily, and I can proudly say I’ve visited over 25 countries in my life. I’ve been very fortunate to have that opportunity, but at the same time, my bank account has suffered immensely as a result. As a close friend of mine said, “You spend money on two things: food and travel.”

For this journey, I started out by going to the city in Europe I’ve always wanted to visit most: Barcelona. Being a huge fan of FC Barcelona, it was also a perfect time to go, as I was in town for their Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen. After getting the opportunity to take in the sites of Barcelona and experience my first ever game at the Nou Camp, I was off to Germany, where I visited a friend from a previous job. From there, I went to Bulgaria and stayed with a friend who’s in the Peace Corps. Then I spent a day in London before coming back to Durham for the last term of the MMS program.

The MMS program is very challenging academically, but the structure also gives you plenty of time to explore your interests. I encourage you to do that if you come to Fuqua, because you won’t have a 5-week winter break and a 2-week spring break once you’re in the workforce (well, maybe you will if you live in France).

Case-Based Learning

In Principles of Strategy, we covered a different case in every class. Case studies focus on a company’s business problem. (Learn more about case-based learning on the MMS website.) As a class, and in our teams, we examined many different issues, ranging from expansion (in the context of Tashas’, a South African restaurant that decided to franchise throughout the country) to competition (one example being the satellite wars in Britain between Sky and British Satellite Broadcasting) to a variety of other major dilemmas that firms face. Each case gave us insight on how companies deal with potential problems, and helped us learn about different industries and the challenges facing them.

I found this class to be great for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I loved the discussion based nature of the course. The class was more discussion based than any other class we’ve had here at Fuqua, and Sharon gave us the opportunity each day to share our insight on what we would do if we were a decision maker at the company in question. Secondly, I really enjoyed learning about how business is done in different industries and cultures. One case that really stood out was about South African telecom firm MTN, which had to figure out how to make a profit with an impoverished, third-world clientele throughout the African continent. The class was very global in nature, and each case dealt with international companies. It was especially interesting to hear my international classmates’ thoughts on the cases and business problems.

Practical Business Insight

At the end of the course, each team had to write a paper about a company and decide what it should do about a potential business problem. My team’s project dealt with a company pursuing an expansion into the restaurant industry, and our team learned a ton about the industry in the process.

Principles of Strategy gave us all foresight into different industries, cultures, and business dilemmas – the class is a real highlight of the program, and one that I think will be very beneficial to all of us in our careers.

The full description for this course, and all MMS courses, are online.

That's me on the far left.

On President’s Day Weekend, 25 MMS students headed to Wintergreen, a ski resort in Virginia, for a weekend of snowboarding and skiing. This event, put on by the MMS outdoor adventure club, gave us the opportunity to get out of Durham and do something different. Part of the trip cost was subsidized by Fuqua, making it a really affordable opportunity to hit the slopes.

Some of you might be surprised that you can ski or snowboard only 3 hours away from Durham, but that’s what we were able to do. Sure, the snow may have been fake, but it was really cool to snowboard in 55 degree weather.

Some classmates hit the slopes on skis.

For me, it was the second time I’ve gone snowboarding, and if you’ve ever gone snowboarding, you know what that means: I was on the ground a lot. Snowboarding may look easy on TV, but the board is really hard to control, especially when you gain speed, which happens very quickly. Pretty much, the only thing I could do was fall down to stop myself from running into everyone else on the mountain. However, I was able to get (very slightly) better from my first time, and this experience made me want to snowboard more. It’s a lot of fun and is something I would love to master.

While we had sun and warm weather the day we were on the mountain, it snowed the day we left, and I guess we brought those winter flurries down to the south: we saw the first snowfall of the year in Durham the night we returned. Of course, it’s North Carolina, so it all melted by the next morning.

Durham has all of the typical American fast food chains, like McDonald’s and Burger King (where do these not exist?), but I’m not here to review those places. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of either. However, there are many fast food chains that I love that are unique to North Carolina and to the South. I will miss these places dearly after graduation.

All of these restaurants are located on Hillsborough Road (which I think should be renamed Fast Food Alley), only about a 5-minute drive from Fuqua.

Cook-Out

This place has received more of my money than any other restaurant in Durham. Cook-Out was founded in North Carolina, but has expanded to Virginia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and hopefully will expand throughout the rest of the country (and world) soon. Cook-Out is open 24 hours, and has become my go-to spot when I’m hungry late at night.

The best thing at Cook-Out, without a doubt, is the milkshake. Everyone who goes to Cook-Out raves about them, and they may be the best milkshakes I’ve ever had. What makes Cook-Out unique is their large variety of milkshake flavors: 36 total, and you can combine flavors as well. Just writing this article makes me crave a Cook-Out milkshake…

Cook-Out has a very large menu, offering burgers, chicken, barbeque pork, and a wide array of sides including fries, hush puppies, onion rings, and much more. I’m a big fan of the burgers, which you can get in a variety of sizes, up to a half pound of meat, and with many different toppings. Cook-Out is also renowned for its low prices: an entrée and two sides is under $5. While you can get the usual offerings as sides, you can also get chicken nuggets or a chicken wrap, giving you many combination options.

While Cook-Out is probably not very good for my body, it’s great for my happiness and my bank account. And that will keep me going back, although I’ll refrain from going more than a few times a week so that I can avoid cardiac arrest.

Bojangles’

Bojangles’ is a fast food chain that started in North Carolina and specializes in fried chicken. This chain is extremely popular in North Carolina and has recently expanded to nearby states like Virginia and Maryland, and for good reason.

The most popular item is the fried chicken (i.e. fried breast, thigh, etc.), but my favorite items are the Cajun Filet Biscuit (a piece of fried chicken on a biscuit) and the Chicken Supremes (essentially chicken strips). The fixins’ (sides) are not bad, but not on the same level of quality as the chicken. Bojangles’ also gives you sweet tea with pretty much everything, and if you don’t know what sweet tea is, you will within two days of moving to NC.

Biscuitville

Biscuitville is a breakfast-oriented fast food establishment that has locations in North Carolina and Virginia. It’s never open past 2 or 3 pm, and specializes in (you guessed it) biscuits, although it has other breakfast options as well. I think their chicken biscuit is excellent.  The most disappointing thing about Biscuitville is that it closes so early. I’m not used to eating chicken as part of breakfast, which takes away part of Biscuitville’s appeal. However, I highly recommend trying it.

Waffle House

Waffle House does not fully fit the criteria for this article. While its origins are in Georgia, it has expanded all the way up to Pennsylvania and throughout the Midwest, making it not fully southern anymore. Also, this is a sit-down restaurant. However, I decided to include it for four reasons: it’s open 24 hours, has a very southern spirit, the food is delicious, and it’s as cheap as a fast food restaurant.

Going to Waffle House is always a very exciting event. Since it’s a sit-down restaurant, I don’t go as often as I should, and maybe it should be one of my New Year’s resolutions to go to Waffle House more often. Waffle House makes me a very happy individual, and eating there automatically makes my day great.

Waffle House has some very large combination platters that will fill you for days. Go there with 4 or 5 people, and you will have so many plates on your table that you can’t fit all of them on the table (one time, when me and my teammates went on a study break to Waffle House, I had to put my hash browns on my lap.) I could write more about the food options, but it won’t do the restaurant justice. You just need to go.

“Finals are next week.”
“Wait, didn’t we just have finals?”

One important thing for incoming students to know about Fuqua is that finals are different than they are in undergrad. Much different.

Most undergraduate universities (like mine) are on the semester system. That means finals twice a year, in December and May. At the University of Arizona (my undergrad), I typically took 5 classes a semester and finals were spread out over a week, starting on one Friday and ending the following Friday. There was also an off day before finals, called “Dead Day.” Typically, I only had two or three finals (many of my classes didn’t have finals), and there was plenty of time to prepare for them. At Fuqua, things are much different.

Next week, we have two finals, one on Monday and one on Tuesday, and then we have winter break. Last term, we had finals in all three of our classes, which is typical here, and finals are always on back-to-back days. The workload doesn’t die out before finals. There are usually tests and major projects due the week before finals. This week, we have a major Business Communications presentation and a team project in Strategy class, so there is little time to prepare for finals until the weekend.

But back to the quotes at the top of the post … unlike undergrad institutions, Fuqua does not operate on the semester system. Instead, there are 6-week terms, in which you take three classes per term. Next week, we’ll have finals for the third time since starting the MMS program. We also had finals in late August and mid-October, so it does feel like we just had finals, because they were only a month and a half ago. For a better understanding of how this works, check out the academic calendar for the program.

Fuqua will tell you that things here move very quickly, and they certainly aren’t lying. I feel like I just took Marketing and Corporate Finance classes, and yet, there’s only one more week of Business Communication and Capital Markets. Before I know it, I’ll be in Managerial Accounting, but that’s a good thing: more classes mean we are getting broader experience and learning more. (Learn more about the classes we take.) When you come to Fuqua, you definitely need to be prepared to work, as things move much faster than they do in a typical undergraduate setting. However, don’t look at that as a negative. The fast pace is deliberate, and is meant to help you adjust more to the real world, where things rarely move slowly.

I decided to take part in the competition because I enjoy working on cases and coming up with a solution to an issue. To start, we got to meet with the MEM students and form teams. One of the benefits of being at Duke is all of the diversity and people from different countries. Our team had me (a New Yorker), another MMS student (from North Carolina), and two MEM students from France and China. Even though none of the MMS students on the team are international, about 30% of the MMS program is (this year) and it has been great meeting people from all over the world, which is one of the major benefits of the program.

Gaining Insight on an Industry & Function

Our case team made it to the final round, and we spent at least 15 hours putting together our PowerPoint presentation for the case, which was about warranties for wind energy turbines. Seems like a bit of a dull subject at first, but I learned much more about wind turbines than I ever thought I would, and it gave me great insight into the energy sector.

The best thing about the competition was learning what it’s like to work as a consultant. Consultants work on a variety of problems throughout their careers, and have to come up with solutions to some of the business world’s most complicated issues. This case competition gave us the opportunity to get a feel for what it’s like to be in this line of work. We were given a limited amount of information and were asked to come up with a solution for a theoretical energy company, and then we had to present our findings as if we were presenting to the company’s CEO.

We used the information we had to come up with a comprehensive packaging of warranties for this company, and yes, it was a lot more interesting to us than we initially thought. It was a great experience and definitely gave me a little more insight into what it feels like to be a consultant. Many students here are still trying to figure out what they want to do for a career, and opportunities like this help us to get a better feel for certain industries. It also prepares us better for the job search, helping us to go after the careers we really want.