3,000 candidates to attend UK's largest-ever management consultancy careers fair

Picture this if you will (and in case you can't tell, I'm pretty excited to be sharing this news with you!)...

It's October 7th and you've just entered London's Olympia and the place is swarming with thousands of candidates all eager to secure a new career in consulting... and all around you are consulting recruiters from 50 firms - all with immediate requirements to hire new staff and a team of representatives for you to meet.

What I'm describing here is the largest management consultancy careers fair ever to take place in London (to our knowledge in any case) - and you've guessed it, we've taken the plunge and are organising it!

Date - Friday 7th October 2005
Location - Olympia Conference Centre (Earl's Court), London

We'll be sending recruiters further details of this event in the coming fortnight, the brochure's just being finalised and then will be sent to recruiters and recruitment consultants at all the major firms. Candidates will be able to register to attend from late April and we've made provisions to be able to accommodate 3,000 candidates on the day. That may sound a lot, but it means we have space for less than 1% of our readers so you will need to reserve your place early to guarantee your attendance.

- How can I find out more? -

Watch this space - all will be announced here in due course! Given the limited space for both recruiters and candidates, for now I just wanted our blog readers to be the first to know about this.

Hope to see you there in a few months' time.

Tony

NPfIT contracts to be snatched from consultancies?

Comments made by Richard Granger at a healthcare computing conference this week have sparked furious media speculation that the multi-£billion contracts won by consulting firms last year could be in danger of being awarded to new providers if performance targets are not met.

This may all be play-acting to scare providers into redoubling their efforts. It would undoubtedly be a minefield to try and negotiate the handover of contracts to new providers - to say nothing of the political fallout that would result from admitting there's been another failed public sector consulting project...

Is this a bluff or for real? Any NPfIT consultants out there care to comment?...

Tony
PS you'll find a selection of the media coverage at: Ovum, E-Health Insider and The Register

Merger of Siemens Business Services and Atos Origin on the cards?

There's been considerable media coverage these last 2 weeks regarding a possible merger of the IT services arm of Siemens (Siemens Business Services) with French rival Atos Origin. German investment bank Sal. Oppenheim issued a research note claiming that Siemens is in advanced negotiations with Atos Origin. The CEO of Siemens remarked on a conference call that all strategic options for the future of the SBS unit are being considered, whilst Atos Origin have refused to comment on the market speculation - both of which are adding fuel to the flames. Analysts believe there is merit in the deal as Atos Origin currently has only a modest presence in the German market but strategically is looking to expand in Benelux, the U.K. and Germany. Here are some examples of the recent media coverage:
Datamonitor
interactive investor
Dow Jones Newswires

Any readers got any insights re. what's happening? Do post your comments below...

Tony

Could you make £ millions with your consulting skills?

Taking your consulting skills and using them to become a self-made millionaire. Is it possible... and could you be the next to do it? Have you got what it takes - or indeed can such skills be learnt?

The exciting answer to all these questions is "Yes" - that's to say most readers of this blog really can aspire to running their own successful business, within a matter of just months if you really apply yourself.

Very rarely do I bother to read any "get rich quick" schemes. Most are scams or worthless or both. But when one of our readers sent us a copy of a new millionaire course he had been working on, it seemed only courteous to take a listen - and how glad I am now that I did!

The course is based on personal insights from 25 highly successful entrepreneurs who have launched businesses from scratch - many on a shoestring budget - through sheer dedication and determination. They include the founders of First Tuesday, Cobra Beer, Yo! Sushi and Ecademy.com - and amongst them are ex-consultants from firms like Bain and Ernst & Young. So you see consultants can and do make the transition from consulting to successful entrepreneur.

As an entrepreneur myself, what really impressed me was that so many of the insights in the course are things we have had to learn the hard way in our business - so if we'd learnt these lessons through a course like this a few years ago... well that would have had a tremendous impact on our business.

If you've any aspirations to work for yourself running a successful business then do take a few minutes to check this out. We've agreed a £100 discount for all Top-Consultant readers, so the cost should be no obstacle (when you click the "Buy" button the discount will be automatically applied). To find out more, click here now - I think you'll agree this is time and money well spent.

Regards, Tony

15% growth for PA Consulting

PA Consulting Group have revealed they plan to grow the consulting business by 15% this year at a time when the domestic UK market has embarked on a new period of robust growth that has seen many leading firms ramp up their recruitment efforts quite considerably.

As part of the strategy a new recruitment drive has just been launched with a series of three careers evenings planned for April 2005 (click for details). Targetting those with IT Strategy, IT Management, IT Infrastructure of IS Implementation expertise, these events will broaden the appeal of PA Consulting by allowing candidates to meet the team before actually deciding whether to apply to the firm or not.

In a tighter candidate market I can't help thinking such strategies will become crucial. If job adverts only reach candidates who want to work for a particular firm, consultancies need to find a way to engage candidates who are interested in their firm but not yet persuaded to apply. Exhibiting at careers fairs and running dedicated careers evenings allows firms to convert interest into applications and as the War for Talent becomes more acute I foresee these approaches becoming more and more critical.

Any current jobseekers out there have a view on this? Could you be won over by a firm you hadn't considered applying to if you met their team and were persuaded they could take your career in the right direction? Do post your thoughts below, would be interested in the feedback...

Tony

US market picking up

It's heartening to see that the consulting boom that's taken hold in the UK market is also now being felt in the States. An interesting commentary in CareerJournal (part of the Wall Street Journal) details the uptick in both the consulting market and the implications for recruitment in the US market. Makes for pretty encouraging reading (details here)

In the rebounding US market high-level rainmakers can apparently now expect to command a base salary of up to $1 million, whilst M.B.A.s are once again seeing pay offers in excess of $100,000. This upwards pay spiral is mirroring what we've seen in the UK market where recruitment picked up some 12+ months ago. Any US readers out there able to provide anecdotal evidence about the improving hiring market in the States? Do please post your comments below.

Tony

A.T. Kearney for sale?

There's been much speculation in the press these last days that Partners at A.T. Kearney could be presented with the option of orchestrating a management buyout of the consulting business from parent EDS. I always feared ATK would struggle once subsumed by EDS and would love to see the business reinvigorated by a return to some form of Partnership model. Can you see this happening or is it all just a lot of smoke to please the markets?

(For more details click for write-ups in the Computer Business Review, Interactive Investor and Dallas Business Journal)

Tony