Feeling limited in what options were available to him, Alejo decided to take control of his career path and enrolled in the Master in Management program at IESE Business School in Madrid.
It’s there that he discovered new career possibilities and unlocked abilities he didn’t realize he had. Now, Alejo is working his way up the career ladder at Big Three consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Discovering new opportunities on the Master in Management
After Alejo graduated from his bachelor’s in engineering, he couldn’t find any career options that appealed to him as he didn’t want to pursue a technical role.
It was the connections he built during his IESE Business School Master in Management (IESE MiM) that showed him what exciting career paths were open to him, completely changing his perspective.
“I was surrounded by classmates with big goals, which was such an enriching experience. It was a community of everyone pushing one another and this helped me to see my own potential,” Alejo says.
Not only did his classmates inspire him, Alejo was also able to meet with industry professionals through company presentations, masterclasses, and career fairs held for Master in Management students.
“We met people working in big companies who gave us an insight into their journeys and provided coaching and mentoring,” he says.
Companies that come to the IESE campus to connect with students include consulting firms such as BCG, McKinsey, and EY, and Big Tech names such as Amazon.
To discover his career passion, Alejo also joined the Consulting Club, where he networked with peers aspiring to launch consulting careers.
“This was a gamechanger. Before starting the Master in Management, I didn’t know what consulting was or what qualities companies were looking for, so working with the club was invaluable to kickstarting my career,” he says.
Developing the right skills to launch a thriving Master in Management career
During his Master in Management, Alejo was able to tap into his undiscovered skillset and acquire new skills.
One of the best parts of the learning process at IESE Business School, he says, was the Case Method. Across courses, students work in teams to analyze real-life business problems and find solutions, often acting as protagonists in cases.
“This way of thinking really showed me how to analyze things within a business context and challenged us to justify our thought process, especially when debating with professors, which is a skill I use daily at BCG,” Alejo says.
Looking at real-life cases from huge companies such as Amazon and Google, students consider the problems that are facing businesses today and how organizations are adapting to digital transformation.
Students on the IESE MiM can also hone their learning across various specialized tracks in Data Analytics, Strategy and Marketing, and Finance.
“I chose the finance track to better understand finance terms and broaden my insight into the business landscape,” Alejo says.
Landing a top consulting job at BCG after a Master in Management
Across the one-year MiM, Alejo progressed from having no firm idea where he wanted to take his career to landing a dream role as associate consultant for Big Three consulting firm BCG.
In his role, he works on strategy projects to solve complex business problems for clients. This involves a lot of in-depth analysis and becoming an expert on topics very quickly, he says.
Alejo says that it was after working closely with the Career Development Centre (CDC) at IESE that he was able to land this dream role.
The CDC works with students to decide which career path is the best fit for students, and where their strengths and weaknesses lie. It also organizes advice sessions with business professionals who give insight into the recruitment process and the qualities that hiring teams are looking for.
“After working so intensely with the careers team doing mock interviews and practicing selling myself, I went from not landing any job offers to receiving multiple,” Alejo says.
He adds that studying the IESE MiM not only changed his perception of his future by broadening his horizons, but also improved his understanding of his own capabilities.
“I didn’t imagine I would ever land a top consulting job like this. I’m excited to carry on growing in my career and continue applying the skills I learned on the Master in Management,” he concludes.
