Getting into consulting starts with understanding which consulting work you want to do. Strategy, technology architecture, supply-chain transformation and transaction projects can sit under the same broad label while asking for different interests and evidence.

We compared nine CareerFairy Live Streams with BCG, BCG Platinion, EY Switzerland, EY-Parthenon, Roland Berger and Siemens Advanta. The BCG workday conversation and EY consulting introduction are useful places to hear how the work differs before preparing an application. Watch the recordings: Siemens Advanta (2026-03-19), BCG (2025-11-19), Roland Berger (2025-10-13), BCG (2025-11-17), BCG (2025-04-15), Roland Berger (2026-06-17), EY Switzerland (2025-05-20), EY-Parthenon (2025-05-22), BCG Platinion (2026-04-27).

The quick answer: Pick a consulting area whose problems interest you, check the office and role requirements, and connect your studies and experience to that work. Prepare your motivation and personal examples alongside case interviews. Ask about the team, projects and travel rather than choosing only by the firm's reputation.

The recordings date from 2025 and 2026. Processes described here are examples from particular firms and offices. They are not a single application system for the whole consulting industry.

What kind of consulting do you want to enter?

Start with the problems rather than the company logos.

BCG's workday speakers described analysing information, talking to people, building solutions and ensuring that the result worked for the client over time. Roland Berger's June 2026 project session illustrated this with a banking-related AI project: the team explored examples, developed a target picture and prioritised use cases with the client.

EY Switzerland described several consulting areas, including technology, business, risk and people-related work. Its supply-chain team covered activities from planning and procurement to manufacturing and logistics. Technology consulting focused on technical transformations and implementations, while risk work examined governance, controls and resilience.

EY-Parthenon's May 2025 session placed strategy alongside transaction-related services. Speakers described research, expert interviews and consolidating evidence to shape a recommendation, as well as broader transaction work. The range is another reason to read the actual team description.

BCG Platinion provided examples such as IT due diligence, where a team investigates the technology behind a business before an acquisition. Siemens Advanta's digital-transformation session described working with business and technology stakeholders to assess opportunities and identify useful applications.

Our synthesis is to choose two or three types of problem you would like to spend time on. Then find the teams that address them. “I want to be a consultant” becomes a much stronger starting point when you can explain the work that attracted you.

Do you need a business degree to become a consultant?

The recordings do not support that as a universal requirement.

BCG's April 2025 speakers described colleagues with backgrounds ranging from business and engineering to medicine. One speaker had studied engineering before management and technology. The important next step was demonstrating the capabilities needed in the selection process and the work.

Individual firms and roles still set qualification conditions. Siemens Advanta's March 2026 presentation required a completed Master's degree for the consultant entry route discussed. It also described separate internship requirements, including study progress, relevant experience and international experience.

Roland Berger's October 2025 recruitment session discussed a university-study condition and explained how a university Master's could create entry opportunities for someone whose Bachelor's had been at a university of applied sciences or in a dual-study format. That is a firm-specific statement from the session, rather than a rule about all consulting jobs.

EY Switzerland said a Bachelor's degree was required for the route discussed, while a Master's was not a universal hard criterion. Its recruiters repeatedly directed students to the job description for the team's exact requirements.

Do not make a decision from another person's degree alone. Check the role you want, then ask how your background connects to it. Different educational routes may produce useful evidence of analysis, technical understanding, research or working with people.

How do you show relevant experience without a consulting internship?

Translate what you did into the capabilities and interests the team needs.

Siemens Advanta said relevant internship experience could come from another industry, even though consulting experience was preferred for the internship route discussed. EY Switzerland likewise asked applicants to include experience relatable to consulting on the CV.

That could mean explaining how you analysed a problem, organised a project, compared options or communicated a recommendation. The point is not to rename an unrelated activity as consulting. It is to make the connection visible.

Use the work examples from the recordings to test your interest too. If a supply-chain transformation attracts you, which studies or projects helped you understand operations? If technology due diligence sounds interesting, what evidence shows that you can examine systems and explain implications for a business?

Prepare a few examples with your own contribution clearly identified. A team result alone does not show what you did. Describe the situation, your responsibility, the action and what happened. Keep the outcome accurate, including what you would improve next time.

Why does the personal-fit interview deserve preparation?

Because firms are evaluating the person they may put into a project team and in front of clients, alongside analytical ability.

Roland Berger's October 2025 interviewers said applicants sometimes gave the personality interview too little attention. They described it as a separate conversation, with room for the candidate to show themselves and get to know the firm.

BCG's Curious Minds session described questions about motivation, impact, experience and the choices in a candidate's career path. The interviewer wanted to understand what drove the person. At the end, candidates could ask questions and assess whether the employer suited them too.

EY-Parthenon's speakers connected personal fit to client interaction. They described involving junior people in client conversations and wanting to understand whether they could do that confidently. Siemens Advanta likewise included behavioural questions alongside analytical and case work.

Prepare why consulting interests you, why this type of team fits, and why your experiences support that choice. Avoid a memorised speech about prestige or rapid learning. A specific explanation of the problems and working relationships you want is more informative.

How should you prepare for a consulting case interview?

Learn how to reason through a problem and communicate the approach, then practise with another person.

BCG's November 2025 case session recommended understanding the purpose and format first, using examples and demonstrations, then practising realistic interviews early. Its speakers encouraged students to find partners through their university or wider preparation communities.

Roland Berger described cases as testing several things: analytical and structured thinking, creativity, commercial understanding, communication and presentation. Its interviewers emphasised the approach to the problem rather than only the final result.

BCG Platinion's April 2026 speaker similarly recommended developing an understanding of the case and responding to questions or comments, rather than memorising every case. The work with clients can also involve unexpected questions, so flexibility matters.

These points suggest a practice routine: explain your initial structure, discuss what information would help, work through the evidence and finish with a recommendation connected to the original question. After each practice, review one specific thing to improve. This is our synthesis of the sessions, rather than a mandatory format used by every firm.

Will every firm use the same application process?

No, and even two conversations with one firm may describe different office or route details.

BCG's Swiss case-preparation session described an online case and several interviews for the full-time route. Its Curious Minds conversation outlined cognitive testing and case interviews too, while describing a different sequence. Use those accounts to understand the kinds of exercises, then follow your own invitation.

Roland Berger's June 2026 session described a personality interview and two case-based interviews during its recruiting day, with additional stages for permanent entry. Its October 2025 conversation also discussed an online analytical test and a later partner interview for the full-time route.

Siemens Advanta described an initial interview with behavioural and analytical elements, followed by a day of case-study interviews. Its speakers directed applicants to example cases and recruiting support for preparation.

EY-Parthenon asked candidates to apply through the website for the opportunities that matched their interests and skills. The speakers said email applications were not the appropriate route in the process discussed.

Create a preparation plan from the actual stages and dates you receive. Do not invest all your time in one exercise while overlooking a document requirement, personal interview or test.

How far ahead should you apply?

Some of these routes need more planning than an immediate-start vacancy.

Roland Berger's June 2026 speakers described internship application deadlines and recommended applying at least around six months before the desired start. They encouraged students to check the current posting for feedback and possible start dates.

BCG's April 2025 Swiss session also discussed applying well ahead of the intended interview period. Its November case session described time between interview rounds to work on feedback. Those examples show why you should account for both selection and preparation in your calendar.

Internship eligibility matters too. BCG's November session said applicants who had graduated would move to the full-time route rather than the internship route discussed. Siemens Advanta required student enrolment for its internships.

Check dates while you are planning exams, a thesis or graduation. An attractive internship may stop being an option if you wait until after the qualifying student stage.

What should you ask about consulting life before accepting?

Ask about the project team, responsibilities, learning support and travel patterns relevant to the role.

The travel accounts varied. EY Switzerland described projects involving frequent visits within Switzerland, international collaboration from a local office, and colleagues with different travel demands. Siemens Advanta said travel depended on the project and illustrated both largely remote work and targeted on-site workshops.

BCG speakers also described variation by project and personal circumstances. BCG Platinion's April 2026 session presented a more regular client-travel example, while stressing that schedules could differ. These accounts are not evidence for one standard consulting week.

EY Switzerland described counsellors, training and ways to contribute beyond project delivery, including proposals, knowledge work and team activities. Evolving responsibilities can be attractive, but it is worth understanding what support exists in the team you will join.

Ask for recent examples rather than a general assurance that the culture is good. What did a new colleague own? How did feedback work? What determined whether the team travelled? The answers can help you judge whether the actual working pattern suits you.

What is a sensible next step if you want to enter consulting?

Build a focused shortlist and a small body of evidence about your fit.

1. Identify the consulting problems that interest you.
2. Find the firms, teams and offices working on them.
3. Check the current degree, experience, language and application conditions.
4. Select examples that show relevant analysis, teamwork and communication.
5. Prepare your motivation and personal interview alongside cases.
6. Follow the firm's preparation materials and practise with feedback.
7. Use interviews to assess the work and team yourself.

This approach gives you a clearer reason for applying and makes the preparation more manageable. It also leaves room to change direction as you hear more about the work. Consulting is broad enough that a poor fit with one team does not settle the question for every other route.

Frequently asked questions about getting into consulting

Can engineers or science graduates enter consulting?

BCG described several study backgrounds, including engineering and medicine. Qualification requirements still vary by firm and role, so check the vacancy.

Is a Master's degree compulsory?

Siemens Advanta required one for the consultant route discussed. EY Switzerland did not describe it as a universal hard criterion. There is no single answer across all these employers.

Should I focus only on case interviews?

No. Roland Berger, BCG and Siemens Advanta all discussed personal or behavioural elements. Prepare your motivation and real examples too.

Does consulting always mean travelling every week?

The speakers described different project patterns, from international travel to local or remote collaboration. Ask about the particular team and recent projects.

Can I apply for a consulting internship after graduating?

BCG's November session directed graduates towards full-time roles for the route discussed. Check student-status conditions before relying on an internship.

Where can I get case-preparation help?

Several firms described example cases, recruiter guidance or support for invited candidates. Start with the material your target firm provides and practise with another person.

Explore CareerFairy Live Streams to meet consultants and ask about the work before choosing where to apply.

Live Streams behind this guide

This article draws on the following CareerFairy recordings. Programme details and recruitment processes reflect the dates of the conversations.

• Siemens Advanta: The Advanta edge: Driving Digital Transformation with Siemens Advanta's Experts (2026-03-19)
• BCG: Consulting@BCG: How to Prepare For a Case Study (2025-11-19)
• Roland Berger: Fit für deine Bewerbung – Lerne Roland Berger kennen und erhalte wertvolle Tipps für deinen Bewerbungsprozess in der Strategieberatung! (2025-10-13)
• BCG: Curious Minds, Real Impact - Discover Consulting at BCG (2025-11-17)
• BCG: BCG: Consulting Unfiltered - A Real-Life Workday (2025-04-15)
• Roland Berger: Einblick in die Strategieberatung: Roland Berger kennenlernen und in echte Beratungsprojekte eintauchen (2026-06-17)
• EY Switzerland: Let’s meet Consulting @EY (2025-05-20)
• EY-Parthenon: CareerFairy meets EY-Parthenon: Are you ready to shape your future? (2025-05-22)
• BCG Platinion: Tech trifft Strategie: Dein Einstieg bei BCG Platinion (2026-04-27)

Want to ask employers your own questions? Explore upcoming CareerFairy Live Streams to hear directly from recruiters and employees.