Chris Trakimas
Chris Trakimas is a 2010 finance graduate who works at the Boston Consulting Group as a Project Leader. In this role he helps to advise companies on some of their most challenging and risky decisions. BCG is a “generalist firm” but Chris has mostly focused on industrial goods and consumer clients.
What advice would you give students who have an interest in consulting?
Be flexible during this time, leverage career services, network and reach out to alums that have gone into consulting out of WFU. There are many paths. Recognize that this is a very unique time to join the workforce and don’t be discouraged if you don’t immediately land your dream job. It is better to start your career in a recession than have it hit a few years in and you need to start all over. You are at a great university and have a great foundation to build off of over your long career journey.
What WFU career resources did you utilize that were most helpful to you?
I really valued the mentorship that I received from WFU professors as I looked for finance internships during the last recession (specifically Bill Marcum) as well as advice from career services and alumni.
What courses, activities or experiences gave you an edge in the job search process?
I actually cold emailed a few alumni my sophomore year, and although there was a high hit rate in general, one in particular (Ed Frackiewicz WFU ’75) actually created an internship position at his insurance company to help get me my first formal work experience. This then helped to make me competitive for my GE internship the following summer which led to a full time offer.
I was also very clear about the experiences that I wanted in my first job. After attending a GE Financial Management Program info session at Wake, I met with Finance Professor Bill Marcum and told him that it seemed like a perfect opportunity to continue to learn and develop. His response was something along the lines of “and you haven’t applied yet? What the heck are you waiting for?” Had I not spoken up, I may have missed my window.
What specific advice would you give regarding effective networking?
Be authentic. People are happy to help but make sure you genuinely know what you are trying to learn from each connection vs. just reaching out to check a box.
What specific advice would you give to students regarding effective interviewing?
Practice, practice, practice. Case skills are table stakes by interview time. Many people under prepare for behavioral which ultimately becomes the differentiator.
Are there any books, magazines, websites, etc. that you would recommend to students who are interested in consulting?
For case practice “Case Interview Secrets” by Victor Cheng is the best technical book. “How to Get a Job in Consulting” by Stephen Pidgeon is the best book for some of the softer skills like networking and how to navigate the interview process.