Deloitte, for example, has hosted an annual graduate school symposium for their consultants. This provides them the opportunity to have direct interaction with the admissions directors from top schools. Another interesting aspect of Deloitte's support is that their analysts manage an internal Web site that captures information about the process. This ensures process memory.

Even some firms that may not be quite as large, like Analysis Group, PRTM, and AT Kearney, provide some opportunity in terms of potential for funding, tuition reimbursement, or signing bonuses upon return and perhaps some level of support for connecting with the business schools. AT Kearney is reported to give candidates a full week off to work on their applications and provides a two-day "MBA Forum" to which they invite top schools in to meet their candidates.

All in all, the companies that formalized programs with well defined "memory," connections, and processes tended to have a much higher "hit rate" — no matter what their size. Whether funding is available or not, the ability to go where he wants to go seems to be more affected by what kind of internal support the consultant gets while he is preparing to apply and during the application process.

One company that caught my eye as I was doing my analysis was Cornerstone Research. They may not have all of the extensive offerings of some of the big firms, but they are approaching the process very intelligently, and I think that they have hit on some great ideas. One impressive idea they are considering is identifying three stages in the years of development of the pre-MBA consultants. At each of these three junctures, the firm's mentors would work with the consultants with the idea of "keeping their eyes on the prize."

So, for example, consultants in their second year or so with the firm might work with a mentor to assess how the consultant's experiences are helping him or her grow and develop — specifically in terms of providing the right opportunities that business schools are looking for.

This means that they have vision into whether each consultant is getting the type of job experience that will give him or her good material to work with when they have to write essays and talk about experiences. At a later juncture, they would start working on the application process itself. I have to say that there have been too many times when I have worked with candidates who have great potential but at the same time have client exposure or job experiences that were weak. This made it difficult to create a compelling story in their application package. Working with the consultants early in their work experience will enable them to have a more interesting and broadening experience. This translates to better material for essay and interview discussions.

But what if your firm isn't ready to offer funding or you're looking for another value-add? Again, there is tremendous opportunity in simply offering support. Hardworking consultants who have provided positive impact at the client site are great candidates for business school. But in order to get there, they need to complete their GMATs successfully, have time to sit down with potential recommenders, visit college campuses, attend information

Attracting the Best Pre-MBA Consultants

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