Volvo Group Seeks Students Interested in International Business for Management Consultant Development Program

Recruiters (including Eric J. Brown ’02) from Volvo Group’s management consulting unit, Business Transformation Services (BTS), visited campus for an information session in Union 209 on Tuesday, Sept. 17.  BTS provides targeted decision support and analysis products to executive-level stakeholders across Volvo’s divisions and business areas.

Volvo’s global headquarters are in Gothenburg, Sweden, and its American headquarters are nearby in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Volvo is a multinational company, selling products in 190 countries with production facilities in twenty of those.  This year Volvo ranked number 227 on the Fortune Global 500 as a company with a large presence and successful products.  Volvo owns a few truck brands in the United States, India and China.  They also sell construction equipment, buses and engines for maritime use.  Their Finance and Business sector works within the company to maximize profits and handle finances.

Brown emphasized some advantages of working in internal consulting versus external consulting, although he claims that both have benefits and that he enjoyed previous work in external consulting for the federal government.  Brown pointed out to the students that internal consulting typically demands a 45-50 hour work week while external consulting typically demands a 65-70 hour work week.  He also said that external consultants often focus on sales, while internal consultants focus on delivery and making sure that the company works as well as possible.

Once accepted, the new hire will have a “trial by fire” opportunity to learn management consulting.  The consultant will immediately work in the field while receiving extensive training and coaching from a mentor and other consultants at the company.  The job starts out with a five-month program which begins in Gothenburg, Sweden (all expenses paid with a stipend and a per diem) and moves into an initial consulting project, which could be anywhere in the world.  The consultant will work in the Greensboro, NC office following the completion of this project.

Volvo BTS is only recruiting from three top-tier colleges and universities and is seeking Davidson students who have a minimum GPA of 3.3 and strong problem-solving abilities and who can perform well in case interviews.  The prospective hire must also be a team player, have a strong interest in international business and be excited about living and working overseas.

Interested students must apply on WildcatLink by Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 11:59 p.m. The first round of interviews will be at Davidson on October 7.  The second round of interviews will be at the Greensboro campus on November 21.  Davidson candidates may contact class of 2013 alum Elise Breda (elise.breda@volvo.com) to hear more about her experience in this role.

Interview With an Angel – Mark Angel ’13

By Morgan Orangi, Career Services Ambassador

Mark Angel ’13 is a Biology major, senior admissions fellow, president of club tennis, Chidsey leadership fellow, philanthropy chair of fraternity, tutor in the writing center, private tutor, and Turner Prince Charming. He interned this past summer with Capital Group Companies, a position he found in WildcatLink that was posted at Davidson as part of its 100 Internship Challenge.

Mark Angel ’13 spent the past summer in LA interning for the Capital Group Companies, a top three investment management firm, as part of The Associates Program (TAP). He discovered this opportunity while browsing for internships on Wildcat Link. TAP intrigued Mark with the prompt “What would you change about Davidson?” rather than requesting a cover letter. After a phone interview and an interview with Capital in New York, Mark received the call offering him the position.

According to Mark, Capital is an “extremely complex organization,” whose ten-week training program is also considered by Capital as training for potential employees. One of the primary tasks for Mark and six of his fellow interns was to learn about Capital and the companies that support them. Each intern was assigned an individual project based on their interviews and personalities – Mark researched marketing for retirement plans. In addition, they collaborated with each other on three projects related to their TAP class.

In a typical day, Mark would arrive at the office at 7:30am, attend meetings for about two hours, work on his individual project, have lunch with someone who works in an area of interest, work on the group project for three to four hours, return to work on his project, and leave the office by 5pm or 6pm each day. Mark’s favorite aspect of the TAP program was working alongside such intelligent people. He reflects, “It’s very humbling to know that there are people in the room who are so much brighter than you, figuring out how you can learn from them and take their ideas and maybe add your own ‘biology major’ twist to it.”

Mark feels that his Davidson education greatly benefitted his performance. “Davidson teaches you to question, teaches you to poke holes, and teaches you to think outside of the box…I think that overall made the group project and my final presentation the best that it could be.” He adds that, “The interdisciplinary nature of the education at Davidson helps you to understand the downstream effects of something within the business world.”

During the final week of the internship, TAP employers interviewed each intern for a global rotational program that lasts two – three years after graduation. They do six rotations across various segments of the company (investment research, HR, marketing, etc.).  Although he ultimately chose to start his career with another company, Mark was excited to receive an offer from Capital Group for this program.

 

Highlighted Resource: Investopedia

Investopedia is one of the most comprehensive resources for investing education.  Some of the helpful sections include:
– Numerous Articles on investing
– Tutorials to help you gain a deeper understanding of investing
– Videos on financial theory, stocks, debt, return on equity and other categories.
– Dictionary of financial terms organized by category
– Stock Simulator – invest without the risk in a simulated environment

Use it as a resource to learn about the world of investing and to prepare for upcoming interviews!