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.