CONTACT CONSULTING

More scary tales from that strange activity known as the recruiting process. Apparently, it's no longer a non-contact sport.

Reports filtering in from those who attended the Boston Consulting Group session reported some serious bumping and shoving as eager would-be consultants tried to pepper the senior company representative with questions.

Not all, though, engage in the mad rush to demonstrate their knowledge through lengthy questions (one question at the BCG meeting, it is said, lasted half an hour). Some have their priorities in the right order. After the presentation, a significant number of students head straight for the food.

We wonder, maybe in the selection process these companies should just dump all those who bother asking inane questions and interview those who get something tangible out of the evening--surely that's the kind of thinking a consulting firm is looking for.

Some consulting companies seem to have absorbed the importance of food. The next round of schmoozing for both McKinsey and for Monitor will be fullscale dinners. No cheese and crackers here.