Consulting is traditionally one of the top choices for graduates and the large consultancies have huge recruitment programmes. However, the industry has learnt the lesson from the 2002 downturn, when firms carried on recruiting even after demand had started to drop significantly. Although billings remain buoyant, firms have been recruiting more cautiously for some months in the hope that supply will be more in line with expected reduced demand.
“We clearly have a difficult environment,” says Alan Buckle, global head of advisory at KPMG, “but you can’t cut back on your business in anticipation every time it looks bad. Consultancy has always been more about perspiration and detail than it is about inspiration, so it is a time for very careful focus on the detail of the business.”
