Greetings to all,I have just recently found this forum and am glad it exists. Thank you for all your fine postings and explanations! Maybe somebody will answer my questions as well... I have moved to London from Canada with my family 6 weeks ago, and need some advice re: my chances and posibilities to get into the UK consulting company with my education and experience. My education and experience are very broad and international, and I am not sure how they will be perceived here in London... please tell me what you think my chances are...I have an MBA degree, a Postgrad Diploma in Management (both from Canada), two undergrad degrees (1. Economics with Financial Analysis stream from Former Yugoslavia 2. Communications from Canada), a diploma in Web Development/E-Commerce from Canada, and an Accounting designation (from Former Yugoslavia). My chronological work history: Operations and Business Development Manager (7 years for an IT/Management consulting company in Canada with projects in Canada and the USA for clients such as Manulife Financial, Cisco Systems, BF Goodrich, Wal-Mart, General Electric, Canadian Government, Kodak, Texas Instruments...), Senior Business Analyst/Consultant/Project Manager (2 years for the same Canadian company), Executive Manager for the Printing/Export-Import company from Croatia (7 years), Accountant with own practice (third ever registered in Former Yugoslavia) for one year (closed due to unstable economic situation in the region).I have the HSMP (Highly Skilled Migrant Programme) visa for the UK, am Canadian and Croatian citizen and need some direction while looking for work in London. Can somebody here tell me which consultancies would be the best fit for me?I am proficient in IT technologies and business methodologies (programming languages, web/software development, graphic design, project management, business analysis...), and have top grades in one of the best Canadian MBA programs that is on the Financial Times' list of best MBAs in the world, am multilingual (fluent in 3 languages and with intermediate knowledge of 5 additional languages and basic knowledge of three more), and am female.My main interest is Strategy consulting. Would my background be of any interestt for consutling companies that do SC? Also, would they hire me with my HSMP visa?Thanks for your help!RosePS: Sorry that I am too detailed, but I think it is better to explain more when asking for answers, than less ;-)

Dear Madam,I might not be able to help you with your issues, however, with the kindly of vast experience and qualifications you have, I think it would be quiet easy for you to move to the field of Strategy Consulting. Also, I require your advice on job oppurtunities in Canada. I am an Indian and an Electronics Engineer by qualification. I wish to know what are my chances of getting a job in Canada. I am currently working with Johnson & Johnson as Account Manager North and handling sales/supply chain activities for the 7 companies of J&J for North India. I have a total 5 + years of experience in the healthcare sector and seeking a career oppurtunity in Canada. Can you help in guiding for the same. I am also enclosing my detailed resume:SAMEER VIJ M-6, Kirti Nagar, Home: (011) 25107223New Delhi 110 015 Mobile: 9312605690Email: sameer_jnj@yahoo.comCareer Objective:To obtain a challenging position with a market leader that utilizes my experience in product management, sales management, account management and project management.Professional Experience:1. Company Johnson & Johnson Ltd. Designation Account Manager - NorthDuration 20th June 2002 – January 2005 *Products Handled Job Profile Handling the supply chain cycle for the direct accounts in North India for the seven companies of Johnson & Johnson Medical India.Key Responsibilities Order to cash Process Includes timely receipt of orders, smooth execution of orders and prompt collection of receivables Pricing and Contracting Includes follow up for price authorizations from Franchisee Managers and ensuring correct upload of prices on J D Edwards including ensuring the validity of pricing at the account.Coordinates with the sales team from all Franchisees to develop customer-focused in service programs & solutions, ensuring that programs offered are aligned with account strategy and business plan.Facilitates offer development, negotiation and implementation of the direct supply arrangementPeriodic review and feedback from the direct accounts on a quarterly basisPlaying an active role in designing 'value-added' marketing programs for Direct Accounts e.g. Vendor Managed Inventories and Customer Self Service.* Handling this position since January 2003; before that I was part of the Sales team of Ethicon Division based in Delhi and handling the Cardiovascular business in North India. 2. Company Erbis Engineering Co. Ltd.(Trade partner of Toshiba Medical Systems in India, Nepal and Bangladesh)Designation Sr. Sales EngineerDuration 17th July 2000 – 2nd February2002Products Handled Imaging Portable Ultrasound Toshiba, Japan Color Doppler Toshiba, Japan Critical Care Multi Parameter Monitor Nihon Kohden, Japan Defibrillator Nihon Kohden, Japan Neurology EEG/EMG/EP Nihon Kohden, JapanJob Profile Key Account Management Direct Sales and Reseller Partnership Networking and Relationship Building Demonstrating of equipments in conferences andWorkshops.Achievements and Recognitions:· Represented Ethicon – India at the European Association of Cardio thoracic Surgeon at Leipzig, Germany and launched the Cardovations range of products in North India.· Streamlined the supply chain in Government Institutes in Delhi by entering rate contract with them for all local purchase. · Streamlined the territory of Punjab by controlling infiltration of stock from outside and entering rate contract in hospitals delivering 70 percent of the total business. · Took a challenging growth of 26% over the Business Plan of 2002 and achieved the targets in the stipulated period mainly because of focus on new and high value products and entering rate contracts in the beginning of the year. · Gone direct with the top accounts in Punjab with highest BP (Dayanand Medical College and Christian Medical College, Ludhiana) and freezing the account forever by entering a rate contract with them. These are the only 2 institutes in North India that has gone direct with the company after Escorts. · Achieved the given target of 15 B/W Ultrasound machines in a span of one year, giving a total business of approximately 80 Lacs.· Active role in getting the order for 12 Nos. B/W Ultrasound machines from Municipal Corporation of Delhi.· Attended a 3-day workshop on Team Building at IIM, Lucknow. Computer Training:Did training at Compunnel Software India (P) Ltd., Noida in using the following:· Operating System MS-Dos, Windows 95/98/NT· Software Packages Ms-Office, Outlook Express etc.· ERP J D EdwardsEducational Qualification:· B. Tech. (Electronics and Communication)Passed out in September 1999 from M. M. Engineering College, Ambala affiliated to Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra scoring 67.25 %.· 10+2Passed out in March 1995 from Dayal Singh Public School, Karnal affiliated to C.B.S.E., New Delhi scoring 71 %.· MatriculationPassed out in March 1995 from St. Theresa’s Convent School, Karnal affiliated to C.B.S.E., New Delhi scoring 74 %.Personal Information:Name Sameer VijFather’s Name Dr. B. D. VijDate of Birth 26th August 1977Marital Status SinglePassport Number B5009647SAMEER VIJ

Hi Rose - I can't offer you advice on which consulting firms to target, but I can tell you that your HSPM Visa is absolutely fine, and you shouldn't encounter any issues there. Aside from the big strat firms, you could look at the Top 75 consulting firms (from Management Consultancy magazine) for some ideas on the various companies. Good luck - RecruitGal

Hello and thank you for taking time to write back! Your experience and qualifications are very impressive as well! Sorry for not responding sooner... I used to live in Canada's "Technology Triangle", tri-city area between Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge (although Guelph belongs there as well), and the company that you could approach is Mitra (now under Agpha) as it specializes in healthcare tech solutions. I am not sure if they're hiring now, please check their web site, but I think that you should be better off in the US or the UK as Canada has a problem with accepting foreign education and experience and most highly skilled immigrants end up driving cabs, delivering pizzas or working at the shop floors in factories for minimum wages. If you check this on the web, you'll find many web sites explaining exactly this and you can read some sad stories about people that immigrated to Canada and either left it or are struggling in some low jobs. Also, engineering is a highly regulated field in Canada and rules vary from province to province, so please check them before you decide to go. Canadian employers are not ready to sponsor work permits due to that infamous requirement for "Canadian experience" and due to a fact that Canada has its own engineers without work (or working at some odd jobs). For that reason, most highly skilled people from all around the world usualy arrive after obtaining immigration visa (it takes one to two years in some cases) and after realizing that acquired points for their education and experience in the immigration process are not interesting at all for the Canadian employers, they either go back to universities (as I did) or decide to earn whatever they can for their families' sake at whatever jobs they can get. For some time I used to work at a place where new immigrants come to learn English and talked with hundreds of engineers, doctors, PhDs, teachers, university professors... that immigrated to Canada and became helpless while solving the Canadian Catch 22 - already mentioned "Canadian experience" requirement that most of Canadian employers excercise without any hesitation and without feeling discriminatory at all. The problem became so huge that the government decided to do something about that as in the next 10 years or so Canada will be almost 100% dependable on the immigrant skills, and only this year dedicated millions of $ to "help highly skilled immigrants get into workforce at the level they deserve". In my opinion it is far away from that day when the Canadian employers will open their doors without any restrictions. Until then, Canada will be a country of a huge paradox where its healthcare (for example) reached its down and is ready to crush, while at the same time only in the Technology Triangle area (Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge) it has 174 foreign trained doctors that sit at home or work menial jobs to survive. In that area almost quarter of the inhabitants don't have a family doctor as there are not enough Canadian trained doctors. For some more information, check this web site http://www.canadaimmigrants.com/forum_2.asp and look for some others as well... Sorry I couldn't give you some better news.... Good luck with whatever you decide to do! Maybe you should check the HSMP program for the UK, or visas for the USA. Rose

Thank you RecruitGal! I was hoping you would answer to my posting :)... I have checked the Management Consultancy Magazine online and got the Top 75 Consulting Firms list. I am now correcting my CV and would like to ask you for a favour... if I send it to your e-mail recruitgal@hotmail.co.uk (I found it on this forum) would you be able to tell me if it is OK for the UK standards and for getting into consulting companies? I hope I am not too pushy... :) I read many books and web sites about CV writing in the past two months, and am now in the process of adjusting my resume to the UK-style CV, but it is always good if somebody from the "other side of the table" reads it before I make a mistake and send it to recruiters with some cardinal mistakes (hopefully not)...Thank you in advance! Rose

No problem Rose. It might take me a few days to respond, because I only check my hotmail account once a week...