Zicklin Grad Lands Coveted Consulting Job with BCG
May 17, 2021A few years back, Gloria Nyaega (MBA, ’19) was told by a job interviewer that she lacked self-confidence.
Anyone who’s met her lately would be surprised to hear that. Gloria just accepted a position as a consultant for Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which is, along with McKinsey and Bain, one of the “big three” management consulting firms that are notoriously selective about hiring.
How did she become the poised, self-assured woman she is today? Rather than let that interviewer’s opinion discourage her, Gloria turned that setback into an opportunity. She determined to think harder about who she was and what she had to offer, and to polish her interview skills so that she could paint a compelling picture of how she could add value.
When Gloria joined the Zicklin School, most of her work experience at the time consisted of several years spent in Asia, teaching English to Japanese and Korean students. She loved the urban energy of Tokyo and Seoul and decided that when she returned to the U.S., her next adventure would be living in New York — business capital of the world — and earning an MBA.
“I wanted a versatile degree that could translate into getting a job in various industries and functions,” Gloria explains. “Business seemed like the best choice.” She applied to the Zicklin School’s Full-Time MBA program because “I wanted the full experience — to be totally immersed in the learnings, networking opportunities . . . everything.”
The Zicklin School’s emphasis on helping students change careers and giving them practical skills were two major attractions. Gloria especially liked the business consulting capstone course, where she had the opportunity to advise a real-life biotechnology firm on the regulations governing drug launches in potential overseas markets.
“Gloria impressed me on day one,” says Anthony Farina, distinguished lecturer and director of the capstone program. “She spoke up; she was engaging, smart, and confident, and it was a large class. She struck me as a leader and a high-potential young woman.”
Prof. Farina’s colleague Arthur Chivvis, PhD — a former McKinsey partner — agrees: “Gloria has that combination of high intelligence, maturity, and people skills essential to success as a management consultant.”
“Wanting to become a consultant but not coming from a corporate background, I found it really important to have my skill set validated by someone like Art,” Gloria says. “He encouraged me to apply for consulting positions.”
She also cites the assistance of the Graduate Career Management Center—particularly the coaching she received from Jack Pullara, former PwC partner, who helped her polish her cover letters and learn to tell her story persuasively.
Learning to view herself as someone who relished challenges and new experiences—living in Asia, getting an MBA, changing careers — gave Gloria the confidence to recognize opportunities when they arose and make the most of them.
Take the chance elevator encounter she had one day at the Zicklin School. Chatting with her fellow passenger, Gloria learned the woman was involved with a nonprofit organization in Kenya, the country Gloria was originally from. (She came to the U.S. at age nine with her family.) That commonality gave them something to talk about during the brief ride.
About to graduate, Gloria had a job with Bank of America lined up that wouldn’t start for a couple of months. Consulting for a nonprofit might be an interesting experience in the meantime, she thought, so she followed up afterwards with her new contact to ask if the Kenyan nonprofit could use any help from a newly minted MBA graduate.
Gloria ended up spending several weeks in Kenya working for Ouko Community Initiatives. She helped the nonprofit create a business plan, hire a vendor, and outline an implementation plan for a hydroponics farm that would grow vegetables to supplement a local school’s lunch program.
“When I talk to students from nontraditional backgrounds like myself,” Gloria sums up, “I tell them they should aim high and not discount themselves. It’s about making sure you’re organized, prepared, and ambitious, so that when opportunities present themselves, you take full advantage of them.”
Dr. Chivvis agrees: “It’s no wonder BCG recruited her.”