Prior to this session, participants will be asked to purchase an online module that will walk them through the building of an excel model for consulting. Students will hone skills within areas related to: importing and cleaning data, using vlookups and index matching to look up and connect key data, create and conduct dynamic analysis of data using pivot tables and sensitivity analysis, and much more. The module will also help students begin to master time-saving keyboard shortcuts. During the session, students will be asked to explain the findings of the model to a “skeptical” client (imagine your most challenging dissertation committee member). Lastly, we will discuss ways to best create a PowerPoint to walk a client through the excel model through an exercise often leveraged by consultants known as “storyboarding”. We will then conduct another practice case interview.
INSTRUCTOR
Brendan Boler is currently a Presidential Fellow in Data Science at the UVA Data Science Institute. He previously spent seven years as a Professor at the McIntire School of Commerce. His research and teaching is focused on better understanding the cognitive and social psychology behind effective decision making, experiential learning, data-driven storytelling, and predictive analytics. Much of his research is conducted within the context of employment assessments and interviews.
An award-winning instructor while at McIntire, he taught courses in management consulting and strategic thinking. Given his teaching and research interests, he’s also passionate about coaching students to achieve their peak levels of performance during high stakes employment assessments. Prior to moving into academia, Boler served as an executive within Accenture's Customer Insight (Marketing Analytics) practice. His clients included AT&T, Cablevision, Cisco Systems, Ford Motor Company, Ogilvy & Mather, Verizon, and Young & Rubicam.