1. Why a career in consultancy?
Strategic consultancy is not an easy profession. It calls for intelligence, a brilliant mind and a great deal of energy. Here are some of the advantages:

• Experience in a variety of countries, disciplines and lines of business
• A prestigious, fast-track career offering attractive compensation packages and a great deal of appeal on the job market
• A youthful, dynamic and stimulating working environment
• Opportunities to interact with the top management of client firms

Compared with even the best of careers in a corporate environment, where the work is all connected with a relatively restricted arena, consultancy offers a more satisfying experience. Unlike, for instance, a good position in a merchant bank, a consultant's career offers:

• The opportunity to influence the client's strategic decisions
• An independent role within the group structure
• Great involvement with particular projects

On the other hand, a career as a consultant demands:

• Flexibility in working hours
• Total dedication
• Willingness to travel extensively

2. Why choose Value Partners Management Consulting?
Value Partners is the third-largest European management consulting firm.

What makes us special:

• An exceptional growth record
• International projects; international staff
• A real spirit of partnership with our clients: major industrial or service groups or multinationals of Italian origin
• The spirit of enterprise

We are practical, results-oriented, and courageous when it comes to showing the client the best practicable solution; we share the entrepreneurial risk of every proposal we make. So choosing Value Partners means:

• Starting on a career path that is transparent, where advancement is based on merit
• Working in a dynamic, international environment
• Contributing to the development of your country's ability to compete

3. How do I set about joining Value Partners Management Consulting?
First step: send us your CV, filling in all the fields on the page "Send us your CV".

The CV will be checked over by our HR Department to see if you meet our basic requirements: a good honours degree, familiarity with at least two languages, specializations and working experience.

If we're impressed with your CV you'll be invited to a meeting with one of our consultants. If that interview goes well, you'll be asked to a second and then a third, in which you'll be asked to solve a business case. At that stage you'll be invited to one of our selection days, during which you'll be meeting three of our partners.

If all these encounters are successful we'll make you an offer of work.
If you accept it, then congratulations - and welcome to Value Partners!

4. Do I need to have an MBA to become a Value Partners consultant?
A Masters in Business Administration certainly strengthens a graduate's abilities - but it doesn't magically turn him or her into a consultant. Determination, teamwork ability, skill and intellectual curiosity are what we need at Value Partners. An MBA is not always essential for working with us - they are.

5. What's life like at Value Partners?
Our working environment is informal; the way we work is in keeping with our entrepreneurial spirit. We don't have rigid hierarchies: we're a team. We expect people to be self-starting and success-oriented, but we make sure they have the tools and the skills they need to do their best.

Yes, we work hard (the client always comes first) - but we don't believe life consists only of work.

We are flexible, and make every effort to meet our consultants' personal requirements. Although our client-dedicated approach requires a constant commitment and long hours of work (an Associate works some 50-60 hours a week on average), we are prepared to look for solutions that enable everyone, and in particular young mothers, to cope with their personal commitments.

6. How is work organized at Value Partners?
We work in teams. For the duration of a given project, the team becomes the consultant's school, gym, and home. Our craft is one that takes time to learn; and senior colleagues have the job (and the responsibility) of watching over their juniors' development. This applies especially to the Business Analysts on their first assignment: the project leader knows they must not be left exposed but on the contrary given particularly careful coaching.

No two projects are the same. Teams are generally composed of 3 - 5 consultants. Projects last on average 2 or 3 months, and the work is almost always done on the client's premises.

7. It is true that at Value Partners you work day and night?
As in all professional situations where quality standards are really high, a lot of work gets done at Value Partners, some of it at night or at weekends. But what Value Partners wants from its staff is results, rather than being present all the time whatever the cost. We pay a very great deal of attention to personal needs and flexibility; and mutual help is the unbreakable rule within every team: mutual help, all the time, in finding a solution that produces top-quality work and penalizes no-one.

8. How do people grow with the Value Partners group?
The assessment process is both informal and formal. People are evaluated at the end of every project by the manager they have worked with, and also twice a year in structured meetings with all the partners. Each consultant is assigned a Development Leader to discuss their career path. Promotions are on the basis of personal merit and the contribution made to the company. We encourage all our consultants to ask advice from and compare notes with all their colleagues at every level.

Our people are assessed on the following basis:

• Problem-solving capability
• Teamwork
• Interaction with the client
• Ability to communicate

For the Value Partners group, the professional development of our people is a priority. Our consultants take part in training courses to develop and strengthen their business skills, communication abilities and knowledge of technology.

9. Is Value Partners yet another consultancy firm where all the professionals are men?
One in five of our professionals is a woman. Our head of Human Resources is Laura Cattaneo, our head of Communication is Tina Guiducci, and our partnership includes five women.

10. What do people do after leaving Value Partners?
The rate of turnover at Value Partners is low compared with the industry average. Colleagues who have left Value Partners Management Consulting have gone on to brilliant careers, often in companies. In many cases we continue to work with these VP alumni, to everyone's great satisfaction.