Q&A
Q: Do you require a background in life sciences or healthcare?
A: We seek individuals with a dedicated interest or experience in healthcare, which could stem from their field of study, internships, or other independent projects. We are proud to gather a diverse pool of employees from a variety of backgrounds; this truly makes CBPartners a unique learning environment.
Q: Where does CBPartners recruit consultants from?
A: Generally speaking, we have two main sources of recruitment – undergraduate / graduate schools and other firms or companies.
Academic institutions tend to be the sources for entry-level positions with CBPartners. Other consulting firms are good places to find experienced professionals who can add immediate value to our engagement work.
Q: What kind of people do you hire? Is a PhD / MD valuable?
A: Diversity is important to us. We seek people with different backgrounds due to the variety of business issues presented to us by clients, variable methodologies employed, and geographies of focus. Most importantly, diversity spurs creativity and innovation – both of which are crucial to being a high-performance consulting firm.
A PhD background can frequently be helpful by bringing professional maturity and problem-solving skills to a team. The fundamentals of consulting and our industry can be learned upon joining the team, but these skills can help to enhance a team’s productivity by combining individuals with unique experiences.
Further, a quantitative background can be useful for a modelling or forecasting engagement, while qualitative skills best lend themselves to managing project logistics.
In summary, it is a variety of skillsets and personalities that allow us to grow and succeed.
Q: Do the offices work independently (i.e., will I only work with clients close to me?)
A: We operate globally, which reflects how we collaborate with our multinational clients. We consider many factors when structuring project staffing and aim to expose junior consultants to multiple practices, which serves to both build their capabilities and teach a broader view of the value we provide clients.
Ultimately staffing is not dictated by location. While some of our clients desire face-to-face support, you should not expect that you will work only in one country or practice area.
Q: What does the day-to-day work of a consultant look like?
A: A Week in the Life of an Analyst provides some insight, but usually the day to day varies based on your role, the project(s) you are involved in, and internal initiative involvement. Your key responsibilities will include:
- Performing secondary research across therapeutic areas and markets
- Managing the collection of internal and external data sources
- Analyzing and synthesizing key findings into client deliverables by developing PowerPoint presentations, Excel-based dashboards and databases, and Word communication documents
- Meeting with your project team for internal check-ins and to discuss project updates
- Joining firmwide or local knowledge-sharing meetings