This is what keeps us going here at IBC. We love to see the personal and professional growth that happens in just a few, intense 12 weeks:
IBC has meant a lot to me. This semester has been particularly valuable since my team’s project was so comprehensive. I learned to really dig for useful information, analyze my findings, and apply it to the client. This project has taught me a lot about all the different elements which go into business, especially when opening in another country.
IBC has also given me valuable professional skills such as conducting research, writing a White Paper, interacting with the client, and presenting my findings in a concise manner. I am much more comfortable speaking in front of a group of people after multiple presentations. Additionally, I have been able to improve my teamwork skills and have easily collaborated and bonded with my team members. The greatest part about IBC is that these are skills which are vital to my future career and set me apart from other job candidates who do not have the experience of IBC.
Most importantly, IBC has given me something to talk to during job interviews. Without IBC and the professional skill obtained during my time in IBC, I would not have a job. IBC impresses potential employers, and the skills I have gained really help me relax during interviews and just shine compared to other prospective candidates.
This was my first project in IBC, and I can honestly say that it was one of the most professionally holistic learning experiences that I have ever had the opportunity of participating in. In regards to critical thinking, presentation skills, communication, leadership… the list goes on and on, I feel that I have made significant strides in each of these qualities as a professional, and also as a person. Seeing this was my first year in IBC, I really did not know what to expect coming into the organization. I was aware of the big picture goals, but in regards to team-specific day-to-day tasks I really did not know what I was in for. Thanks to an absolutely amazing team I can say that my expectations walking into IBC where blown away, now reflecting on my semester. I did not think that I was going to be put on a team that really gelled and collaborated the way our team did. I think that this was due to the leadership in charge of our team, and also the initiative and ownership that each consultant seemed to take over our project. Everyone was quick to give a helping hand / opinion whenever it was asked or needed, and because of this I felt that this allowed the overall quality of our work to be maximized. I could not have thought of a better team atmosphere to be put into as a first year consultant. Moving forward in the organization, my expectations for future projects, whether consulting or leading, will be standardized with the success of my team this semester. I felt that this was a phenomenal beginning to my IBC experience and look forward to future successful semesters in the program.
Through my project with [ABC Client], I have learned a lot. This being my third semester, it is funny and interesting to know that I can still learn things about myself and the organization. Specifically with this project, I have leaned that you always need to be persistent as a consultant. When contacting companies in [X country], it was very hard to actually communicate the needs of [the client] due to language barriers. However, I learned that I need to utilize every resource available to me, whether it be a native speaker, or google translator. I would say that I grew in that regard too. I learned that sometimes I have to be kindly aggressive to get information I need for the client even though I would not describe myself as an aggressive person. Through this project, I learned a lot and I am so grateful that I could be apart of the team.
I am a first year consultant on [Project Manager’s] team. Through my experience in IBC I have learned the importance of promptness and professionalism. I learned the importance of backing up data with credible sources, and a great analysis which is poorly converted will be interpreted by the client as a poor analysis. Overall IBC has been an excellent experience which has lead to the exponential increase in my team and time management skills. I look forward to future semesters.
I learned that in order to be a good consultant, you really have to work hard and be persistent in your research and analysis. If someone wants a haphazardly assembled research report and analysis, they could do it themselves on the side of their work. We need to remember that our work is important, and we need to be persistent in gathering the information we need, because it may not always be easily available. I also learned that sometimes we need to take the initiative to ask or reach out to someone else to get the work completed. With so many resources on our campus, such as Carissa, international phone lines, professors, and researchers available, we need to utilize everything at our disposal to complete exemplary work.