Vaidehi Raghu Raman and Daniel Mathis spent the summer of 2022 working in our New York office as part of our internship programme. We asked them about their experience at Plural Strategy.
Why did you choose a consulting internship at Plural?
Daniel: I was really interested in the analytical problem-solving process of how we can take an abstract question that doesn’t necessarily have a clear answer, analyse it, and come to a conclusion. The internship also seemed like a great way to get exposure to tons of different problems, different industries and different companies in the beginning of my career. I also really liked that Plural was a small firm with the opportunity to get very early responsibility.
Vaidehi: I was very attracted based on the size and the culture. It felt like as soon as I joined, I’d be able to get started on projects, that have a lot more responsibility than I felt like I would have at other places. Also, echoing some of what Daniel said, Plural has a strong focus on short-term, high-impact projects, which excited me because that meant I would have the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects in different industries, making for an incredibly rich and diverse internship experience.
When did you receive responsibility?
Daniel: I remember part of my Why Plural application answer was that “I really want early responsibility”, and we certainly got that. We started our internship on a Tuesday, we had training on that Tuesday and Wednesday, and then we were staffed on our first project that Thursday. So, we were both put on projects pretty much right away and I also think we got a level of responsibility that interns would not normally have at a larger firm. We’ve both worked directly with the Partner in the New York office which has been a great learning experience for both of us. I think we both had opportunities to do tasks that we would not have been trusted with elsewhere.
Vaidehi: I completely agree. We already had our initial projects and tasks in the first week of our internship, and you could definitely feel the level of trust being put in us. There was no micro-managing: we were treated the same as any other employee in terms of both responsibility and rigour.
What type of work did you do during your internship?
Vaidehi: As part of a very small team, I got to work on every single part of the project process. I started off on the desk research – really building up those skills and getting good at working with datasets in Excel. Then, that transitioned into building out slide decks, putting together everything that we had researched up to that point in a clear way. After that, I worked on more of the client meetings, getting feedback and adjusting our approach.
Daniel: We’ve also had the opportunity to go all the way through the consulting process from doing the research, to collecting and analysing data, to then synthesizing our findings in slides that went to clients – typically an intern does not get to participate in every stage of this process.
What’s it like to work in Plural Strategy’s New York office?
Vaidehi: The moment that we came in, we could definitely feel that there was like a strong community within Plural. The amount of people that, as soon as you join, reach out to welcome you into the firm and say “if you ever need anything I’m here don’t even hesitate to ask”.
Daniel: It is a very entrepreneurial feel. In the New York office, we’re all sitting very close to each other, so you don’t have to walk across the office to talk to anyone.
Vaidehi: There’s also a lot of support from the office in terms of adjusting to New York. One of the team grew up here, so she’s always recommending places for us to go and things to do.
What is the interview process like at Plural?
Vaidehi: Culture-wise, what really stood out to me during the interview process was a focus on learning and growth. After every single interview we did, Plural would always schedule feedback sessions with us. This gave everyone a lot of really helpful advice to improve, regardless of whether or not they were going to move forward with the process.
Daniel: Yeah I completely echo that. It’s something I spoke about during my interview. The fact that Plural was willing to give feedback to candidates that hadn’t even got the job showed that Plural really does care about its people.
Would you recommend Plural’s Strategy consulting internship?
Vaidehi: 100%. As much as we have a growth mindset for businesses, there’s a growth mindset for Plural’s people. I definitely think that this is a really great place to learn and develop during an internship.
Daniel: I completely agree. I would definitely recommend the internship both for the work itself, and the social aspect. In these 11 weeks, I feel like I’ve gained the same experience as if I had been working for months. I’ve had the opportunity to do three or four projects in a very short amount of time. The internship has been very packed with information and exposure to different areas. I think I have learned and grown a tremendous amount in just one summer.