Career   FAQ’s 

FAQ’s

Who is my first point of contact for any further questions?
Who should I send my application to?
How does the selection process work at J&M?
Is J&M currently looking to employ consultants?
Is a classic application folder or an email application preferred?
What are the requirements as regards grades or practical experience?
Where will I be based?
Who is the ideal candidate?
What language skills are absolutely necessary?
Is SAP experience an absolute must?

Which degree subjects does J&M prefer?


Do I need experience in any particular industry?


What can I expect immediately after joining J&M?
Are new employees offered training?
How could a career at J&M progress?
Do I have a personal point of contact?


What are the working hours at J&M like?
What is a project like at J&M?
How does J&M put together a project team?
How long do the projects last on average?
How and when can I specialise?
How much will I travel?
How international is work as a consultant for J&M?
What topics will I deal with?

Can I do a traineeship at J&M?
Can I write my final dissertation or a seminar paper at J&M?

If you have any questions relating to careers and applications please feel free to contact our Recruiting Coordinator Carola Unterländer at any time, either by telephone (+49-(0)621-12 47-69-0) or by e-mail (c.unterlaenderjnm.de).

Please send your application with the relevant documents attached either

• by e-mail (c.unterlaenderjnm.de),
• by post (J&M Management Consulting AG, z.Hd: Carola Unterländer. Zentrales Recruiting, Postfach 92 02 65, 51152 Köln) or
• via our online application center.

If you are applying for a traineeship or for a placement as a final year student please send all relevant documents to Ms. Carola Unterländer (c.unterlaenderjnm.com).

Our selection process consists of three consecutive interviews. In each interview you meet different employees and consultants from J&M. This procedure allows us, and you, to get to know each other in detail, meaning that we have a well-founded basis on which to make our decision.

Yes. As we are planning to expand considerably in 2005, our aim is to employ more than 30 new consultants from widely varying backgrounds.

We accept both options. That said, we believe that sending an application by e-mail is the most practical option for both parties. Our online application center is also available as an alternative.

Click here for an overview of all possible options for applying to J&M.

We are very selective when it comes to our future employees. After all, we want you to be part of our team in the long term, and not just for our next project. This is why we test your abilities and expect you to have obtained very good grades at university or college.

If you are a graduate you ought to have already had your first qualified traineeships and be able to demonstrate commitment outside the scope of the university. Ideally, you will also have spent time abroad, for example on a traineeship or a semester at a foreign institution.

If you are a professional you have gathered practical experience during your previous position in a consulting or industrial company in one of the industries which are of relevance for us.

You ought to be fluent in German and very good in English.

Whilst you are being shown the ropes as a graduate you will be based at our head office in Mannheim. Whilst on projects, you will naturally be posted at our customers’ locations. Our customers are located throughout Europe.

If you already have experience in consulting, you may also be able to work in our offices in Düsseldorf, Munich, Brussels, Zurich or Shanghai. We are happy to discuss this issue with you in person.

Do you feel addressed by words such as initiative, responsibility and fairness? Would you like a job where there is a sense of partnership amongst colleagues and a culture of mutual respect? Then you’re right with us. We’re looking for ambitious, individual and creative personalities who want to take an active part in shaping their work and who are willing to assume responsibility.

Associate Consultant: You have successfully completed your degree in under average time with an above-average grade. During traineeships or whilst working as a student you have been able to gain an insight into the consulting business and have come to the conclusion that this is where your future lies. If you are flexible as regards travel throughout Germany then we ought to meet.

Consultant: You have completed your degree with an above-average grade and have since had 1-2 years experience as an external consultant in project work or corresponding experience in industry. If you have decided to make a lasting commitment to consulting then we ought to meet.

Senior Consultant: After your academic education you have had 2-4 years experience as an external consultant in project work or corresponding experience in industry. The way you deal with complex solutions during project work and the ability to assume responsibility whilst focussing on the results make you stand out from the crowd.

Manager: You have already gained extensive experience in managing various consulting projects relating to our core competencies SCM, CRM, Production & Logistics, Finance & Controlling or IT and have also had responsibility for managing personnel. Alternatively, you have been able to qualify for consulting on the basis of your work to date in one of the industries which are of relevance for us.

Solution Expert: You have had extensive experience as a consultant in an area relating to one or more of our competence centres (SCM, CRM, Finance & Controlling, IT and Production & Logistics). If you have set yourself the aim of becoming more specialised in a certain subject in the short or medium term or if you have already gathered well-founded specialist know-how then we ought to meet.

Senior Manager: You have had many years experience in the consulting industry. Now you want to face the new challenge of managing a team in a rapidly expanding company and gather more experience in customer acquisition. If you also want to prepare for a possible business partnership then we ought to meet.

Associate Partner: There is no single profile for a candidate for a partnership at J&M. However, you ought to have had many years experience in the consulting industry with responsibility for managing personnel and you should be prepared to assume initial corporate responsibility for an individual corporate division corresponding to our core competencies.

Partner: As a Partner at J&M you will assume the entire corporate responsibility for one of J&M’s core competencies. In view of the degree of responsibility entailed by this position, we expect you to have many years experience in industry and consulting and extensive knowledge relating to the managing of personnel.

As our customers are located throughout Europe, the languages we generally use during our projects are German and English. Accordingly, we expect fluency for business purposes in both German and English.

The requirements for SAP experience differ depending on the area of consulting you intend to focus on upon joining J&M. If your focus is on IT consulting, then, provided you have had some work experience, we expect you to have an extensive knowledge of SAP as regards implementation and customising. If, however, you intend to focus on management consulting, then we definitely expect you to be able to relate well to IT issues and ideally to have at least a basic knowledge of SAP.

Generally speaking, we expect all our employees to be prepared to accumulate extensive knowledge in new areas.

We would naturally like you to have experience in one of the industries which are of relevance to us (automotive, CPG & retail, high-tech & electronics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals). If you do not have any such experience, we would still be interested in meeting you provided you have other experience relevant to J&M (e.g. detailed SAP know-how).

When selecting potential employees, we focus on economic and scientific degrees in all their variations. This does not mean, however, that applicants from other degree courses will not be given a fair chance.

It is important for us that all applicants are able to relate well to IT issues. We expect applicants with a non-economics related degree to have a basic knowledge of business management.

As a graduate you will definitely be given a technical induction into the first project you are placed on, which may be either internal or external. We try to offer a balanced combination of special training measures and on-the-job training, as we believe that after having completed your degree you are just itching to get on and start working in practice. In addition, this procedure gives us the opportunity of getting to know your style of work in more detail and allows us to give you assistance exactly where you need it.

If you have already had some consulting experience before joining J&M, we expect you to be able to be placed into projects directly after having been given the background on the relevant situation and circumstances.

J&M offers you a number of training opportunities. You complete these courses parallel to your work on projects, giving you the opportunity to put what you have learned into practice straightaway. Successfully completing certain training building blocks is a prerequisite for reaching the next step on the career ladder.

Alongside the obligatory training measures we also offer individual training concepts tailored to meet the particular needs of each individual employee.

J&M offers you two alternative career paths in the consulting environment. On the one hand a career with management responsibilities and on the other hand a specialist career.

We actively shape careers. As a graduate you join as an Associate Consultant, as a young professional you start out as a Consultant. You now gather your initial experience in various projects. You progress to the position of Senior Consultant, before deciding whether to follow the technical path heading towards the position of Solution Expert or to lead a small team as a Manager with responsibility for personnel. If at a later date you continue to be successful in promoting our business you will have the opportunity of promotion to the position of Partner. As well as being responsible for operational business, you are then placed in charge of a certain competency or industry.

The various steps are described in detail in our career ladder.

Yes, each associate consultant, consultant and senior consultant is allocated to a manager who is his or her direct contact person for all matters. The manager supports his employees in their day to day work and in their professional advancement. A performance review is held between the consultant and the relevant manager at least once a year, in which the main focus is on the employee’s individual objectives. Markus Isermann, our HR Director is also available as an additional point of contact at any time.

The working hours of consultants at J&M depend on the projects in which they are currently involved. With the odd exception each year, they are free at the weekends.

Our projects are as individual as our customers. Accordingly, a wide variety of topics are covered by our projects within our core competencies.

Each project team is formed individually according to the project requirements. Larger project teams are generally created along the classic model of one project manager, sub-project managers and several team members.

There is no such thing as a classic J&M project. We are involved in projects which last one day, one week, several months or even a year. The average length for a project is approx. 6 months.

At J&M you can specialise in accordance with our core competencies SCM, CRM, Production & Logistics, Finance & Controlling and Information Technologies. In order to ensure the continued development of our consultants, we try to make sure that you are involved in projects across the spectrum of J&M’s competencies.

As well as specialising in our core competencies, you can also opt to specialise in the various industries we are involved in (chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automotive, consumer goods & retail and high-tech).

There is no clear-cut answer to this question. The amount of travel depends on the projects in which you are involved. Our consultants are generally based at our customers for approx. 130-200 days a year. Accordingly, willingness to travel is a basic prerequisite for a career with J&M.

J&M’s consulting work is focussed on European countries outside of Germany. We generate approx. 50% of our turnover outside of Germany.

Initially you will be allocated to J&M’s core competency in which you have the most experience. This does not mean that you will always be bound to following the same path, however. We offer all employees the opportunity of working in projects concentrating on different specialist areas. This naturally means that our consultants must be prepared to continuously accumulate knowledge in new areas.

We offer you a stretching traineeship in which you are expected to assume responsibility, which broadens your horizons, gives you the opportunity of gathering further experience and gives you an initial insight into the work of a consulting company. Your traineeship ought to last at least 3 months.

Yes, we offer final year students and other students the opportunity of writing a practice-based seminar paper or dissertation. As well as the opportunity of working out a topical and exciting topic, we offer comprehensive mentoring by a partner or manager of J&M Management Consulting who has considerable experience in the area covered by the topic you choose. Whilst working on your dissertation, you will also have the opportunity of gaining an insight into the day to day work of a consultant.