Experience Consultant: Charlotte's path from bachelor to practice at DTO Consulting

What made you decide to do an internship at DTO Consulting?

After completing my Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, I decided to take a gap year to gain various practical experiences before starting my Master's degree. I was particularly interested in working in a business consultancy, as I wanted to gain a wide range of insights and be involved in various strategic projects. During the internships I had already completed, I carried out a competitor analysis for the first time, which sparked my interest in delving deeper into market research topics.

What particularly appealed to you about the company?

DTO particularly appealed to me because of the combination of market research and consulting. I was also interested in gaining an insight into a smaller company after completing my last internship in a large corporation. Due to the size of DTO, I found the corporate culture to be less anonymous, which encouraged a personal level of dialogue and collaboration. The application process was very pleasant - I received feedback very promptly during the entire process. During the subsequent friendly interview with CEO Mrs. Tychewicz, I was able to get a comprehensive picture of the company. Due to my long travelling distance, the opportunity to regularly work from home was particularly attractive to me. Most of my colleagues were in the office two to three days per week, which allowed us to connect and collaborate in person while still benefiting from the flexibility of remote work.

How long was your internship and what areas did you cover?

During my two-month internship, I had the exciting opportunity to work on three different projects! My tasks focused on telephone interviews - an experience that initially took some effort, as the companies had not been contacted beforehand and I was therefore often confronted with rejections. But it was this challenge that boosted my self-confidence when dealing with strangers on the phone. On my very first day, I started working on my first project, which was already in the final stages. I conducted the remaining interviews and then carefully prepared all the findings to summarize them clearly in a PowerPoint presentation and supplemented them with secondary research. I subsequently accompanied my second project from start to finish. Here I was intensively involved in the primary research, conducted numerous interviews and then took on the task of analyzing the results in a structured manner. Together with my project team I was also able to use strategic tools such as the McKinsey matrix for the first time for a well-founded analysis. At the same time, I was able to get involved in a third project, which provided a varied addition. This involved a competitor analysis in which I carried out targeted secondary research. Together with my project manager, I analyzed the information collected to work out patterns and correlations and prepare them clearly in a presentation. In every project, my project managers were there to help and advise me and were always open to my questions. I found it particularly motivating that I was not only allowed to use templates when creating the presentations but was also given space for my own ideas and creative input.

What was the highlight of your time at DTO?

My personal highlight was my second project, which I was able to support from start to finish. Here I worked closely with the project manager in a small team, which gave me a lot of personal responsibility and the chance to immerse myself in the topic. Participating in the two customer meetings via Teams, where I had the opportunity to share my own insights, was a particularly memorable experience. It was great to see and help shape the whole development of the project - especially as the tasks and focus changed slightly over time, making the work dynamic and varied.

Would you recommend other graduates to do an internship at DTO Consulting?

I would particularly encourage graduates who want to sharpen their analytical and research skills, as well as develop strategic thinking in the context of market analysis, to consider an internship at DTO Consulting. The focus of most projects is on in-depth market analysis and thorough primary and secondary research, allowing you to dive into different industries and build valuable expertise. It is especially exciting to be involved in strategic consulting, where you gain comprehensive insights into market mechanisms and learn how to translate research findings into strategic recommendations—an essential step in truly understanding complex market relationships and deriving your own actionable insights.