The Employer Relations team is working with employers to highlight different aspects of their organizations, from applications, to culture, to diversity, and more. We plan to showcase employers from across all career industries throughout the semester, so check back soon for more Employer Insights!

NERA Economic Consulting

Written by Connor Goggins ’21, Analyst

What industry sector are you in? 

I work in economic consulting, which is a industry where consultants are tasked with providing answers to challenges such as assessing anticompetitive behavior, designing auctions for resources, valuing IP, and assessing securities fraud.

What is a recent development or piece of news in your industry landscape?

Something that my group has seen emerge in the last few years is a trend where companies facing potentially costly and long-lasting liabilities are not just choosing to declare bankruptcy, but sometimes choosing to divest these liabilities to a specialized PE-style acquirer/operator. These firms acquire assets/liabilities with the belief that their operational strengths will allow them to realize profits relative to the purchase price, and have investment/management focuses limited to these complex liabilities.

What should a student who is interested in your industry know before applying to jobs?

Just do your research! Know what economic consulting is, know how each firm shapes the experience of a junior employee in different ways and be ready to put that together to explain why you’re the right person for a role.

What is a piece of advice you would give to a student hoping to go into this industry?

Lot of things – coding languages, econometrics, the details of a specific practice area – can be learned down the line if needed. One thing that takes time, and it’s something which all econ consulting firms value, is experience with the research process: finding data, developing methodologies, asking and answering questions, adjusting after a setback, etc. Take advantage of your time and the opportunities at Tufts to get this sort of experience in one way or another!

What is something unique about working in this industry?

The nature of our work means we value highly accurate and error-free deliverables, and getting the opportunity to really emphasize this is pretty uncommon in other industries (e.g., 80/20 rule) and is something that is great to experience and teaches you a lot.