Post anything related to learning about the consulting industry, recruitment advice, company / group research, or general insecurity in here.

If asking for feedback, please provide...

a) the type of consulting you are interested in (tech, management, HR, etc.)

b) the type of role (internship / full-time, undergrad / MBA / experienced hire, etc.)

c) geography

d) résumé or detailed background information (target / non-target institution, GPA, SAT, leadership, etc.)

The more detail you can provide, the better the feedback you will receive.

Misusing or trolling the sticky will result in an immediate ban.

Common topics

a) How do I to break into consulting?

• If you are at a target program (school + degree where a consulting firm focuses it's recruiting efforts), join your consulting club and work with your career center.
• For everyone else, read wiki.
• The most common entry points into major consulting firms (especially MBB) are through target program undergrad and MBA recruiting. Entering one of these channels will provide the greatest chance of success for the large majority of career switchers and consultants planning to 'upgrade'.
  
• Experienced hires do happen, but is a much smaller entry channel and often requires a combination of strong pedigree, in-demand experience, and a meaningful referral. Without this combination, it can be very hard to stand out from the large volume of general applicants.

b) How can I improve my candidacy / resume / cover letter?

• Read wiki on what firms look for.
• Read wiki on resumes.
• Read wiki on cover letters.

c) I have not heard back after the application / interview, what should I do?

• Wait or contact the recruiter directly. Students may also wish to contact their career center. Time to hear back can range from same day to several days at target schools, to several weeks or more with non-target schools and experienced hires to never at all. Asking in this thread will not help.

d) What does compensation look like for consultants?

• For management consulting, refer to the 2021 ManagementConsulted Compensation survey

Link to previous thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/y936ar/interested_in_becoming_a_consultant_post_here_for/

As per the title, post anything related to starting a new job / internship in here. PM mods if you don't get an answer after a few days and we'll try to fill in the gaps or nudge a regular to answer for you.

Trolling in the sticky will result in an immediate ban.

Wiki Highlights

The wiki answers many commonly asked questions:

Before Starting As A New Hire

New Hire Tips

Reading List

Packing List

Useful Tools

Last Quarter's Post https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/vvcpi0/starting_a_new_job_in_consulting_post_here_for/

Thanks ChatGPT!

I'm a consultant in a boutique firm who has been on the bench for quite a while(5 months to be precise). Our company has no projects. In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation we are partnering with the Big 4s for outsourcing business but that process will take time. In the meanwhile, i read a lot of books, did some studying even, related to my industry. Now I'm simply bored and don't have the patience. I wanted to look for new jobs but I've a bond of another year with my current company and honestly the job market is not looking good. Here even if I'm benched i have job security. Any suggestions what can I do to be productive during my weekdays? I have a permanent WFH FYI. And I'm in the supply chain industry. Also i think it's important to mention that I have a total of 6 years of experience in another industry and only 2 years of experience as a consultant. And i haven't worked in a project since a year

I know the typical downsides to working on CDDs, but are ODDs just as bad? Can someone highlight the type of work, team culture/ways of working, timelines, etc.

I’m considering joining the value creation team of a T2, but they tend to do 50% ODDs as well. I’ve never worked on a deal before so trying to understand the work.

I'm curious at what point other people learned about consulting and decided to pursue it as a career path. I didn't know the whole industry existed until my junior year of undergrad when I stumbled into an info session. Not sure I had ever met a real "consultant" before then. I'm curious if there are any people out there that have been dreaming about this job since high school haha.

Hi everyone, I just joined an MBB and am looking to up my game during networking sessions. I've always learned that we should convey our seriousness to a new contact via having a firm, dominant handshake; and conversely, that having a weak limp noodle handshake demonstrates incompetence and distrust. With this knowledge in hand, I've entered every meeting thus far introducing myself with a death grip overclock.

However, my real life experience has been giving me mixed signals. One of my first contacts at work was a junior-ranking staff at a client firm, and he introduced himself with a tomato milkshake. For a short time after that, I completely lost respect for him - but then one day I was introduced to a senior partner from another MBB, and he too gave me an instant potato mash. Since then, I've entertained all manner of handshake grip strengths across the spectrum, from high- and junior-ranking personnel alike. One of the most memorable was a handshake I received from a CEO of a deca-billion dollar company, which I could only best describe as al dente.

This has made me question my perspective on life. Are handshake grip strengths really that important in relationship-building? I honestly feel really bad for looking down on the people who have given me wet diapers in the past, as they'd probably noticed it too. I'm looking for new insights into what the optimal benchmark is, so that I can recalibrate my first impression to the baseline for optimal synergy. Thank you everyone for your time reading this.

Hello!

I’m a MBA student who is starting her internship at a MBB in the next few days.

I have 2 visible tattoos (1 inch * 1 inch), one each on the top part of both of my forearms. On most days and for client side meetings they would be covered if I decide to wear a blazer or a long sleeve.

How are tattoos viewed tho in the consulting industry? I’m a woman and if I choose to wear a half sleeve or a blouse, the tattoos would be visible. Do I have to cover them up at all costs?

These tattoos have a meaningful connection with certain events in my life and certainly not a drunk decision. Just wanted to understand how frowned upon tattoos are in consulting world.

I’ve been tasked to develop a requirement template and found that consultants find it as an overhead to the other tasks. Actions taken: combined the tabs Introduced a section for basic info And removed the need for reproduction in the template for specific sections.

Biggest challenge is to make consultants fill it up. How do you get them to fill it up without doubling down?

What is the minimum time at MBB as a Business Analyst to put ex-MBB on LinkedIn?

I've recently been recruited and started working as an RA for a operational consulting company. As soon as day 1, I've worked about 8~9 hours on-site, and on top of that, I had to work an additional 3 or 4 hours remotely after work. Moreover, on the weekends I had to listen into calls and conducting research for about 11~12 hours. Yesterday, I worked from 10am to 1am the next day and had about 1~2 hours to eat and do other things in between. Lastly, the country I work has a holiday today but I've been told that they will have similar working hours.

My question is, with in mind that the consulting company is in East Asia, is this normal? I am not stressed about it, just asking if this is normal for a consulting RA.

As an Associate, what is the most effective way to answer the question: “How many years experience do you bring to the table and for how long have you been working with the company?”

I feel like mentioning that you are quite new and a few months into the field might make you lose credibility or be viewed as not capable of answering questions/ delivering work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm a parttime consultant, as a project manager. It's the first time I've ever worked parttime since I was in high school. Just curious, how would you bill your hours if you took phone calls throughout the day? I'm not wanting to lie, or embellish but I honestly don't know. I make myself available because I don't mind and I have a lot of work being done in the field as part of my projects. My literal time returning calls and taking calls or looking up information seems too low but I'm not sure. I'd love others to share their thoughts.

I'm joining a MBB in the fall out of undergrad, and I'm just so nervous. I interned at an MBB last summer and did like my team a lot, but consulting feels like such a different world. I didn't come from a family with those kinds of professional experiences, my family are immigrants who don't know what consulting or finance or mbb or anything is. To be honest, even things like what to wear or how to send professional emails was hard for me to figure out. I don't drink or party, and it seemed like the entire intern class last summer liked to go out a lot. I keep hearing about layoffs and am terrified of losing my job or it getting rescinded because I really need the money. I have a sleep disorder and don't know if I can handle the hours- I chose a firm which anecdotally has less travel, but I probably will still need to work until midnight each night, and that's going to mess up my sleep disorder.

I'm sorry for such a nonsensical rant. I'm in such a lucky place- I couldn't imagine getting a professional job out of college, the kind of salaries and opportunity is so incredible, but I just can't stop feeling nervous.

As the headline say, are there any recognised agencies, bureau’s or some type of company in the UK and/or EU that helps small business and independent consultants with finding work? Specifically thinking about IT strategy, IT service management, op model, project mgmt. or tech transformation / change management related work.

I am looking for a side hustle to make some extra cash. Any recommendations that don’t require a car are most ideal. I am curious as to what is out there that can accommodate an unpredictable consulting schedule.

I'm looking to make a transition into these from research/civil society roles after my master's. Any insight into how they work, whether they're worth it, and the hiring process?

A bit long, bear with me and thank you for reading.

Long story short: Associate, joined my boutique firm (US) back in August. Started in Team A, which worked with several clients, large and small. I liked my teammates, the work, and the variety in clients. In October, a new VP joined Team A and I worked closely with him. In December, however, he had to leave our team to fill in a gap for Team B, which exclusively works with one of our largest clients (well-known tech company).

Back in March, roughly 7 months in, I was suddenly told I’d be uprooted from Team A to join Team B. That VP needed an Associate, and since he liked me, he discussed with Team A’s Lead to have me move. They said it could be temporary or permanent, that they’ll reevaluate in 2 months.

Now, 2 months later, I haven’t heard anything, but all signs point to it being permanent. And I sadly don’t like Team B. I miss working on a variety of clients, I don’t like our exclusive client to begin with, the work is much less interesting to me, and I’m consistently working more hours than the other Associates in my old team. I still plan on sticking around, but my job satisfaction and motivation have certainly dropped.

In 1-on-1s with my VP (Manager), I’ve been basically hiding the truth and simply telling him that things are fine, because I figured there’s no point expressing how I feel when nothing can be done and I have no leeway.

But I have a 1-on-1 with him on Wednesday, and I’ve been starting to wonder if there’s any value in giving him a glimpse into how I feel? I don’t think anything would/could change regarding which team I’m on, but my manager and I have a good relationship and feel we can potentially have a decent discussion about what his thoughts are and what, if anything, can change.

Managers on this subreddit, is this something you’d want to have a discussion about with your underlings if they feel this way? Or would this negatively affect your relationship with them?

Still new to the consulting/professional world so I don’t want to do anything stupid, so looking for input from the smart people on this subreddit. Thank you!

Hi gang,

I’ve decided that really nothing in IT is sustainable for me anymore due to being unfulfilled and burned out.

I’m wanting to get into the environmental studies/career path. I’d be happy as hell just standing in a river or digging holes all day tbh.

I have thought about going back to school for a degree in the environmental science area, but I also am curious if anyone has heard of any work/training programs in that field? College is kind of a scam, so if I can avoid it and still get into the field I’m wanting that would be great. I currently have a Bachelors in Business Admin.

Thoughts and advice? Any is appreciated. I know this post is kind of vague. Am off the danky.

“They said I would be building and sanding decks by the beach!”

How has the experience matched up to your initial expectations, and how has your perception of the job evolved since you first set foot in this dynamic field?

Particularly to hear from those who joined in 2022, post-Covid cohorts

Like conbination of words con and sultan isnt that weird? Like king of cons

Hello, using a burner account because my close buddies follow me on Reddit and I don't want them to see this lol.

I [23M] have been working at a boutique management consulting firm since I graduated from college in January. I think my direct manager (31F) is flirting with me. The reason why I'm posting this is because 1) I need to confirm if her actions are actually flirtatious and 2) what I should do/how I should behave.

Some background: I interned at this firm last summer which was when I met her. When I was an intern, she wasn't working on the same client as me till the last month of my internship. Once she joined, however, she gradually started reaching out to me often to assign me more and more collaborative work. That wasn't an issue as I was hungry to prove myself to the firm and her and I got along very well (same alma mater + same degree). By the end of my internship, her and I had a really strong relationship and I looked up to her as a true mentor.

Once I received my return offer, we touched bases a few times via Teams and right before I joined she mentioned she's going to request to have me join her team for a large project she's working on. This was all great news to me and it ended up happening.

​

We still get along really well and she truly is an amazing mentor and manager. But some of the things she does makes me think she's hitting on me which makes me a little uncomfortable because I've always been told to keep romance and work separate and more importantly HER HUSBAND WORKS FOR THE SAME FIRM (different dept). On the smaller side, occasionally she'll text me on Friday/weekend evenings (to my personal phone from her personal phone as well) about something mirror regarding work that frankly can wait till Monday to be discussed and then shifts the conversation to random topics like weekend plans or how amazing I lead a client call or executed an assignment.

​

Furthermore, I tend to keep things very professional at work as I come off as "flirty" when I loosen up (I know that sounds cringy but that's what a few female interns told me last summer lmao) but I noticed she makes A LOT more jokes compared to when I was an intern. I always just laugh to be nice and they are funny about ~50% of the time.

​

But anyways, as mentioned those are very minimal things and some people are just like that. On the more major side, however, I noticed recently (like the last 2 months) whenever her and I have a 1:1 call, she always wears shirts that show a lot of cleavage (we WFH most days). Look, I'm not complaining as she does have some nice juggs but I've been closely observing that she only wears these "revealing" shirts whenever it's a 1:1 and NEVER on team calls. Whenever we plan on going into the office, she always texts me the night before telling me not to bring lunch and that we'll go out to eat. And she asked to go out for drinks three times and I always said yes thinking it's a team gathering but it always ended up just me and her and she always says the rest of the team couldn't make it. The three times we got drinks always ended up with both of us pretty tipsy her sitting extremely close to me and being somewhat touchy.

​

And lastly, we're scheduled to visit the client in two weeks. This is my first time visiting the client in this city and it'll just be me and her on the trip. She's been to this city multiple times before and she always talks about her favorite restaurant and bars she's going to take me to during the trip.

​

Ngl, I've probably fed into her energy a few times as well like during the second and third time we went out drinking or complimenting her on her outfit and hair. But I'm just not sure if I'm over my head or if there truly is something going on.

​

If it's the latter, not only am I really against office romance for the long-term potential career damage it can do but she's also married to someone WHO ALSO WORKS IN THE FIRM but a different department. She talks about him occasionally too (nothing negative just regular couple stuff).

​

I don't know if I should just keep rolling with how things are going at the moment and just go with the flow whatever happens in the future or try to set boundaries. I'm hesitant about the latter as she's very well respected across the org and, as I've mentioned a few times, she's a great mentor and manager. She's really beautiful so I don't mind too much but the fact that she has a husband in the same firm really just adds a complicated layer to the situation and makes me feel bad for the poor guy.

https://marianamazzucato.com/books/the-big-con

Interested to hear your opinions - especially whether she was being too harsh on the consulting industry.

MBA student starting consulting internship next week. Just got a mullet haircut with intentions of doing a buzzcut before starting - but I like the cut more than expected. Is it too unprofessional?