Current and ex consultants: What would you have done different in your first 3 months?

I would have been a bit less of an eager beaver.

I got great reviews early on, but the general message was "you're doing great work, keep it up!" i.e., good job, but we're not going to promote you after only 6 months.

So yeah, I likely could have saved a few hours of sleep/free time by doing things like less face time in the office on fridays, while still making a positive impression with the senior staff

Ask WAY more questions, watch what the people a few months ahead of you are doing with their time/attention, and as @"BigPicture" said you aren't getting to partner by the end of your first year, so recognize that you are in a HUGE learning curve and act accordingly.

A few that would have/did help me:

1. Don't sit on things so long if you don't know what you're doing. Either ask questions or take a stab at it and then schedule time to go over it. Everyone will tell you this, but finding the balance between trying to do something and asking questions without asking a question a minute is definitely easier said than done.

2. On that note, be proactive about feedback (I don't mean overall performance reviews, although that's obviously good too). More so, on an individual deliverable/task, check in at a reasonable rate for status and/or direction checks. I found (and still find) the most annoying thing to be when you bust your ass to get something done based on initial direction, and it turns out your manager/partner changed his mind after looking through it. This definitely depends on the manager, but some are truly appreciative of this.

3. Travel related: Sign up for all rewards programs before you even start, get a good suitcse, learn how to pack generally (and especially suits), get TSA Pre-check, etc..

I would echo what BGP2587 said.

Also, spend some time figuring out who the best managers are, because that will make or break your experience. If you get paired with someone a class or two ahead of you to help you transition into the role, ask them to help you rank staffing options, because they will know which people are good to work with.

Also, if you are unfamiliar with Excel, I would do a few tutorials.

Focus on client work is unquestioned - crush it. But, start sounding out who the 'important' folks are in your local office, on your teams, etc.,

Get involved with a different proposal, recruiting/volunteering/non client team every 3 months or so initially to figure out what you have a taste for/where you can make an impact. Don't over commit or take on a significant leadership role until you've had a chance to see how the projects are moving along.

Take advantage of your days in the local office to say hello to people at the coffee machine, around the office, flat out say things like hey I'm a new analyst here in XXXX sector, nice to meet you.... this can go a long way.

Keep working out. If you're not working out, start. This is the time new habits are formed and if you give up the gym, trail or yoga studio now, it'll be really hard to get back when you're cranking out slides at a crazy pace.

@"BGP2587" Absolutely don't sit on things so long if you don't know what you're doing. Either ask questions or take a stab at it and then schedule time to go over it.

That point is huge, although I'd caveat it with at least come up with something to show for your time (i.e., some internal reference projects you found, cases from other places). Evidence that you tried and didn't just go looking for help.

Secondly is I wish I had a better grasp on the soft skill nuances that make some consultants so incredible. The ability to built rapport quickly with clients and team mates is an incredible skill that will move your career faster than technical excellence. People expect technical excellence, but they give you time (and advice) to learn it. The same can't be said about soft skills a lot of the time. Everyone who has been counselled out quickly (that I know of) was because of soft skills or no attention to detail (see next point).

Lastly is attention to detail. This usually isn't in your "primary" work (i.e., modelling, frameworks) this shows up in the boring things (are your bullets all the same, page numbers working properly, footers match titles etc.). As a junior you want to show your prowess at the tough stuff, so that is usually done well, but the little things slip in your haste to be done and deliver your work. Find time to proof your work, and request a little extra time if needed. We would all rather receive deliverable work an hour later than spend 3 hours fixing page numbers for you at 11PM.

TT

Some utterly un-MECE thoughts....

1. Have a view. Don't just bring a problem to your manager but have spent at least 5 seconds thinking about why something should be done a particular way.

2. Be able to defend everything. You'll be doing a lot of modelling early on and sometimes you'll stick a number in without giving it much thought (I.e. inflation will be X.Y%) and I can guarantee that's the number that'll get questioned.

3. (following on from 2) Make copious notes. The number of times I've had a client come back 6 months after I've built a model and ask why something was done a particular way. I wish I'd made more notes in cells citing sources and manual fixes that I'd put in. As in, don't just say this number came from XYZ source. Say it came from XYZ in an email on 15 May filed in ABC Folder on the project drive.

4. Understand your Client and make a contribution. Nothing worse than juniors sitting in a meeting and not saying anything. Client will just wonder what the hell you're doing there. You need to start adding value from day one.

5. You'll definitely fuck up the big things, so try not to fuck up the little things. I.e proof read, get the alignments right, make sure all the right cells are included in the SUM formula etc. You'll probably calculate NPV wrong and mis-size the prize by $1bn.....but at least get the everyday things right.

6. Communication skills are just as important (if not more) than being a kick ass modeller. I'd rather make shit-hot decks than awesome models. It's easier to learn (and get help) in modelling than it is in communicating clearly and concisely.

7. Don't be afraid of white space. Seriously, put less shit on your slides.

8. Spend more time thinking before you start doing. Too many juniors start jumping in and building models or writing decks without thinking about the problem that needs to be solved or the message we're trying to communicate. More time thinking up-front will produce a better product.

9. Manage your internal reputation. Become known for something within your firm. Doesn't really matter what it is (industry knowledge, technical skills, communication abilities etc)

10. Someone has done it before. Probably 80% of what you do doesn't need to be created from scratch. Ask around and there's probably a deck or model that can be re-purposed. That goes for your own work as well.....keep good structured records so you can go back to awesome frameworks or killer slides.

I would have tried to be more relaxed. I remember being really uptight and desperate to be staffed on a project as soon as possible.

Eventually, after becoming an EM and staffing new joiners, I learnt that: - No-one pays any attention to how long it takes you to get staffed on a project when you've just joined. If you have a week or two on the beach, just enjoy it - No-one expects anything of you on your first project or two so just try and enjoy them and be generally helpful and keen to learn

Good luck!

1. Be careful how you talk about the unique experiences that you had before joining the firm. Talking about your prior experience in grandiose fashion could lead people to view you as a hotshot early on. Maybe that isn't such a bad thing... if you can live up to the expectations you set. If, however, you can't live up to how you've promoted yourself, you'll lose credibility early, and you might just come off as a self-inflating dick.

2. More to the OPs question, I wouldn't have taken on as many extra-curricular activities as I did. Yeah, firm-related initiatives are important, but it's usually better to dive into one or two opportunities earlier and absolutely kill them than to stretch yourself thin for greater exposure. Going a little slower here might help you avoid burnout early on too. Your stint at a consulting firm is a mini marathon in and of itself -- don't sprint it.

Maybe you're the kind of person to sprint marathons, though.

This isn't to say that there aren't scenarios where getting involved in several initiatives early on might benefit you (on the beach, a shortage of analysts and a healthy supply of managers). I saw people who had this strategy work out really well for them, but they were definitely the exception and not the rule.

Good luck, OP!

Regarding your first engagement, should should stick to an industry or function that you have experience with or are familiar with (i.e. engineers may be inclined to do an Operations project) or should you ask staffing for a completely random project. Any opinions? (I personally think there are pros and cons to each) When it comes to communication, is it best to use email or face to face meeting when talking with your team mates or client or do people like fancy stuff like video conferencing or something like that.