First review - not the best

Hey everyone. Just wanted to know from the guys who have been/are in the consulting game, a little question. So in my first job end review at a top tier consulting firm I got the feedback that I'm very good with people and show terrific enthusiasm, but I really need to work on being able to provide more leverage to my manager. Basically there were times when I asked too many questions when my manager told me to get something done, such as make a slide/deck or construct some template/model. Unfortunately this meant the manager thought it would be easier to just do it herself.

Would love to hear from you guys how I can improve my skills of just getting on with the job. As you can imagine, in my mind I am just being conscientious and trying to make sure I am doing the job right - but apparently being too detail oriented isn't going down well.

Do let me know what yall think please!

 

Sounds like you're rushing maybe. Make sure you exhaust every resource available to you before going to your manager with a question.

It also sounds like you might be worrying too much about the quality of your work. Just do your best and you will still save her a lot of time. It is a lot easier for her to just touch up on things that are already there than having to do it from scratch.

Stop freaking out about making it perfect on the first try. Do your best, then show it to her. Ask what needs to be changed/added. just don't ask that stuff mid-process until you're definitely stuck on something. Every boss is different though...

Under my tutelage, you will grow from boys to men. From men into gladiators. And from gladiators into SWANSONS.
 

No need to worry. It's good that you are getting honest feedback.

I've told quite a few first-year analysts similar things before in reviews. Being able to take the initiative and have the confidence to do something on your own is merely a stage in maturing as a consultant. This does not mean you won't be a top performer in the near future. My advice is to take a quick step back every time you are preparing to deliver on something and think to yourself whether you have taken all the steps you can or if there is more you can do to help out your manager. As you do this it will become a natural thing that you won't have to think about every time.

 
Best Response
Newflyer:
mk2012:
Why do I always get the feeling reviews in banking are much more objective than in consulting? lol

Because they are. Any moron can plug and chug in excel and get a letter grade reflecting how well he did at the high-school level math involved. Jobs that actually require thought and creativity can't be graded objectively.

BOOM.

But bbjhva, I got the same feedback at one point for an analytical VBA/etc. project where I didn't know how to do the work at all. Basically, the advice I got was that, when I had a question, google it, then ask another analyst, and then, if none of them could do it, ask my manager. My mistake was seeing my manager (who was not that much older than I am) as sort of a peer who I could confer with a lot. I figured that since he gave me the work, I should go to him with my questions. But he didn't want me to do that, so I should have gone elsewhere.

That said, in the grand scheme of critiques, that's a good one to get, because it goes away over time. Ideally, they'd like you to do everything perfectly on your own, but nobody actually does. It's better to do it right with too much guidance than to do it wrong. And after you've worked for a little while longer, you won't even need guidance at all.

One of those lights, slightly brighter than the rest, will be my wingtip passing over.
 

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