Should I find a new job because I've been unstaffed for 3 months?
I've been at a B4 Strategy firm at the associate level for a little over 6 months. I came here out of undergrad, so I'm not an MBA hire.
I've had 2 formal project reviews. The first project, which happened when I was 0.5-1 months in, led to an okay review. The second project, which I did 1.5-3 months in, had more negative elements in the review around lack of skill in Excel / not working efficiently enough.
I talked to my performance manager as well as the manager on the second project about the review, and they both said something like, “Eh, as long as you’re improving, it’s fine.”
I've been unstaffed after the second project and have worked on BD/proposal/thought leadership work since then. I got a mix of positive and negative feedback regarding my BD and proposal work at the 4-5 month mark, and at the 6 month mark and shortly after, I think I have gotten mostly positive feedback.
One of the managers I helped with on some thought leadership brought me onto another proposal and told MD's and directors I did a "great job." Another manager I worked with on multiple BD's has gone out of their way to help me and give me constructive tips on how to get staffed / key people to reach out to, though they seem to like my attitude more so than my work quality.
I’ve figured out why I was unstaffed between the 4-6 month mark - my hard skills in Excel and PPT were not up to par, I took on more than I could chew, leading me to do iffy on some BD work, and I didn’t pitch myself well or talk to the right people about projects. I've spent a lot of time on getting better at those hard skills as well as relevant soft skills, and I think it's starting to show, though not fully yet.
I’m trying to fix all of my flaws, but I don’t really know if it’s possible or worth it (?) so can anyone recommend if I should find a new job or whether I still have a chance? Like, I'm willing to keep trying to meet people and upskill, but I don't know if I've already been deemed unstaffable or a lost cause.
I’ve brought up my concerns about staffing to my performance manager, who basically just said, “Enjoy your time on the bench while it lasts; the market should pick up in a few months. In the meantime, just connect with as many people as you can.”
Midyear reviews are happening soon and I haven't heard anything about a PIP or anything similar.
I would say keep at it and do what you can to bolster your xlsx/ppt skills on one half and on the flipside try and engage others on what you know you are strong at in the interim. Even if they don't bring you in, you've shown effort and some level of ambition. You mentioned multiple people that're higher up telling you to not freak out and instead ride it out for now. I don't know them and any more specifics about your history, but I would bet they're being honest with you. I get that it's easy to let the impatience and anxiety slowly but surely nibble at you. But you said it yourself, no murmurs about that god forsaken PIP route (which essentially is a "you have X time to start looking for another job so we can say you quit and not that we sacked you"). Not to mention take a look at other skills that have been kind of sagging on the team(s) and see if you can pick one of those up and show that committment and value add. Sounds corny, but worst case, if you did have to find another role, you got one more marketable skill.
Always love a post from Mr. A2D and I think overall his advice is sound. Going to try and piggyback off his response with my own $0.02.
Background: I've spent ~2-5 years (vagueness for anonymity) as a junior in Consulting at both the Associate Consultant (or Analyst) and Consultant level. Some of that time was in a very similar role to yours (B4 Strat).
Staffing as a First Year:
Every firm is different but I will say that at some firms it is not uncommon for 1st years to wait a while before getting staffed.
Why is that?
Simply put, you are the least credible and require the most hand-holding, and your lack of experience means you are not qualified for the majority of roles. You are essentially waiting for someone to roll the dice on you.
Getting good feedback is critical before you start your first real project (real meaning you are billable and not simply lending a hand on internal tasks or projects): This is less helpful for you (now), but may be very helpful for everyone else reading this thread. Before being staffed on your first billable project, you want to ensure you receive A+ feedback on anything you work on (internal / admin / BD work, even working on someone else's project without billing time). When you are new to a firm and have no reputation, it is critical that people say the following, "You know, I dont really know how much this 'Prospect in Consulting' guy knows about [insert industry vertical] or [insert specific consulting project type] but I can say that Generic Senior Manager #1 worked with him on an internal project and he showed initiative, didn't complain about the amount of mundane admin work, and even came up with a few of his own ideas that actually added value".
Probably a bit redundant, but the first few pieces of feedback on your work (may be written / formal or just word of mouth to other senior team members / extremely informal) needs to be as good as possible because that is all people have to go off of.
You may think, "I went to [insert HYP school] and interned at [insert MBB], regardless of the initial bad feedback people will know Im smart and a grinder." False, the word of a co-worker greatly outranks your pedigree. I currently work with a VP who worked with a Harvard kid so lazy and unqualified I dont think he will ever hire from Harvard again. In other words, being affiliated with a great institution does not mean all individuals associated are also great. Nepotism is huge in consulting and many mediocre kids make it far through their network.
Your Staffing Situation:
I'm gonna start by being honest with you. If you were at either firm I worked at, it would be tough for you to get staffed. It would take longer than most other first years based on the mixed reviews. Throw in the less than ideal macro economic environment which is likely leading to much less non-RX / cost improvement strategy work being sold, and it is going to be tough.
What You Can Do About It:
I promise I'm done beating a dead horse and will try and provide some actual helpful advice:
1. Continue to seek out every single internal opportunity you can. Sounds like your work is improving, but you initially over-estimated your Excel / PPT skills. Dont worry, I did the same thing as a junior, it is a common rookie mistake. More importantly, sounds like your work product is improving. Awesome. Leverage your latest internal work to find more opportunities, and go all in on each opportunity. Treat it like your first full time engagement. No errors, thorough analysis, critical thinking, and take a senior level perspective to ask yourself "does this convey the message Im looking to get across"
2. Network, network, network. Internal networking is arguably bigger in consulting than anywhere else. Every time you grab a coffee with someone, ask them, "is there anyone else who I should meet with in order to learn more about XYZ?" This should yield infinitely more networking opportunities. Equally, if not more important, maintain your current network. Try and organically follow up with people you know so that you stay top of mind. You need someone to sell work and immediately think, "I need a junior employee, I wonder if Prospect in Consulting is still on the bench"
3. Don't panic. Look, being on the bench sucks, and it is nervewracking. However, this too shall pass. Stay positive, stay optimistic. Your firm hired you and invested in you, and wants to maximize their ROI. If you continue to be a positive, hardworking, sincere guy / gal, you will get staffed.
Closing Thoughts
Stay positive, keep working hard, and be patient. Consulting is a confusing world to navigate, and it sounds like you are trying very hard to be a value-add. Keep trying.
+1 SB
You filled in all the spots I missed and obviously know exactly what you're talking about so that was truly worthwhile follow-up. I should've been more clear that I lateralled over to consulting from a different background, so I didn't have to deal with the fresh-grad kinks in the line.
1. Dead on. Don't overestimate yourself, but be willing to know when you can/should improve yourself.
2. Dead on again. Not even just trying to learn something else from someone who might be an SME, just showing that initiative and drive comes out when they're talking to your PM/MD. Even in passing. People pay attention more than you think.
3) Now I'm the one beating the horse corpse. Riding the bench can let those feelings nibble at you, but they're dead on again that they wouldn't have hired you in such a competitive industry if they didn't see an ROI in bringing you on and spending the tens of multiples of thousands that takes, let alone your take home pay and benefits. Take the time on the bench to build on your skills as best you can. We want you to take our advice and I can only reiterate what anon said because of how true it is at the root: "Stay positive, keep working hard, and be patient. Consulting is a confusing world to navigate, and it sounds like you are trying very hard to be a value-add. Keep trying. "
Edit: Does your firm have internal training materials for yourself and other newcomers? If so, why not try and get involved with creating or curating them? No better way to learn than by doing my dude. Building out training materials from the very beginning of my career before consulting but carrying that skill in my back pocket to whip out every time the entire way has been more helpful than you could imagine. Also for self-imrprovement, go back and analyze past projects and think through how or what you would've done differently and why. And I mean the entire E2E if you can. Don't be arrogant and try and approach your leads "so-and-so should've done this instead of that on this project! It would've dodged xyz or improved things by $X on the budget." Just learn it so if something similar comes up in the future once you're back off the sidelines you can diplomatically bring the idea up at least internally and if the PM/MD/Sponsor wants to bring it up with the client and take credit? Doesn't matter, they know it came from you even if they just felt like it needed to come from them and not a newer hire. Swallow your pride if it means doing what's in your best interest long-term.
Explicabo eligendi consequuntur et. Reiciendis et nesciunt non est. Voluptatem suscipit in quas eum. Sit facilis voluptatum dolor. Rerum excepturi ut debitis sed. Ut consequatur ut soluta architecto recusandae qui.
Natus aliquid numquam voluptates quia illo suscipit molestiae nostrum. Beatae veritatis magni numquam voluptatem omnis. Animi ut harum quia sint.
Repellat repellat aut culpa. Suscipit aspernatur temporibus cum. Similique aut quos accusamus delectus unde vero.
Optio est cum quo tempora officia. Libero tenetur et voluptatem id temporibus quasi facere. Earum aut et dolorem distinctio harum tenetur inventore. Maxime non cumque ab veritatis voluptatem.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Aut dicta molestias nihil beatae. Doloribus aut neque minus fugit eius possimus. Voluptas accusamus quia molestiae blanditiis. Et sunt porro ut rerum quam et sint.