On-the-job insights for management consulting

Several friends have asked me how consulting projects work, specifically on the concept of learning a whole new field/topic with every project. So, I decided to shed some insight into what working as a junior consultant on a project is like:

Adapting to the client site

The most important relationship a consultant has is their relationship with the client. Having a good relationship usually leads to better evaluations, promotions, and maybe even a job offer from the client organization. Some clients are very difficult to work with, but that doesn’t always mean you have to be silent. Know when to talk back and when to nod and stay silent. Creating strong deliverables based on sound analysis allows you to challenge their criticism and defend your output and why you created it.

Constantly navigating new fields as a young consultant can be very difficult. With each project comes a new topic you must learn and get used to quickly. This can be overwhelming and nerve-wracking. But it’s also an extremely cool and unique benefit that no other industry offers. You should put in the effort to do your research and get relevant project documents that could help you get an overview of the big picture. Be willing to feel vulnerable and new with every project. It’s just a part of consulting.

Consulting is a very intense field where you are expected to learn very quickly and be immediately independent. You must be willing to take criticism and get shot down after working on something for hours. This requires thick skin and your willingness to constantly edit and update your work without taking it personally. The earlier you gain this skill the faster you grow.

Something I learned is that consultants are not treated like employees at the client site. You have to put up with pretty interesting situations at client sites. Usually, we do not get access to parking, we may get put in weird locations in the building or scattered all around (most of the time your team does not get an office/room where you all sit together), sometimes consultants do not get access to the main gates in government buildings so we have to enter from back exits, gaining security access is sometimes a struggle, etc. you have to be adaptable. I remember working at a client site where they would turn off the lights and the air conditioning after their employees would leave, so my team and I worked in the heat and the dark for several months.

Day-to-day:

Try to learn as much as possible. You will be assigned different tasks each lasting from a few hours to maybe a week or more to complete. Take it as your mission to learn how to INDEPENDENTLY complete this task for the future, so this can be a skill added to your roster. This is the time to build your foundation so you can hopefully own these tasks or your own workstream in the future, and eventually teach it to consultants your junior.

Tasks may involve extensive research to gather data, analyzing this data for key insights, working on previously made slides to add sections or change data, creating and conceptualizing slides from scratch (having data and needing to translate this data visually into slides), basic excel work to create dashboards or organize information, and conducting meetings or interviews with experts to extract knowledge/feedback.

Different tools/programs used by consultants involve PowerPoint, Excel, AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Co-pilot), Word, and storage programs such as Box. Some tools that would be helpful for you to learn in consulting involve data visualization and analytics tools such as Power BI and heatmaps.

Networking and building relationships internally

After joining a firm, it is very useful to network with the other people in your firm and build relationships. Consulting can be a community, and when consultants leave the industry, it is usually for a lucrative offer at an exciting entity, so it can be beneficial to keep in contact in case you also want a career change in the near future. If there are any company “connectivity” events for employee mingling, it’s a great networking opportunity, especially for junior consultants. As an intern, I got a great project by going to a firm outing and connecting with a manager who was looking to hire.

Most tier-1 and tier-2 consulting companies have a feedback culture where you are expected to take the initiative and schedule consistent feedback sessions with your manager; and it is also recommended to get feedback from anyone senior to you that you’ve worked with (Senior consultants, associates, senior associates, etc). These sessions are usually every 2 weeks and the way they run depends on the firm. Mckinsey & Co. for example has a 2-way feedback system (you get feedback from your manager and then you give your manager feedback). Other firms such as Oliver Wyman have a 1-way feedback system where only you get feedback from your manager, but individual managers may ask for any of your concerns or questions. Take notes during these meetings and prepare honest feedback for your manager if given the chance.

As a junior consultant, you will be surrounded by very accomplished and experienced people. Take advantage of it! Get guidance from anyone with a career path that interests you. Take the initiative to reach out, and most people will be happy to oblige. During my first project, I was on a team with an inspiring female partner who had a very exciting career path I wanted to emulate. I emailed her assistant to schedule a meeting with her where I can ask her questions and converse. She was very happy to meet with me and I ended up getting amazing guidance and career advice from her.

It is important to have a good rapport with your project manager. They are your point of contact for everything project-related and usually, your main evaluator. ?If possible, ask them for short sessions (30 minutes once a week for example) where they could teach you PowerPoint or Excel tricks. Always keep up with your feedback to ensure they are consistently happy with your performance and if not, how you could improve it. Unfortunately, not every project manager is willing to teach or even listen. That instance is further discussed in the last section of this article.

Work-life balance

As mentioned in my earlier article, consulting is not a 9-5 and they do not offer overtime for the hours worked before/after the official working hours in your contract. This is a price you must be willing to pay in order to stay in consulting.

The good news is that every project is different. You must be very adaptive in structuring your personal life and daily chores around each project. Some projects are so intense, and the hours are extremely long, so you don’t have time to ever go out during the week. This means scheduling hospital appointments, grooming appointments, family events, fun outings, and errands all on the weekend. Other projects may have you leaving work at 7 PM most days and you can start scheduling appointments and going out during the week again.

Mistakes to avoid and things to keep in mind:

Ask about the project beforehand. This is typically only applicable after you get assigned to your first project in a new firm (as you don’t know anyone in the firm and it’s not a good look to immediately reject your first assignment). After you start on your first project and your end date is getting soon, start reaching out to connections you know in the firm and ask around for projects that have availability for your role. Ask questions about the manager, if its not a new project talk to previous project members, ask about the project partner, and ask about anything else that is important to you (average working hours, working from home options, if traveling is required, the client location, etc).

In my opinion, the project team dynamic is largely based on the manager. If they allow toxic or inconsiderate behavior, it’s tough for the team dynamic to be smooth and positive. It’s important to recognize the early signs of a difficult manager or team dynamic and take the necessary steps as a precaution. You need to establish boundaries early on to let people know that you don’t accept disrespect. When you have check-in meetings with your PD or TM (the person in charge of staffing you on this project) let them know of the incident or the issue so they are aware early on. If any incidents or situations escalate, immediately voice your concerns to your PD/TM or HR to get ahead of the situation, so it is not your word against theirs.

Know when it’s time to move on to another project (granted this is not always an option depending on your client organization). 2 situations that indicate it is time to leave a project are

If you are not learning or developing the most important aspect of being a junior consultant and the biggest perk is the amount of knowledge you can absorb in short periods of time. This is vital when you are starting your career anywhere. Both your team and your client have to provide at least a small window of opportunity for you to grow by learning new skills. If you reach a point in the project where you are completely stagnant in terms of growth and there's no end in sight, ask to leave.

If the team dynamic is very toxic. You should always try to not only bring up the issues you have in the project but also have suggestions on how to fix them (For example, if there is a lack of communication in the project team, volunteer to send and host check-in meetings every day). If all else fails and nothing works, ask to leave the project. Your mental health is more important.

Remember, it’s temporary. If you're in a bad situation, (whether it’s a difficult manager/boss, a difficult client, long working hours, or subpar working conditions), this is a temporary project! Work on securing a better project to move on to and you will have a completely different environment, client, building, and team in a few months.

Don’t lose yourself. Try to maintain healthy habits both physically and mentally every day. I see consultants around me skipping meals to keep working, skipping the gym and working out, not taking breaks, holding off on vacations, and taking up unhealthy coping habits to stay sane. We’re consultants, not neurosurgeons. You can have lunch.

This article serves as part 3 of my previous articles “What should I know about management consulting? and “How to join management consulting”.

Thank you for reading and I hope this article was useful to you!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and whether there are any additional topics you would like to read about.

Thank you to Nadia A. for inspiring one of the concepts in this article.