What should I know about management consulting?

What is management consulting?

Management consulting is the practice of providing specific services to companies (A.K.A. clients). In my opinion, it is one of the hardest jobs to explain because it varies so much from project to project (I still don’t know how to tell my family members what I do).

Essentially, consulting companies are the middlemen. They arm themselves with people who possess knowledge in specific fields (healthcare, technology, energy, economics, etc.) and use them on different projects to come up with solutions and ideas to the client’s problems. They are basically resource powerhouses, and this includes people with rare expertise, translators, presentation designers, researchers, AI technology, and lots of data storage (so they can look back and consistently utilize the data and output created on their previous projects.)

A project example

?A major hospital comes to consulting company A and tells them that their website and IT infrastructure are outdated and impacting their day-to-day operations. Consulting company A takes the job and is now tasked with diagnosing what is wrong with the website and IT and building a new one. So, they create a project team and assign both consultants with healthcare experience AND digital/tech experience. The digital team members take a look at the current outdated website while the healthcare team members interview and survey the hospital staff to get their insights on their tech issue, how it’s impacting their role, and what changes they would like to see. The teams get to work with the hospital team and consistently meet with the client in charge of this project to review progress and approve decisions.

So a junior consultant such as myself would be researching website ideas, designing PowerPoint slides (to be presented to the client), using Excel to organize and analyze the hospital’s current digital data, taking this data and synthesizing it into visual tools such as charts, graphs, and tables, interviewing hospital staff, setting up meetings with outside experts who can weigh in on our work, etc. ?

Common misconceptions

A response I always get when I say I work in consulting is “How are you a consultant when you’re not an expert with experience?” People assume I go up to clients and give them my recommendation and valuable opinion. That is the job of partners, but do you think the partners are sitting there designing PowerPoint slides and googling information? There have to be entry-level and mid-level employees doing the “dirty work”.

Another misconception is that the consulting environment is the same everywhere. What I am describing is particular to tier-1 and tier-2 management consulting firms (it is important to make this distinction as consulting in smaller firms or non-purely consulting firms, such as the Big4 for example, is quite different in terms of benefits, workload, and environment).

What drew me to consulting

The concept of always working on a new topic with every project; the opportunity to learn about so many different fields and industries, no routine. I've worked on projects in the sports sector, the economic sector, the banking sector, the energy sector, etc. A client once said that working on such technical information for months at a time is like getting a mini-degree in that topic. That is definitely a plus, but it can also be hard to remember when you're in the day-to-day grind (you can be on one project for a year, so it can feel like a regular job).

In addition, with each new topic and project is a new team. This can be good and bad depending on the cards you're dealt or the team you are on. But it was still a plus for me because if you're ever in a difficult team you know it's temporary and you don't have to put up with this particular "boss" forever, which cannot be said in most jobs.

Benefits

After joining I also learned of the many additional perks. There are yearly bonuses, transportation is paid for when you’re on a project (no consultants drive to and from work, they just Uber), you save on food because your meals are expensed, you go to 5-star restaurants with your project team all paid by your firm, and you can travel to exciting places for different projects, etc. From an outside perspective, consulting seems glamorous and desirable (and it definitely can be), but there are other aspects to keep in mind.

There are several things to consider when it comes to whether or not this industry is for you

-??????????? There is very little room for creativity

Consulting companies have strict reputations to uphold and want their work to have consistency and a high-quality level across the board. You are more or less required to follow the same structure and framework as everyone else in the firm. The space for creativity is limited for most projects

-??????????? Very hard to enter and hard to stay in

To join consulting, you must pass rigorous case interviews which require time and effort to practice and prepare for. Many people know that consulting is an extremely difficult industry to enter, but is also a very difficult industry to stay in

-??????????? Not a 9-5

Even in consulting interviews, they will tell you to NOT expect a 9-5. There is simply no option to clock out at 5-6 PM when you want to. The whole industry is based on your client’s wants. And if they send you a task at 5 PM and they want it to be done tonight, you will stay up and finish it tonight. Working 12-16 hour days is standard and very common. Of course, some projects are very demanding while others are less so, but this is a generalization of the “norm”. There is also no overtime pay for those additional hours worked.

-??????????? It does not get easier the higher you go up the ladder

In most fields, it is expected that once you work your way up to manager, director, partner, or CEO, you will have less of a workload and more freedom. But again, in consulting you serve your client, not your boss. So even if you are a Senior Partner and the client wants you to cancel your vacation and redo the work you completed for a previous project, you do it.

So, it is up to you to decide whether or not the pros outweigh the cons

In my point of view, I see the beginning of my career as the time to grind and have sleepless nights. Consulting provides exposure like no other industry, especially for fresh graduates. I was still in my final term of college in rooms with CEOs, meeting people from all over the world, collaborating with partners who are experts in their field, and being exposed to confidential decisions regarding my country’s future.

It is also a great addition to any CV and shows you are a catch to other employers. It is quite common to join a project and have the client side offer you a job. I have had multiple recruiters reach out to me for job opportunities without me applying beforehand, which is rare because of my lack of experience (in terms of years). Many young people never want to be put in the position to give up their social lives and free time no matter the job/paycheck and I completely understand. Consulting is not for everyone.

However, if you are interested in how to join management consulting in Saudi Arabia/the Middle East, stay tuned for part two where I will dive deeper into this topic. Let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback.

Please keep in mind this information is specific to management consulting firms in the Middle East, specifically Saudi Arabia.

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

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