Categories
Consulting Industry

Types of Consultants – Expert Witness and Legal Consulting

If your job description involves providing a service to a client utilizing your skill set and time, then you are probably a consultant of some kind. If you have read some of the blogs on this website, you have probably come across many that describe life and work as a management or business consultant. These […]

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Skills, Tips, and Tactics

Honing and Highlighting the Consulting Skillset

In the previous article, we introduced the key skills an effective consultant is expected to possess — but now what? As an aspiring consultant, simply knowing which skills to show on your CV is not enough; you’ll also need to know how to hone and highlight these skills, which is what we’ll be covering in […]

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Skills, Tips, and Tactics

What Skills Do Firms Want in Aspiring Consultants?

The role of a consultant is dynamic and complex, requiring a unique blend of skills that go beyond pure technical proficiency. In this 2-part article, I will outline the 5 key skills of an effective consultant, then discuss how to hone and highlight these skills. Being a consultant is no easy feat, and almost every […]

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Skills, Tips, and Tactics

Weight Management: Tips for Busy Consultants

Being a management consultant is a rewarding yet challenging profession. Business consultancy can involve helping to increase a business’s capabilities, develop a new product, or enter a new market. While you may be a highly proficient management consultant, the pressures of the job can make it challenging to take consistently good care of yourself. According […]

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Skills, Tips, and Tactics

Learning to Lead: Communicating with Clients and Teams

In consulting, one of the most coveted and highest compensated roles is that of the engagement manager (EM). This role is crucial to the functions of a consulting firm. They often have significant influence on the success of a consulting engagement, as they often interact directly with clients and oversee engagements end-to-end. Similar roles are […]

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Career Advice

Consulting: Your Gateway to Diverse Career Avenues

Choosing a career path to dedicate years of your life to is never an easy decision, and this applies whether you are an undergraduate seeking a first job fresh out of university, or someone looking to make a career switch. After all, faced with the tantalising possibility of all the possible paths you could take, […]

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Lifestyle and Experiences

Headaches of Consulting (and How to Deal with Them)

As a consultant, you will typically work long hours, and during this time you might find yourself creating slide decks, analyzing massive data sets, and working within fast paced teams to solve your clients’ most challenging problems. To add to the stress, consultants are often travelling long distances for on-site visits with the client or […]

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Career Advice

Beyond Consulting: Accelerating Your Professional Career

Individuals looking to fast-track their careers frequently find themselves lured by the exciting world of consulting in today’s fast-paced and constantly evolving business environment. Beyond the veneer of prestige and a lucrative 6-figure salary, however, lies a highly intense and competitive industry, leading naturally to a high turnover rate as many choose to exit this […]

Categories
Consulting Industry

Types of Consultants – Engineering and Scientific Consulting

Consulting is a wide field of work. If your job description involves providing a service to a client utilizing your skill set and time, then you are probably a consultant of some kind. If you have read some of the blogs on this website, you have probably come across many that describe life and work […]

Categories
Career Advice

Breaking Into Consulting from a Non-Traditional Background

Traditionally, consultants come from backgrounds in finance, strategy, economics, or business management. Top firms tend to recruit graduates from target business schools, and the industry is notoriously quantitative and analytical. Fortunately, there’s growing recognition that individuals from different backgrounds can offer a unique perspective coupled with logical thinking. In this blog post, we’ll explore how […]

Categories
Networking

Purpose Behind Networking as an Aspiring Consulting

A common adage within business states that “it’s not about what you know, but who you know”. While consultants do need strong analytical skills, the latter half of this saying holds true; you need to network. As any aspiring management consultant knows, networking is both an art and a science. It combines organic relationship-building as […]

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Career Advice

Hidden Heroes: Business Operations in Companies of All Sizes

Business operations teams play a critical role in the success and growth of both big companies and small startups. While the specific responsibilities may vary based on the organization’s size, industry, and structure, these teams are generally responsible for various functions aimed at optimizing operations, driving efficiency, and supporting strategic goals. Let’s explore the role […]

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Career Advice

Common Career Benefits: The Good, The Bad, and The Unused

Imagine this: you are three months away from graduating, and you have five job offers printed out and sitting in front of you on the table. Which one do you pick? If all else is equal, you pick the highest paying one, right? Or, do you pick the one that moves you to your dream […]

Categories
Interviews

Interview Preparation: Your Path to Success

Job interviews can be nerve-wracking, but with proper preparation, you can significantly increase your chances of success. Whether you’re a fresh graduate or an experienced professional, thorough interview preparation is key to showcasing your skills, qualifications, and personality. In this blog post, we’ll discuss five essential steps that you can take to help you prepare […]

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Career Advice

Unlocking a Career as a Marketing Consultant

Marketing consultants advise companies on marketing strategies and campaigns. To do this, they should possess a keen understanding of the client’s target market and existing customer base, as well as the ability to recommend clear and actionable strategies to increase sales, expand the customer base, and develop new product offerings that will appeal to customers. […]

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Career Advice

Navigating the Landscape of Career Options

Have you ever questioned whether you are on the right career path? Have you ever wondered if you would have been better off choosing to pursue a different industry, role, or company? For most people, uncertainty is uncomfortable and is to be avoided at all costs. Many people spend their entire lives changing from company […]

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Career Advice

Consulting Career Pathways (Grad School to Consulting)

I previously wrote a similar article for those in consulting coming from undergrad. Now I want to highlight the outlook for those who joined consulting from grad school. Although there are extensive parallels, the grad school pool is decently different because they tend to be older (ballpark around 28 or so when they started their […]

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Skills, Tips, and Tactics

Overcoming Data Collection Challenges in Consulting

During one of my recent consulting experiences, I received a piece of advice from my supervisor that saved our engagement. His advice was specific to consulting, but applicable to other areas of business too. I was assigned to a typical strategy engagement – should client X selling product Y increase sales in market Z? Our […]

Categories
Lifestyle and Experiences

Pursuing Balance in Life as a Management Consultant

Management consulting is widely known as a highly intense industry. Much is expected of consultants in terms of hours of work, quality of output, and responsiveness to client requests. The sheer intensity of the industry is a big reason why many consultants end up burning out within 2 years, opting to exit into more relaxed […]

Categories
Frameworks

Deep Dive into Hypothesis-based Problem Solving

The hypothesis-based problem solving (HBPS) approach is a method employed by consultants to develop actionable recommendations for clients using a structured, evidence-based process. As we saw in the previous article, the HBPS process has five key steps: Define the problem Define drivers and generate/refine hypotheses Determine information needs Gather and analyze the data Draw conclusions […]

Categories
Frameworks

Solving Problems with the Hypothesis-based Approach

There are generally two main approaches to solving problems in consulting, namely the: Investigative / data-based approach, and Hypothesis-based approach. The investigative approach is appropriate when the opportunity is well-defined, repetitive, and standardized, or where the solution is clear from the beginning. Progress is made by employing technical and subject matter expertise to drive towards […]

Categories
B-School / Consulting Clubs

Completing Graduate School Like a Consultant

Whether you are studying for your MBA, Ph.D., or J.D., graduate school is an incredible opportunity to learn as much as you can. You might be completing case studies, conducting experiments, and writing lengthy legal reports, all of which will prepare you for your career. As someone who recently completed graduate school and began a […]

Categories
Skills, Tips, and Tactics

LinkedIn Hacks for Management Consulting Applicants

LinkedIn is an often overlooked part of the management consulting application. A candidate might spend hours on their resume and cover letter but put little thought into their LinkedIn profile other than a profile picture and a cheesy blurb in the “about” section. LinkedIn is actually a key part of the management consulting application. Although […]

Categories
Consulting

5 Benefits of Internal Strategy vs Consulting

Last year, after 2.5 years in management consulting, I transitioned to a Fortune 50 US company in an internal strategy role. Having had about a year on the new job, I want to highlight the benefits of this transition to give the many consultants out there some perspective. Before outlining the benefits of internal strategy, […]

Categories
Skills, Tips, and Tactics

Facilitation 101: Tips for Running Successful Group Sessions

Recently, I had the opportunity to run an “Impact Workshop” that aimed to reflect on our role as advisors (“consultants”), explore our individual motivations, and agree on behaviors that reflect our role. Surprisingly, one of the biggest revelations was how much we underestimated the importance of facilitating and how much of a central role it […]

Categories
Lifestyle and Experiences

When to Work Out: Choosing the Right Time for Your Body

As a consultant, you are likely working 60-80 hours during the week. Add in 6 hours of sleep every night, 14 hours for meals throughout the week, and 14 hours for weekly commuting, and there is not much time left for anything else. In order to keep your body and mind functioning optimally, you should […]

Categories
Skills, Tips, and Tactics

Fool-Proof Note Taking: The Verbatim Approach

As consultants, we are required and recommended to take notes for the meetings we attend. This seems like a simple task because formal education has forced us, at one time or another, to take notes. The world of formal education, however, is typically parsed out so an individual only needs to focus on one subject […]

Categories
Lifestyle and Experiences

Flying High: How to Build Travel Rewards as a Consultant

If you are transitioning into consulting from school or a job in industry or government, you will likely begin traveling more than ever. Sure, maybe you have gone to a few conferences or travelled to your company’s annual meeting, but once you begin a consulting career you will be on the road much more frequently […]

Categories
Skills, Tips, and Tactics

Useful Software to Master Before Technical Consulting

If you are a STEM major looking to go into technical consulting, whether at a large generalist firm or a small boutique one, you will likely need to draw upon your knowledge of digital tools and skills. However, some of the specific technical software you might use in graduate school may not be the same […]

Categories
Networking

Networking your Way into Management Consulting

Networking with industry professionals is a key strategy for anyone looking to break into the consulting field. Building relationships with experienced consultants and other industry experts can help you gain valuable insights into the profession, learn about job opportunities, and gain the knowledge and skills you need to succeed. Here are 5 tips for networking […]

Categories
Networking

How to Win Friends, Get Hired & Rise Through the Ranks

Ever felt guilty for engaging in networking? Remember the pit in your stomach for getting to know someone at a target firm when you know that “getting the referral” or “getting the job” is your real motive? We’ve all done it, and it is not uncommon to feel ingenuine while networking. However, networking has always been […]

Categories
Career Advice

Breaking into Consulting as a Non-Business Student

One of my biggest fears when I first gained an interest in consulting was that I was simply ineligible as a non-business student. Fortunately, this is not the case. Breaking into the consulting industry with a non-business degree can be challenging as a sizeable portion of hires are from top business schools, but non-business hires […]

Categories
Career Advice

A Career in People Advisory Consulting: Is It Right for You?

Are you considering a career in people advisory consulting? If so, you’ve chosen a field that can be both rewarding and challenging. In this blog post, I’ll provide an overview of what people advisory consulting is, what people advisory consultants do, and how to break into the industry. What is People Advisory? People advisory consulting […]

Categories
Interviews

Acing the Fit Interview — Finessing Negative Stories

Acing the Fit Interview: Strategy and Approach Motivation Questions Effective Storytelling Finessing Negative Stories In the last article of this series, you will learn about complex questions designed to trip up even the best of candidates. Negative Stories Questions that enquire about a weakness or failure can be a point of discomfort. After all, who […]

Categories
Skills, Tips, and Tactics

Why Soft Skills are Necessary in Landing a Consulting Job

As Marcel M. Robles once said, “soft skills have more to do with who you are than what you know”. We have machines to deal with hard skills that are physical, repetitive, and require basic cognition. Learning hard skills will prepare you to work with these machine-like abilities. However, building up your soft skills will […]

Categories
Interviews

Acing the Fit Interview — Effective Storytelling

Acing the Fit Interview: Strategy and Approach Motivation Questions Effective Storytelling Finessing Negative Stories In the third article of this series, you will learn about personal experience questions that demand a different approach from motivation questions.  The START Framework Many interviewing guides out there espouse the STAR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result) that purportedly outlines […]

Categories
Career Advice

Quick Guide to a Career in Product Design

Product design is more creative than engineering, more practical than art, and more hands-on than graphic design Product design is a field that involves the creation and development of new products or product improvements. Product designers work with a team of engineers and other professionals to design and create products that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, […]

Categories
Interviews

Acing the Fit Interview — Motivation Questions

Acing the Fit Interview: Strategy and Approach Motivation Questions Effective Storytelling Finessing Negative Stories In the second article of this series, you will learn about the often-underestimated motivation questions like “why consulting?” and “why this firm?”. “Why” Questions Innocuous as they might seem, it’s important to answer them well because they contribute significantly to your […]

Categories
Career Advice

3 Key Ingredients for Your Consulting Resume

“Your resume is the single most important element in setting you apart from the competition”. As a job seeker, you’ll hear these words or a variation of them throughout your job search. Your resume is the first point of contact between you and your potential employer. In consulting, recruiters and hiring managers will filter through […]

Categories
Interviews

Acing the Fit Interview — Strategy and Approach

Interviews at consulting firms are often broken down into 3 segments: Fit Interview (~10 mins) Case Interview (~30 mins) Questions and Answers (~5 mins) While the vast majority of content out there focuses on the case interview, it is worth pointing out that the fit interview should not be overlooked. Anecdotally, some candidates with poor […]

Categories
Skills, Tips, and Tactics

Lessons Learned by an Early Career Consultant

If you are a recent graduate, the consulting industry offers a great way to get a head start in your career, and to hit the ground running from the outset. The industry understandably attracts high achievers who have big dreams, high hopes, and great expectations for how their professional careers will play out. Consulting firms […]

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Career Advice

The Ups and Downs of a Career in Consulting

Consulting is one of the most prestigious careers you can pursue upon graduation. Every year thousands flock to apply to top consulting firms such as McKinsey and Company, Bain and Company, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Without a doubt, a career in the management consulting industry comes with many short- and long-term benefits. However, many […]

Categories
Networking

Networking: What it is and how to get started

Networking during college can be a daunting task, but it is also an incredibly valuable opportunity to connect with others and establish relationships that can benefit you in your future career. Whether you’re looking for internships, job opportunities, or simply want to expand your professional network, there are a number of ways you can go […]

Categories
B-School / Consulting Clubs

MBA Orientation Week Matters More Than You Think

MBA programs typically have an orientation day. Some have an entire week dedicated to orientation. This program is meant to help students get to know each other before the official start of the program. In addition, that crucial week will give you time to set up your apartment, learn the transportation system, open a bank […]

Categories
Consulting Industry

Consulting as a Contractor: The Rise of Self-Employment

Over the years, many leading organizations have struggled to retain top talent. Employees who leave often cite lack of recognition, professional growth, and reward for their long hours of dedication and hard work as key reasons for pursuing other opportunities. Today, the rise of remote working has enabled many employees to re-evaluate their employment options […]

Categories
Networking

Once You Get the Job, Does Networking End?

Networking is a key part of obtaining your first job after graduation. You connect with company recruiters, university alumni, and your peers and classmates to build a vast community of connections. You exchange business cards, connect on LinkedIn, and fill your phone with contacts so that you can reach out to any person at any […]

Categories
Consulting Industry

Big Data: An Opportunity for Data Scientists & Data Analysts

“Data is a precious thing and will last longer than the systems themselves”, Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web “The ability to take data – to be able to understand it, to process it, to extract value from it, to visualize it, to communicate it – is going to be a hugely important […]

Categories
Skills, Tips, and Tactics

The Key to Success at Work: Remaining Present

Live for the moment, seize the day, carpie diem. These well cited cliches for stress management are based on the logic that by focusing intently on the present moment we can set aside past regrets and future anxieties. Doing so can provide us with a greater capacity to perform and succeed. Interestingly, such mottos directly […]

Categories
Career Advice

Before Day 1: Taking Advantage of the In-Between

You did it! You successfully interviewed for a position at your dream consulting firm, and you have received and accepted an offer. However, you have multiple months before you begin. Maybe you received this offer after a summer internship and must return to school for a final year. Maybe you interviewed in the fall but […]

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Consulting Industry

The Global Tax Agreement – A Friend or Foe for the Big 4?

In June 2021 at the annual G7 summit in Cornwall, major western powers committed themselves to the idea of a global minimum corporate tax. This shift is part of a longer-standing endeavour by the OECD to prevent international tax avoidance called the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative. The BEPS initiative has two main […]