I have a lot of time before my start date and want to try courses that will help me develop skills. Are there any recommended types of courses to take (powerpoint, excel, etc.) or books to read?
Hi there,
MOST IMPORTANTLY: Know that no-one can perfectly prepare for the job and that's the point: You will mess up, you will learn, you will be trained and supported. That's OK!
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First: I have a consulting survival guide handbook with 25 key tips for surviving the consulting world. Feel free to message me for it!
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Second: In terms of things you can learn/do to prepare beforehand:
1) Daily Reading
2) Industry deep-dives
3) Analytics tools
4) Excel
5) Powerpoint
6) Presentation skills / sharp communication
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Third: In terms of doing well in your role when you're there:
1) Understand the context/prompt (what role are you in, what company, who's watching, etc.)
2) Understand the objective (what, specifically, is expected from you...both day to day, and in your overall career progression)
3) Quickly process information, and focus on what's important - Take a lot of information and the unknown, find the most logical path, and focus on that.
4) Be comfortable with the unknown, and learn to brainstorm - think/speak like an expert without being one
In summary, there will always be a flood of information, expectations, competition etc. and not enough time. Find out which ones matter when. (i.e. be visibile and focus efforts on the things that people care about)
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Fourth: Here are some great prior Q&As for you!
https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-hard-is-it-to-excel-in-top-consulting-firms-6762
Hi there!
Congrats!
Here are a couple for readings and practice to focus on so you'll hit the ground running:
Aside from these, if I were you, I'd rather focus on the soft skills rather than the hard skills. For the latter (e.g., excel), you'll get plenty of training when you start and they soon become irrelevant - in the sense that they're not a distinguishing factor between consultants.
It's more important to focus on emotional intelligence, influencing, communication.
Check out Influencing by Cialdini and Emotional Intelligence by Goleman.
If you master these two books you'll see those promotions coming in no time.
Best of luck in the new career!
Cristian
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Hi,
Congrats on the offer!
I think 2 books that are definitely useful to read are The Pyramid Principle and Say it with Charts.
Other than that, my honest POV is that you should just take a break and enjoy the time. Use it to do what you really like / are passionate about that is non-work related.
When you start on the job, you really won't have the ability to do many of the things that you are passionate about/hobbies. Furthermore, it is not easy to get a bulk/long break like you have now.
Most of the learning in consulting is on-the-job and apprenticeship based - and it's really not 80/20 to try and anticipate and ‘prepare’ for the job. There are just too many variables and permutations of scenarios that can occur that you won't be able to prepare for.
I speak from experience - I joined consulting with zero internships, zero experience in PPT and excel, and having come from a non-business background (I studied History). I had a 2.5 month gap between the offer and the start date, and I used that time to do what I loved (travel and scuba dive). Looking back I wish I had asked for a 6 month gap instead.
All the best - happy to chat on this in more depth if you'd like, just drop me a dm.
Wow, quite committed! I'd definitely make sure to have enough time to catch up with friends and family before joining a fast-paced job. "Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick" is definitely a book I can highly recommend. Have a great start, and sometimes, it can also be helpful to get a coach even when you're on the job to get some sparring. Warm regards, Frederic
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