How to get staffed on a project?

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear that you do not feel well about your professional situation!

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• Contradictory to what other coaches said, the key question I would advise you to clarify first is whether it is simply a feeling you have or that it actually is hard for you to get staffed.
• If it was a fact, the next key question I would advise you to clarify would be whether this has something to do with you (internal perspective) or with your employer as a whole (external perspective).
• Only if you know it is a fact and that it has to do with you as an employee, I would advise you to start finding out what the true reason might be (there might still be many factors you do not have an impact on). Especially, considering that 90% of the people are in rank 2 and 3, I would not worry too much about your rank as long as you are not on the verge to slipping to rank 4.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on your specific situation and what do you about it, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

If you don't know what you need to do to be a better performer, you are not in a high-performance consulting setting.

You need two types of feedback. The second one is the most important if you are an analyst. 

• Real honest feedback from your supervisors. This means you should ask for feedback at least monthly (assuming you have long projects; if they are 6 week projects, you should get feedback every couple of weeks). This is “evaluation” type feedback
• Real training on the job. This means feedback for every task that you submit to your superiors. This is task related feedback.
   

Without this you won't know how to improve.

Now a second point, you need ownership. That is what separates senior consultants from analysts. Ownership means that you understand how your tasks fit in the whole of the project, you are commited to delivering them on time and with zero-defect client ready quality. A lot of consultants just do the tasks they are assigned to, and don't even revise their work. The consultants that are successful do whatever they can to deliver great work and minimize whatever is on their managers' plate. They assume it's their responsibility and don't expect others to tell them how to do things (but they will no hesitate to ask for help when they need it).

To do this you may need a kind of “sponsor”. I don't mean a very senior person in the organization, but someone at the immediate higher rank (a senior consultant, or even a senior analyst) that you and that explains you how to do things and helps you out to become successful. Please note that being willing to give your best and to overdeliver is somewhat a requisite for this to happen. No one will invest in you if you only put “average” effort.

So my guess is that you are just doing what you are being directly asked, you don't deliver client-ready material, the manager revises and corrects what you did and does not give you feedback on that (nor during the project), and when you get to the end of the project you just get an “average” review. 

Hope this helps, and let me know if I got the context right, I am curious! I was able to help several people in this kind of context before, so feel free to reach out if you think you could benefit from professional help.

Hi there,

Network, network, network.

Unfortunately, you can't just reach out to seniors to express your interest...if they don't know you/your name this will serve no purpose!

You need to build stronger relationships with these seniors. "Water cooler chats" and firm functions are great ways to build relationships and get notified of opportunities. Gossip is gold so to speak.

So, I recommend putting yourself out there socially in order to advance professionally. As a "bonus" also try to demonstrably develop your skills...if you're completely green, noone will take on that risk for you. If you can get certifications, side projects, etc. that show your ability to be a star in certain topics, then do so as often as possible!

Hi!

It's hard to answer this question with this information only!

Can you give us additional detail on why you are in the OK range and why your performance wasn't outstanding?

Best,

Anto

Hi,

You need to understand why is your performance just “Okay”? Am sure you have moments/days/weeks of brilliance but are not able to sustain it. 

Following factors could be at play:

• Low motivation/low impact in role
• Role expectations & skills are not a match
• People issues
• Steep learning curve
• Too much going on/unable to prioritise

Or there could be other reasons. Without you being clear on this, you will struggle to lift your performance. And most good roles are filled through networking! 

Work with your people lead/career counsellor/line manager to help you make a plan & improve your branding. Talk to peers/colleagues who you trust and get their advice as well. 

You will need to show the right attitude, quality of performance & networking to attract the right kind of roles. Give this time. And dont worry about exit/leaving until you have tried your best and given it all. 

Hi there, 

Wish I would've seen this earlier.  

Sharing with you two materials that could help you and others who might be looking into this question:

• Free Guide: How to Become A Distinctive Consultant
• Free Guide: How to Manage for Lifestyle in Consulting

Best,
Cristian

What should I do?

• If you want to get control of your staffing then you must network in the firm and also be in constant touch with the staffing teams. After my first 2-3 projects, most of my next projects came through networking in my existing projects.
• If you want to improve your performance, you must action on any feedback you have been given. If you need more feedback, I suggest to setup regular 2-week touchpoints with your manager and ask them to give informal feedback

Will I be out?

• Honestly depends on the policies of the firm and office. You should check this with the respective teams in the office.