How to prepare for the first consulting job

Hey,

I have had this discussion with many coachees. It's very simple, but frankly not the most exciting thing in the world:

1. Take slides from a McKinsey/BCG/yourT2firm's presentation and just try to replicate them with Powerpoint. See a pubicly available example here: https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/agriculture/how%20we%20help%20clients/natural%20capital%20and%20nature/roundtables/webinar%20taking%20action%20on%20nature%20how%20to%20get%20started/taking-action-on-nature-webinar-slides.pdf. This is boring, but will save you so many long nights -- you can even do this while listening to music or podcasts

2. Invest in Wall Street Prep, just the basic package is enough: https://www.wallstreetprep.com/self-study-programs/basic-package/. They will guide you step by step in each exercise: it's super-easy, it's just a matter of putting in the hours

Hope this helps! If you need motivation, just think of all the time you'll save in a few months if you become fast and effective with PPT and XLS

Tom

Congratulations!

This may not be exactly what you asked, but before diving into preparation, take some time to recharge and celebrate your offer. Achievements like this deserve to be recognized before moving straight to the next milestone.

In terms of practical preparation, it’s definitely worth getting comfortable with PowerPoint and Excel. For Excel, short online courses or certificates (such as those on Coursera) can be helpful, but the best way to learn both tools is by actively building models, presentations, and analyses rather than just exploring features passively.

You’ll likely receive training on your firm’s preferred formatting and presentation standards, but one useful principle for slide-making is this: your headlines should tell the core story even without the audience reading the full slide, and your content should be clear, concise, and highly visual.

A few additional ways to prepare:

• Practice reading and interpreting financial statements
• Stay informed by reading business publications like Forbes, The Economist, or similar outlets
• Most importantly, rest, you’ll be starting an intense and exciting journey soon enough

Enjoy this moment, prepare thoughtfully, and best of luck with your new role!

Annika

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!

First: Read the 25 tips in my consulting handbook

Second: In terms of things you can learn/do to prepare beforehand:

1. Daily Reading — The Economist, The Financial Times, BCG/McKinsey Insights
2. Industry deep dives — Learn, in depth, how the industries/companies your office advises, work. (PM me for an industry overview template)
3. Analytics tools — Alteryx, Tableau, etc.
4. Excel
5. Powerpoint — Best practices/standards, different layouts, quickly editing/updating slides, thinking in PowerPoint
6. Presentation skills / sharp communication — There are some online/virtual classes for this

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 visible and focus efforts on the things that people care about)

Fourth: Here are some great prior Q&As for you!

• What makes a good consultant / how to get a good review
• How hard is it to excel in top consulting firms
• How to become an engagement manager and partner quickly
• Skills to learn before starting at an MBB

PowerPoint is your highest-ROI skill. Learn to structure before opening the app, action title on top, one message per slide. Pyramid Principle is the foundational read. Practise rebuilding public consulting decks.

Excel. Master pivot tables, lookups, IF logic, and keyboard shortcuts. Functional, not expert.

Beyond that, build reading speed for skimming reports, mental math for client meetings, sharp business writing for emails, and industry context for your office's main practices.

The biggest first-90-day mistake is being passive. Ask questions, ask for feedback, stay coachable.

Good luck.