Recommended readings / resources to prepare for consulting job at MBB?

Question

Starting soon as a consultant at one of the MBB firms, and I was wondering if there are any recommended readings, articles, or skills I should brush up on (excel?) to look at before my start-date?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Congratulations!

- Excel definitely a must. There are various (cheap) excel training modules around, I highly suggest you get familiar w/ excel quickly if you aren't yet. Pivot tables, vlookups, even index match...

- Keyboard shortcuts. My first manager told me to get rid of my mouse (which is also standard procedure in banking btw)

- PowerPoint, sure why not

- Web scrapping, sure why not

- Above all, I'd relax and enjoy the down time right now; go out, sleep, exercise... Pretty soon, you'll have more work and stress than you'd want

Answer 2

Dear A,

Congratulations to your offer!

It would be helpful for you to learn the business-focused Excel features.

In business, about 80% of your work will come from 20% of the functionality of the Microsoft Excel.

The core skills of a competent business Excel user are something like:

Formatting & basic formulas
Mouse-free Excel navigation
Vlookups & conditional statements
Data analysis - filtering, sorting, and analyzing data
Data visualization - tables, charts, and dual axis charts
What-if-analysis
Pivot tables

If you can do these things, you’ll outperform 95% of people in the workplace.

To learn these concepts, you could:

Learn the concepts online for free
Take an online course

If you’re looking for something free, I’d recommend Googling & Youtube-ing those topics on my list. Tons of free material online. On Udemy you can also find some courses.

If you’re short on time, take a short business-focused online course.

I’d recommend the following business-focused course focused on mastering the 20% of functions that make up 80% of Excel work.

Best,

André

Answer 3

And if you're not already a member: Get those frequent flyer programs :-D

Answer 4

Hi A,

I agree with Guennael. If I were, I would prioritize excel and communication skills at an associate/BA-levels.

It is important to mention that you will have an induction week, during which you will practice all required skills.

What’s more, you will learn a lot on the job. Don’t afraid to ask questions, colleagues will be always happy to help you and suggest a more effective way of doing things. Once you know it, you can google it and that’s it.

All the best,

Egor