First 90 Days as Associate/ Business Analyst/ Consultant

Hi,

I would soon publish a PrepLounge product on the first 100 days as a new consultant.

Please find below the framework I used to build this "survival guide".

Feel free to come in PM to further discuss it

Best

(editiert)

Chaos and stress :)

Jokes aside, please be ready to work hard and learn fast. Be ready to be molded and be ready to be pushed hard!

In terms of the 90 days expect something along the lines of:

1. ~1 week of academy training with your new cohort
   1. Spend time getting to know them - it's amazing to know this group closely!
2. A few weeks of feeling insecure because you haven't been assigned a client/project
3. The next 2 months feeling insecure because you've been assigned a client but have no idea what's going on!

My number 1 advice is: give it time, keep pushing, it will get easier.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In terms of specific tips on how to actually survive/do well, let's leverage what you've learned from casing :)

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)

Hi there,

Your first 90 days would comprise of:

• Onboarding and training (make sure you spend this time to get to know your cohort, you will become good friends very soon)
• Option 1: staffed directly after training:
  • Embrace the stress and chaos - it is very normal to feel overwhelmed and feeling like the most clueless person in the room :) nothing to be ashamed of, everyone has been there
  • align expectations: ask your project manager to explain to you what he is expecting from you in terms of deadlines, quality and communication
  • Focus on your tasks, manage your time well, and make your objective to always meet what is expected from you (or raise a flag prior to the deadlines in case you are falling behind schedule)
• Option 2: "On the beach" for a week or two before getting staffed - you might be working on a proposal or random tasks for the office - again, even here you need to follow the same objective as in option 1

Additional tips:

• Network: In case you have a specific interest in a few industries, reach out to the managers and/or partners working on those topics and let them know about your preference to work with them whenever a new opportunity arises
• Focus on hard skills (e.g., learn to let go of the mouse after your 90 days) and soft skills (e.g., learn how to communicate top-down, always)

Best of luck

Remember to embrace the chaos :)

Khaled

Hi,

As a Ex-Mckinsey consultant and a career transition coach who has delivereed 'First 90 days in consulting role' training to 100+ consultants, let me tell you that the first 90 days are probably the most crucial time in consulting career. Some of the reasons being:

• Top consulting firms strictly follow ‘up or out’ policy - Avoid the career threatening mistakes typically committed in the first year of consulting career
• Consulting peer group is hyper competitive - Get 3 to 6 months head start over your peer group and stand out among them
• Consulting is people oriented business and first impression matters a lot - Get off to a strong start from the first project and sow the seeds of fast career growth within the firm

Knowing a few things already mentioned in some of the other answers is a good idea however if you want a head start to your consulting career, you probably want to consider a structured preparation.

My coaching program addreses teh following points. You can think about self preparation along these points or PM me so that we can jointly work on it.

Regards,

GB

(editiert)

Hello!

No need honestly to think about that now.

First think that you will have once you get there is a full bootcamp where they will precisely explain you how to do your "1st 100 days". Consulting companies have it all sorted out.

Hope it helps

Cheers,

Clara

Dear A,

For candidates, who have already secured the offer with a leading consulting firm, I have designed a program "Get ready for the first 100 days " as well as long-term career planning. This program touches all the important aspects: the mindset, the skills, knowledge, networking and ,managing yourself as well, your bosses and clients - everything that is important in your successful career.

In fact, I'm sharing my knowledge of 6 years career experience in consulting, where I was able to land on the fast track promotion and to be promoted from consultant to a project manager just within 3 years, which is extremely fast.

Happy to share these insights with you, feel free to reach out directly to me.

Good luck,

André