Hello, I am curious about the training that tier 1 & 2 consulting firms usually provide to new joiners. Is it more about in-class lectures, or on the job training and learning from your managers? How did you develop some key skills, such as storyboarding, hypothesis thinking, and analysis framework? Thanks!
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Do consulting firms usually provide new joiner training?
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Hi there,
Short answer: 100%
Longer answer: Consulting firms normally provide training through all of the following methods:
1) Incoming cohort training
- Typically 1-2 weeks
- Great for also making strong connections that will last the rest of your career. I'm still incredibly close with my cohort
- Includes lectures from consultants + hired trainers, exercises, networking time, etc.
2) On-the-job training
- Continuous (informal) feedback (i.e. at the end of a client session, while working on a delierable etc)
- Periodic (formal) feedback (at the end of a project, during the quartlery review cycle, etc)
3) Supplemental training
- Training with your cohort every ~6 months to sharpen your skills
- Training prior to - and after - being promoted, to upskill you for your new role
4) Online learning
- Most companies have an internal portal/lab from which you can learn about almost anything. Think of these as online courses or libraries
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Hi,
Forget about training. It will not help you, and you will learn 99.9% of the skills on your projects. Don't rely on it at all and if you feel you have gaps in skills - try to address them before starting your job.
Just for the reference, you will have:
- General onboarding for a couple of days
- Training for new joiners for 1-2 weeks depending on the company
- Additional learning materials on the learning portal you can always check
But again, I strongly recommend to not even consider it as an opportunity to learn. It's just networking
Best
(edited)
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Hi there,
Yes, there usually is new joiner training. It can vary btw 1 to 2 weeks. The training is for you to get familiar with the company, the admin system/processes, and some training on tools like excel/PPT/Tableau etc.
That said, nothing beats on the job training. You'd get an idea of the skills you need to develop and tools you need to use in your job during the new joiner training, but to actually make real progress and get to master those skills, you need to keep learning, practicing, and improving during your real project work.
Best,
Emily
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Hi Anonymous,
Yes, there is extensive new joiner training provided to help you develop basic skills in drafting and creating presentations, conducting analysis, research, communication, and the firm's internal tools.
For Bain, for example, there is typically a 1-2 week new joiner program with all the other new employees in your cohort that is conducted in the office. A few months into the job you are also sent off to a global training program in a nice resort where you are put into teams with Bainees from other offices and you continue building the skills that will make you successful in the job working on simulated cases (and enjoying lots of social activities).
-A
(edited)
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Hello,
Indeed most (perhaps all of them) consulting firms offer welcome trainings which enable to develop the classical consultant toolbox (eg storylining, problem structuring, etc.) but also to familiarize with the in-house tools. At BCG for example, we learned in this 2-week training all the specific Powerpoint add-ins developed specifically for BCG.
Finally, this welcome training is also a first opportunity to develop a network with consultants from same office but also abroad (since most of the time welcome trainings are merging new joiners from different offices).
Best
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Hello !
For MBB yes!
Indeed, in McK, you have a full week onboarding program.
You go all together with the new joiners to a different location and have a full week of consulting-related topics and also team building.
It´s really fun! I would say the most useful thing is to get to know the people. The skills for the job itself, you learn them as you go.
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
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Hi there,
Yes - all consulting companies provide onboarding training to teach you the ABC's of consulting. (intro to the company, intro to PPT and Pyramid thinking, intro to excel and financial modeling)
However, the real knowledge is gained on the project. No need to be overly serious during the first week of training, use that week to get to know the people and the office culture.
Best
Khaled
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Dear A,
Sounds like you've got an offer. My congratulations to you!
Yes, consulting firms usually provide an initial training which might last for 1-2 weeks, depending on the firm. The content is to provide you with skills - story boarding, internal data basis, networking with your peers at the very beginning. Lectures are given either by experienced coaches or more senior collegues (managers, principals and partners).
If you need any advice in order how to succeed in consulting on the daily basis and in the long-term prospective, feel free to reach me.
Good luck,
André
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