How to learn fast (on the job)?

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on the job

Recent activity on Aug 12, 2022

3 Answers

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Anonymous A asked on Aug 11, 2022

Hi all, I'm a consultant who just started my role for a month. Working at a small firm, one issue that I have been facing was I was given responsibility to lead a small project without really knowing how things works in strategy consulting. Also, I didn't have a direct manager in this project who can give specific guidance and I'm the only consultant in the office.

While it is okay to learn from doing and learning from mistakes, I'm thinking how to improve key consultant tools such as story boarding / project management / hypothesis driven. I'm keen to apply the skills I've learned during the case interview process into the job, which I haven't been able to do so.

Are there any tips of advice on how can I reach this goal? I'd like to learn in a systematic way (for instance, understanding what are the processes of a strategy project, step by step). Are there any resource (books / podcast / websites) that you would suggest to help me ramp up these key consultant tools? Appreciate your advice!

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Answer 1

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Ian

Expert

Content Creator

replied on Aug 12, 2022

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!

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First: I have a consulting survival guide handbook with 25 key tips for surviving the consulting world. Feel free to message me for it!

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

1) Daily Reading

The Economist, The Financial Times, BCG/Mskinsey 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

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

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

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-makes-a-good-consultant-how-to-get-a-good-review-6790

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-hard-is-it-to-excel-in-top-consulting-firms-6762

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-become-an-engagement-manager-and-partner-quickly-6722

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/need-to-learn-skills-in-the-ample-free-time-before-starting-at-an-mbb-what-should-i-do-6774

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Answer 2

Cristian

Expert

Content Creator

replied on Aug 11, 2022

#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi there,

What an amazing question!

I already wrote an article on this that you can check out that gives a few clear pointers on how to approach the beginning phase of being a consultant. You can check it out here - https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/entry-level-consultant-what-is-it-like

But aside from this, my overall advice is to:

1. Embrace the fact that it's going to be difficult / challenging / uncomfortable. Don't expect anything different. It's a steep learning curve.

2. Don't be afraid to fail. Don't try and hide your mistakes or be quiet hoping that this way you're not going to break anything. The earlier you fail the better. There will be people around you to correct course and learn from. Otherwise, you just risk failing later when you don't have the alleviating circumstances of being a new-joiner.

3. Be open to feedback. Ask for feedback, listen to it, take notes of it, ask follow-up questions, try to understand how you can fix whatever needs fixing and get to work on it as soon as possible.

Last but not least, try and have fun. Maintaining a positive mood throughout this period is critical.

Best,

Cristian

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Answer 3

Sophia

Expert

replied on Aug 11, 2022

Top-Ranked Coach on PrepLounge for 3 years| 6+ years of coaching

Hello,

Great question! I really think there is no substitute for learning on the job, but I also understand how it can sometimes feel frustrating when you think you're not learning quickly enough.

My best advice would be to try to learn from more senior colleagues at your company. If there is someone more senior on your team, ask them if it would be ok for you to observe them at work, ask them project-specific questions, or go over some of your work with you to help pinpoint how you could make it better/more efficient (e.g., you try to storyboard, then they look at your storyboard and pitch in with feedback). Ask to sit in on meetings and observe how senior colleagues present.

Some firms also have a lot of internal resources that consultants have access to (e.g., old pitch decks, online trainings). I would encourage you to make use of those as well.

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