Incoming BCG consultant. Is low utilization a concern?

Hi there, 

That's a great question! Especially since I was in a similar situation when I started and ended up a few weeks on the beach. 

In short, no, this will not hurt you long-term. But realistically, it will also not help. 

In many ways, spending time on the beach is time ‘lost’, since what matters most for your evaluation is your client work. If there are 2 annual evaluation cycles and the review process start about a month before the actual committee meeting, you have up to 5 months within a cycle to get sufficient experience and support from colleagues for a promotion. If you consider that there is also some dead time between projects and that there are low staffing periods during summer and the winter holidays, realistically you have 3-4 proper months in a cycle to get staffed. 

Then, in those 3-4 months you're ideally expected to do more than one project, to show that you've improved since the previous cycle, and to have supporters from different levels of seniority and from different projects or internal efforts. That means that if you spend half of this time on the beach, the chances of you either being promoted or moving into a higher performance quartile are rather slim. 

However, that being said, it's normal to go through this period at the start. Pretty much everybody goes through it and some offices/regions are especially problematic. So don't get too disappointed and don't start blaming yourself that staffing isn't working out. Just be patient, keep in touch with your staffer and reach out to teams looking for consultants. 

You might also find this article useful: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/entry-level-consultant-what-is-it-like

Best of luck!
Cristian

Hi there,

First of all, please try not to worry about things you cannot control. If the bench is a bit longer at the moment, that is the state of things.

Secondly, I agree with the other coaches that you should not worry too much.

During your time on the bench you should do a few things:

1. Continue to network within the firm
2. Attend Friday drinks, grab coffee with people, etc.
3. Learn from BCG Labs (their back-end learning system)
4. Raise your hand to support on proposals
5. Let staffing know you're available every so often (not annoyingly)

#6…most important….enjoy the paid time off!!

Being unstaffed is a good time to digest the things you have learned in your trainings and prior projects and to refine your consulting tool kit. Throughout your career, there will be many times where you wish you could have a some time on the beach like this.

Ultimately, consultants are not responsible for staffing so a lack thereof due to a limited pipeline will not be held against you. Just roll with the punches and use the time to catch up on whatever you need to do. Be transparent and proactive with the staffing team / your mentor regarding your availability and offer your support where needed. It is then up to them to take you up on it - you will have done whatever is within your control

Short answer: It is not a concern and quite normal

This is normal due to the economy and the firms have not cut down on hiring. However, during your downtime, you can do a few things 

1. Upskill yourself: Go through training on modelling, ppt, etc, to be better prepared 
2. Network: Meeting people, speak to them about their experiences and journey and learning more about the office and firm 
3. Get involved: Get involved with some extracurriculars in the office but don't overcommit yourself as once the work comes you will not be able to commit the level of time you can while you're on the beach 
4. Make staffing's life easy: Don't be too picky with your staffing needs and help them staff you as fast as possible 

Hi there,

to your question: No - its not a concern.

I am pretty sure you will not spend 2-3 month on the beach just when starting with BCG. Typically, project demand  is cyclic, meaning there will be some busy and less busy seasons throughout the year. However, in case it is clear you will not have a project in near future (e.g. before christmas), you most likely will be working on either an internal project or support sales pipeline process - which can also be fun as you might be able to work on different “requests for proposal”.

Don't worry about utilization upon joining. You may wait 1 week or 15 weeks it is fine, it does not reflect badly upon you it is just a reflection of the industry. Personally I am not hearing of any slowdown in terms of consulting projects in the US, things are still pretty strong here. However, everyone is expecting a big slowdown in the new year.

2-3 months on the bench is really a lot, I doubt it is actually happening. 

Being on the bench is quite bad for psychological stability, to be honest, but it is usually something that occurs for 15-30 days at most in 1-2 periods every 5 years. 

Hello,

This will not be a concern for you, and evaluation committees will have the context of your time ‘on the beach’ - i.e. it is due to project pipeline at that respective time.

To add further colour, typically utilization starts to become a concern only at the PL/Principal level (and even then it is not the most important variable for promotion)

Hi there,

if you are Associate or Consultant, I wouldn't bet much on this, as most of the offices are short of A/C, hence if you are “on the beach” = working on proposals it would be max a few weeks. 

Good Luck!

Lucie

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This is not a concern

#1: Consulting is cyclical and goes in ups and downs (often a bit more down in summer and year-end).

#2: Reflects in no way whatsoever on your evaluation, etc.

So just be patient if you join and do have a project immediately. Take the time to complete your trainings and get to know the organization.

Hopefully this helps,
Jorn