Starting my new role as a consultant soon (post MBA hire). I've heard rumors that the ‘bar’ to pass probation now is much higher, due to the slowdown in economics and over-hiring. Seeking advice on 2 questions:
1. Based on your experience, what is the rate to pass probation at MBB?
2. Will there be room to ramp up consulting skills? I came from a corporate background. How will I be able to guide junior members who have more consulting experience than me?
Hi,
Sharing my POV having managed new consultants and hires as a Principal
1. Based on your experience, what is the rate to pass probation at MBB?
2. Will there be room to ramp up consulting skills? I came from a corporate background. How will I be able to guide junior members who have more consulting experience than me?
It sounds abit general still but unfortunately the challenges you will face are very context specific - e.g. do you need to mini-PL a Senior Associate who is building a model? e.g. do you need to own a SteerCo deck getting inputs from experienced Associates? The challenges here are very different.
Happy to chat more if helpful.
All the best!
(edited)
Hello,
Congratulations on your new role! To answer your questions:
1. Based on your experience, what is the rate to pass probation at MBB?
This is going to be office-specific – I would ask your colleagues there
2. Will there be room to ramp up consulting skills? I came from a corporate background. How will I be able to guide junior members who have more consulting experience than me?
Yes, of course! It’s perfectly fine if you don’t have prior consulting experience. What you do have is several years of prior professional experience, which will equip you with useful skills around working in a team, working with clients, and managing people. Pretty much everyone in consulting is expected to learn on the job!
I think Benjamin’s advice about how to ramp up here is excellent. You will ramp up, but the learning curve is steep, so be ready to learn and adapt as you go. My additional two cents would be: observe your colleagues and learn from them. If you’re coming in at the Associate level, there should be someone more senior on your team (Project/Engagement Manager) whose role is to manage the team more directly. Learn from them, and have regular check-in sessions with them to assess your learning and development.
Best of luck!
Hi there,
Probation is a formality in most offices, so don't worry too much abuot it upfront.
Being concerned about it is only likely to hurt your performance in the long run.
Sharing below with you two guides I wrote about how to become an effective consulting in your first year:
Hope you'll find them helpful!
Best,
Cristian
Hi there,
Honestly, the others of getting past this without changing/action action are very very low.
The odds with coaching are higher, but, admittedly still not great.
That said, if you want to fight the good fight then 1) hire a coach, 2) change what you're doing and re-focus and 3) read this article: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tips-for-consultans
