Hi there,

#1 Tip GET A COACH

You are earning an income so you can afford one.

What you can't afford is losing your job during an economic downturn and hiring slowdown because you tried to self-learn something that has to be taught/trained by someone else. “Tips” aren't what you need. A dedicated coach, trainer, mentor is what you need.

Think of the ROI here…

You are experiencing slow development in problem solving and commercial sense and presentations/content. This is a lot!

Please don't panic…you can 100% improve! But, if you really want to, make the investment in yourself.

Here are my general tips (but hard to truly teach this via writing):

1. Find a mentor at the firm
2. Lean on your fellow consultants
3. Work on “side” lessons through LinkedIn or the company's internal learning platform
4. Communicate openly with your manager and an open and honest conversation with your manager about how you can improve
5. Seek feedback regularly from your manager and colleagues, and use it to improve your performance
6. Read this Q&A
7. Read this article

Please, get a coach.

(edited)

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about your situation!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• Since your weak spots do not appear to be technical in nature, I would highly advise you to reach out to a coach. While transitioning to a new geography and industry can be challenging, it seems that you are struggling to utilize the skills from your previous work experience (assuming that there are skills to be utilized).
• Moreover, I would advise you to be open about your weak spots, reach out to your career advisor/ manager/ training manager, and discuss how you can improve upon them. Most strategy consulting companies offer a variety of training and coaching opportunities to enhance different skills.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Most likely you are executing the tasks given, but not thinking about how you would independently solve the problem…

This always results in sub-standard work. Any analyst must know how to recognize whenever their research/analysis will not produce the desired outcome and conceive an alternative analysis (or ask for help / flag to the manager / etc.).

In consulting you ALWAYS start with the goal in mind. You are always “answer first”. If the analysis / slide / research is not contributing to the answer… you need to find an alternative.

When doing a slide you always start with the key message first. Then you build a slide with they key information / analysis supporting that point.

Usually takes 6-12 months for a new consultant to fully understand what this means and to become “second nature” to them.

Let me know if this resonates with you / this aligns with the feedback you're getting, or if you believe otherwise that it is something else.