I have been using “Crafting Cases” as my main source to practice market sizing and structuring, and have recieved my dream offer. I have actually completed only half of the course content, so I'm wondering whether it is beneficial to complete the rest before I start my job? I haven't been casing for around 2 months so I feel that I'm losing the familiarity of casing and consulting skills. Any thoughts on this? Thanks!
Starting job soon - would taking market sizing & structuring online courses help?
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Hi there,
Congratulations on the offer! In terms of your question:
Q: I have actually completed only half of the course content, so I'm wondering whether it is beneficial to complete the rest before I start my job?
I don't think you need more interview prep at this stage. I would do so just if you like the content. You will likely get quite some training when you start anyway.
As general suggestions to start, I would recommend the following.
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IT TOOLS
You are probably ok with the basics of Excel and PowerPoint, if not you can take a quick course to review the basics. You can check in advance with your office if they recommend training on any other tool, such as Alteryx or Tableau and if so, do some prep on that.
One of the most important things you can learn with any IT tool is shortcuts – they will increase substantially your productivity.
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INDUSTRIES
If your office specializes in specific industries where you would like to work, it would be good to get a minimum knowledge of them in advance. You will still learn the most during the job so this is not strictly necessary.
You can find some tips on recent consulting trends here:
▶ 11 New Consulting Trends You Should Know
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READING LIST
To me, the best way to invest the free time you have now is to… read. You won’t have much time to do this later and reading is one of the most undervalued growth opportunities available today.
Personally I don’t have much time to read, so I listen to books – Audible is great for this. You can easily listen to a book per week with minimum effort. You absorb books differently when you listen, so you have to check if this works for you.
The following are some books I would highly recommend to develop a growth mindset – key in any industry with high pressure. You can expand the list with anything you want to learn – just try to find a few really good books on that topic.
- The Compound Effect – Darren Hardy (great book on long-term planning)
- Tiny Habits – BJ Fogg (excellent, science-based book on habits formation)
- The Mediations – Marcus Aurelius (written ~ 2000 years ago but incredibly actual – the personal diary of the most powerful man in the world at the time)
- The 80–20 Principle – Richard Koch (very smart life tips from one of the founders of LEK)
- Peaks and Valleys – Spencer Johnson (crisis management tale – from the same author of the famous “Who moved my Cheese”, I personally found this book a lot more interesting and applicable)
- The Gap and the Gain – Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy (excellent book in terms of mindset for happiness)
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FIRST WEEKS
Below you can also find some tips for the first weeks I usually recommend – you are probably familiar with most of them, but could be good to review:
- Take notes during meetings/discussions with your manager – this will help you to remember details and will show you care about them to the team.
- Always double-check. The first impression is very important when you join a new company: if you show you are reliable from the beginning, you create a reputation of a reliable person. Double checks should be done on expectations for your job, your Excel analysis, your slides – basically everything.
- Define priorities before starting any set of tasks. The majority of the results usually come from a subset of activities – this is true also for your tasks in consulting. You have to identify which they are and prioritize them – the application of the so-called 80-20 rule or Pareto Principle. Alignment on priorities and expectations is particularly important with your manager at the beginning of the project.
- Socialize with your colleagues and start to build a network. You should build a good network within the company. A good start is key to develop good relationships long-term. More difficult to do during COVID – but there may still be opportunities for virtual gatherings. Try to take advantage of as many as possible to build connections.
- Organize your private life activities. You want to organize your calendar to leave some space for personal activities (sport/ friends/ family). This is not easy but can be managed if you organize well, and long-term will be critical to keep a balance between work and private life. Also, it is better to align with your manager/teammates from the beginning on your core needs, so that there are no surprises later on.
- Ask for feedback every two-three weeks – this will show you are proactive and willing to learn.
- Ask for help when you don't know what to do – better to let know you are in trouble with meeting a deadline than missing the deadline.
- Be social and respectful with the support staff – these people are great and influential as well in the company.
Hope this helps,
Francesco
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Hey there,
Congrats on your success! :-)
If you are interested in preparing for your new role, I'd suggest the following:
When I got the offer some years ago I did the same. I reached out to people I knew in McKinsey and people who interviewed me to ask: what can I do to make the start easier? how can I prepare?
The answer from everyone was: Relax! Enjoy your time before you start and don't think about it. You will figure it out on the job. I followed that advice and it made sense to me once I joined.
When you start in consulting there are 2 ways to learn:
- Formal training. The formal training sessions/ weeks/ days in the beginning, are nice, however, they are more for networking and meeting your peers. You learn some interesting concepts and get some useful tips from more experienced consultants BUT
- Constant and implicit learning on the job is where it's at. No matter if you are a newcomer or a veteran after 2 years, you will always find yourself on a steep learning curve. As soon as you barely mastered one skill or the skills needed for one level in the hierarchy, you will take care of things, which are expected from a more senior colleague. This cycle never ends. You are expected to learn on the job, learn from your colleagues, your mentors, and sometimes even the client. So basically a newly promoted Engagement Manager has the same 'struggle' as a new-hire Business Analyst. They both need to work in a completely new environment and role.
Knowing that, if we now go back to square one in your consulting journey it makes perfect sense to enter the firm with a blank slate with a lot of curiosity and eagerness to soak it all up and quickly learn the ropes.
No book, no training, no coach can prepare you for your first day, your first week, your first engagement. Nothing matches the experience and the learning and this is a good thing (also the reason why ex-consultants are valued highly on the job market).
You will learn everything you need to master while doing it. You will be thrown in the cold water and need to swim. However, your colleagues will always be happy to help you and mentor you. And for the rest, you will figure everything out along the way. The key here is always to ask for tips, shortcuts, feedback, etc. Don't be quiet if you get stuck.
Also, for every technical problem (IT, Excel question, etc) McKinsey has a Global Helpdesk and the rule is to call them for every problem you can't solve within 5 minutes. They will fix your computer, guide you through Excel formulas, etc. Other firms have similar functions.
Lastly, if you have no domain knowledge about a certain industry or topic, read through the internal library of documentation (which is endless) and call some of the firm experts on the topic. Usually, they are happy to offer you a short call to get you up to speed.
Don't sweat the small stuff and enjoy the ride!
Florian
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Hello there,
First congratulations on getting your dream offer!
Personally, I do not think there is any value in finishing an interview preparation course after you got your offer unless you either like the content or you're still applying to other firms.
What I would recommend before the start date is to invest your time into more valuable learning material and enjoy your time off while it lasts.
In terms of steps before joining:
- If you haven't done the GMAT yet I would recommend you try and get it out of the way.
- If you like online courses I would take a practical consulting course (e.g., BCG Strategy Consulting Virtual Experience Program).
- In terms of technical skills a course on PowerPoint, Excel, and PowerBI would definitely be very useful.
- Stay up to date on changes in markets and industries you're interested in.
In terms of steps after joining:
- Usually all the companies start with an induction week (3-5 days) where they give you general training on the tasks you'll work on (e.g., research, financial analysis, slide development, presentation to seniors).
- The other way to learn on the job with your team; try to always show a positive attitude, willingness to learn, and most importantly that you are coachable, your team will become your family, and as they are more experienced consultants than you try to learn as much from them as possible before moving on to a new engagement.
Best of luck and enjoy the journey!
(edited)
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Hi there,
My advice would be to just chill :)
The consulting job is different from the actual interview and realistically the improvement you're likely to bring to your skills is nothing compared to joy of enjoying the guilt-free time you have until you begin. Plus, all firms offer very comprehensive training programs for beginners, so you don't need to worry about it.
Congrats and enjoy the ride!
PS - I wrote a comprehensive article here on what it's like to start as a consultant. Might be worth a read for you - https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/entry-level-consultant-what-is-it-like
Best,
Cristian
(edited)
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Hi,
I don't think it would significantly help. Personally, I would urge you to take the time and enjoy things you like to do. Because when you start the job, you really won't have the time for it.
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Honestly, I wouldn't. You should relax and enjoy the time off.
Get fully refreshed because the job is going to be very intense! Get your travels/vacationing/relaxing out of the way now as you won't have a chance later!
If you really want to prep before the job, there are better things to focus on than finishing the craftingcase course.
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If you wanted to keep your skills fresh, you could take everyday problems that you see (e.g. I wonder how the American government structured the ways to solve the pandemic) and try and structure them. However, I would just rest. Plenty of time to do that once you join.
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Hi there
short answer is no it won’t help at all. you have cleared the interviews so clearly you have what it takes to succeed. Just show a positive attitude, willingness to learn and ask the right questions and you will Be good. You will get plenty of opportunities to learn and grow- both through formal channels as well as on the job.
good luck
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It is unlikely to help you much at this point. You learned enough to pass the interview and gain the basic structuring skills, from here what you need is real work practice in order to keep improve any market sizing skills…
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Nope.
Relax for now. You will learn on the job and pick all these up quickly.
All the best.
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