Up & out policies and covid (help)

I think the main question is do you like consulting to begin with? You never address that part in your post but it's the most crucial one.
After nearly two years, you should have a good idea of what the work is like and what people expect from consultant. If you like it and think you can do it I don't see why you shouldn't try to join another firm. If you didn't like the job then I don't see why you should try to stay in that field.

With that being said if you do want to stay in consulting, few things to take into account:

• understand clearly on which area you underperfomed and work on them. Also since you seem to not like remote work target firm when you can work in the office (should be less of a problem in the next months)
• Think about what type of projects you would like to work on. If M&A isn't for you (which is perfectly fine) maybe target firm with expertise in operations for instance
• One thing that is weird is that your lack of consulting skills was pointed out. This is an important point.
  • If you were hired as a junior, then that's fine as you develop your skills by being staffed. And firm shouldn't have problems with staffing juniors (your profile isn't really the main interest of the client).
  • If you were hired as a more experienced consultant (and it seems that way) then that's a problem. Because if you were hired as a more experienced consultant than a junior, you should already have all the skills expected from juniors.And if you don't have those skills you need to learn them. The position to learn them is junior position. Regardless of your age, previous experiences and so on. If you simply lack the skills of a junior, you belong to the junior batch. And there is nothing degrading or humiliating with that. That's simply perfectly logical. Don't let your ego get in the way of your common sense. What usually happen is that your hired as at more junior position and you're simply promoted quicker (since you usually learn faster). Keep that in mind if you reapply in order to target accurately the position you should shoot for.

All the best for your career, stepback and alternative paths are not necessarily a bad thing. Far from it. Having a job that you truly enjoy and like is the best feeling you can have. If you don't like the working conditions in consulting, there is no reason to make yourself miserable.

Best,
C.

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about your recent issues – that’s unfortunate.

In terms of your question, I agree with Anon B, if you are still interested to work in consulting (and are fine with the hours) I don’t see why you should not apply again to another firm. You will need a good story though on what happened with the previous firms (COVID may provide a baseline, although the same reason for both may sound strange).

I also agree with Anon B that you may want to reflect on what you should do to improve on the consulting skills you are lacking. I totally get your point on not be willing to downgrade, but if possible you may want to train in those areas in advance to avoid similar issues in the future.

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

I'm so sorry to hear about all of this - it has been a tough year for many.

Now, I would advice the following:

1. Get your resume (and LinkedIn) updated ASAP
2. Start networking - cast your net wide and don't hesitate to leverage both your network and recruiters
3. Start doing "something" now. Whether it's a side project, a class, etc. Staying busy/active isn't just good for your confidence, it's good for your resume gap
4. Figure out what you want - I don't know if you should stay in consulting, or go into industry, etc. You need to think through this yourself! Figure out what you like, what you're good at etc., and go for those roles!

Finally, remember that the greatest accomplishments come from temporary defeat. You can do this!

Good luck, and here if you need any support!

Hey, 

Its hard I can imagine. But consider the following:

1. Decouple the content/functional area with type of firm i.e if you are passionate about M&A, you dont necessarily have to work in a Consulting firm. You can smash it elsewhere and be happier & successful
2. Be honest with yourself about wanting to work in Consulting. Its not for everyone and there are plenty of other companies & career options out there
3. Take some time now to work this out and don't rush into applying for the "next job" that comes your way. Focus on finding a role & company thats fits better with your career aspirations, values & risk apetite. As with everything else in life, no job is perfect. So remove the pressure of finding "that perfect" job

All the best.

Hi, I'm sorry to hear this. It is not the best period, unfortunately. If you are serious into strategy consulting, I recommend trying again but with the help of a referral

Best,
Antonello