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Career Advice

The Training Phase in Management Consulting

Receiving an offer from a top consulting firm is an exciting experience. It is a breakthrough for many and a fantastic journey to begin. The first step starts with training, the learning of technical skills, soft skills, and time management skills.

In consulting, your training, adapting, and professional growth actually never stop. You will frequently encounter new challenges, clients, and environments which may differ completely from your past experience. This will require a continual updating of your knowledge and capabilities. Although you are no doubt working towards becoming an expert, your consulting toolkit will change overtime.  This is likely to be even more true in coming years, as a disruptive wave of artificial intelligence changes many industries including the nature of consulting itself. As you grow in experience and expertise, the basis of your continued success will be your ability to remain an expert learner.

Training is important because your firm and clients are relying on you to deliver value efficiently and effectively. Your critical thinking, technical skills, and presentation skills need to remain sharp, and there is always room to improve your networking and soft skills. A consulting project will be unfamiliar to fresh recruits, and so successful performance will require preparation, guidance, and feedback. As a consultant you also represent a brand that has a reputation attached to it. Training enables you to meet expectations.

Firms approach training differently, and so the training experience will differ between firms and individuals. Training is not structured or certified by a board or association overseeing consulting. The larger consultancies will offer more formal training programs, which may cover frameworks, technology, and how to behave as a consultant representing those firms. Smaller firms will offer on the job training, which is the deep end where you have to learn to swim quickly. However, where ever you start, everyone is thrown into the deep end soon enough. It does not matter whether you have been there before or had a few preparation lessons, there is always a lot to learn.

Different consultants approach their training in different ways, and it is best to choose an approach that works for you. Let your personality determine the kind of training that will play to your advantage. If you are effective during overtime, use overtime well. If you learn better through personal engagement, then take opportunities that allow for this. Consultants have different attributes and work in teams so that they can contribute complementary strengths. You do not have to be the same as everyone else. Show commitment, and have a working style that is suitable for you.

The realities of consulting can be exposed to you through the work itself. You will encounter long work hours, and do not be surprised if the process seems overwhelming. Presentations are a big focus in consulting meaning that you will become an expert at slide compilation, visually presenting your cases and communicating your ideas clearly and effectively. Some skills might not be intuitive for you, and so you may require additional time to practice these approaches. You might not be taught all you need to know on projects as the seasoned consultants may find it easier to do the tasks themselves rather than walk you through everything. By taking initiative to teach yourself, you can turn yourself into a reliable and valuable contributor who is trusted with responsibility on projects.

You will be in a competitive environment when training. This will test your ability to stand out, and to perform tasks reliably, quickly, and collaboratively. Mistakes are inevitable. When you make a mistake, do not wallow in the disappointment. Lift your head and keep moving because you are in a fast-paced field. Take constructive criticisms and lessons with you. Take accountability for your mistakes because the quicker your mistakes are known, the faster they can be corrected.

If you are not sure what to focus on, consider improving your analytical rigor and strategic thinking ability. Giving presentations and communicating clearly is important but being able to back your ideas up with numbers and valid analysis will make you an invaluable asset. Management will be on the look out for competent trainees with acumen, diligence, and strong relationships to staff on the next project, take on more responsibilities, and to step up to more senior positions.

Consultancies thrive on people that want to do more, and there is a world of rewards for doing so. Taking your training seriously has numerous benefits including setting yourself up for a successful career. Enjoy each step of the journey.

Rhulani (Ruce) Ndlala is an accounting student at the University of Cape Town, and former President of the UCT Consulting Club.

Image: Pexels

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