Intro to Consulting

Consulting is a term that is thrown around frequently, but the word has taken on a life of its own as the term encompasses many different jobs, responsibilities, and industries. Thus, my goal for this set of articles is to demystify the world of consulting so you can better understand if it is the right career path for you.

Broadly speaking, consulting is an industry built on helping organizations thrive and optimize their performance. Typically consultants are brought in by an organization to do one of two things: fix a lingering problem or enhance the organization in some way. Yet, the actual work done by consultants can vary widely. For example, Governor Gavin Newsom has hired consulting giant McKinsey on numerous occasions to help him navigate the dilemma of COVID-19 in California and, more commonly, companies will hire consultants to improve an aspect of their business, like their sales team or product pricing. My point is when people say the term “consulting”, do not take it at face value since consultants perform a myriad of different tasks in many diverse industries. 

For some context, I work as a consultant at Simon-Kucher & Partners, and we focus specifically on boosting the revenue a business generates. Therefore, in the next few articles, I will be pulling on my experience at Simon-Kucher, and I will also layer in details from my conversations with individuals working at various other firms to give you a holistic understanding of the industry. 

Coming up in the following pages, we will first focus on what the day-to-day looks like for a typical entry-level consultant. Then, we will backtrack and discuss how you can succeed in landing a job at a consultancy by discussing the all-important case interview and the importance of networking with individuals inside your desired firm. Finally, we will conclude by looking at the various career trajectories possible after working as a consultant.

Whether you are reading just to learn more about consulting or trying to determine if this is the right career for you, the next few pages will contain plenty of useful information.

Title photo from Marvin Meyer on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/