4 Tips to stand out as a Management Consultant
Competition is fierce in consulting, even after landing a coveted place at the firm. In this blog we’re going to give you four tips for standing out against your consulting peers to get noticed and accelerate your career.
Think Strategically
The best consultants can think outside their immediate task and think about the bigger picture. Or, “zoom out to the helicopter view” as we say in consulting.
Here’s how you can build strategic thinking into your daily consulting life:
Look beyond individual tasks to understand the big picture
Ask "so what?" to connect deliverables to overall objectives
Learn the McKinsey Five Whys. This is an easy concept to understand and you can master it in less than 60 seconds with this video.
Stay On Top of Trends
Understanding what’s going on in the world and how this will impact your firm and clients will set you apart from average consultants.
Apply these top tips to keep you ahead of the curve:
Monitor news and trends in your industry and function
Analyse implications for your firm and client engagements
Share ideas within your firm to demonstrate thought leadership
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Build Your Network
It’s hard to stand out if no one knows who you are.
It’s important to make sure that you’re meeting plenty of people across your firm and building strong professional relationships. But it’s not enough just to meet people, you need to be memorable as well.
Get the most out of networking with these strategies:
Attend internal firm events and put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to be the first to introduce yourself
Have an elevator pitch about your skills and goals to help you confidently introduce yourself
Develop strong relationships at all levels, not just senior leadership
Sweat the Small Stuff
Attention to detail is extremely important for consultants at all levels but particularly in your early days as a consultant.
The quality of your work is extremely important and attention to detail is essential in ensuring you consistently deliver your best work.
Here’s a quick attention to detail checklist:
Obsess over quality - carefully check your spelling, grammar and formatting for errors
Build in error-checking to produce polished deliverables for example building validations into your Excel models
This will establish your reputation as someone who executes flawlessly.
Go Above and Beyond
In your early days as a consultant, going above and beyond both for the firm and the client will help to build your visibility and reputation.
Here’s some ideas to get you noticed:
Find ways to add value beyond your core responsibilities. Asking the ‘so what’ and applying the McKinsey five whys will give you ideas for this.
Volunteer for special projects to gain visibility
Offer to help colleagues in a pinch to be a team player
Be realistic, don’t sign up for so much that you can’t deliver to the right standards otherwise you’ll be remembered for all the wrong reasons. However, don’t be afraid to push yourself in your first few months as a consultant to build the foundations for a successful career.
Set Yourself Apart
Implementing these proven tips separates average consultants from exceptional ones. Stand out from the crowd and accelerate your consulting career. Consulting Survival will be here to support you every step of the way.
