Best Tips for New Consultants After Onboarding

For those who have passed rigorous application rounds and win that offer from consulting firms, big congrats! Take enough pride in yourself for winning the offer, but don’t forget just yet: Real challenges are actually awaiting at these firms’ threshold.

How to best present yourself on the first day to work? What to prepare for the first client meeting to be fruitful?

This article is here to help you make the most out of each and every consulting experience – from your very first shot.

The first day to work as a consultant

The notion of the first day can make your heart pound: you’re under the pressure of impressing your colleagues, standing out among the batch, or proactively networking with seniors. 

It holds true that there are several extra miles that you, an enthusiastic newbie, should take. But stressing out is unnecessary. First-day is just another day, if you know what is waiting for you and prepare accordingly.

What to expect?

First day at work is more about listening attentively, rather than showcasing your assets. You will get through mostly on-boarding processes, HR paperwork and IT set up. The only occasions that you can actually make use of is probably:

• When you get introduced to the key personnel

• Or in the training sessions

Paperwork and IT set-up might sound trivial, and indeed it is: Signing contracts, fingerprint set-up, receiving company’s laptop, … etc, nothing challenging here. 

However, that’s not a reason to underestimate these tasks and let loose. Instead, maintain the high-achieving mindset of consultants and finish them neatly and fast: small details count. 

Carefully fill in the HR papers so as not to ask for a second one, take notice of IT instructions to set up your laptop without help, and wisely use your spare time to observe. 

Above are the bare minimums that a wise consultant should do on their first day of work. However, there are more actions that you can do to achieve more advantages in this period, below will be some tips for new consultants you should know.

Tip 1: Behave with the right attitude

As mentioned, the first day, even the first weeks of your job would be mainly about listening and observing. 

Be a sponge, squeeze in the office’s culture: understand the mechanics, the decision-making processes, how people are working with each other, and so on. 

Watch and learn, because people don’t expect rookies to make a revolution so early. They expect you to catch up with their pace, which, in this fast-paced, high-achieving environment, is already a challenge.

That said, a proactive and winning fashion must be presented, rather than merely passive listening. Anyhow, the attitude with which you first bring to the office is important: it’s the most visible, and it sets the tone for your new chapter here at consulting firms.

Tip 2: Have a presentable appearance

Your appearance speaks much volume about your personality and your working style. You want to appear neat and tidy, polished and well-groomed. 

Looking professional as a consultant involves more than just wearing modest attire. While dressing appropriately is essential, it's equally important to pay attention to personal grooming. 

Simple acts like shaving, getting a neat haircut, and maintaining clean, trimmed nails can go a long way in presenting a well-put-together image. 

Moreover, your communication style, behavior, and the energy you exude are also integral to your professional persona. 

All of these indicate your dedication, thoughtfulness, and professionalism. Not only do they contribute to a favorable impression on others, but they can also boost your own confidence and self-esteem.

Tip 3: Reaching out and pitching to key personnel

Integration into the community and networking are perennially crucial objectives for new consultants. Hence, you will need to proactively reach out to and impress the key personnel.

As part of the HR processes, your batch will be guided through an office tour, and get introduced to the key personnel. 

Most rookies would just shyly nod at associates, managers, or partners. They think that only junior consultants are approachable, but that’s not true, you can always go an extra mile.

Start the conversation with upper-level consultants, especially PMs and PDs. They are the ones who make staffing decisions in projects, hiring only potential superstar consultants they’re impressed with.

If you found out a specific expert that you want to develop connections with, prepare an elevator pitch. You can utilize lunch time or other idle time to make acquaintances with them and discuss your shared interests.

You’re just one of them rookies but a quick confident introduction will change the game! Now you’re that rookie guy expertised in Finance and experienced in the Sell-side before. I’ll not be surprised if a PM hires you into his Banking project the next day. 

You should also reach out to consultants you networked with before (if you have), drop by and say “Hi”. Show appreciation and the enthusiasm of a newbie eager to learn. 

Share a bit about the areas you’re aspiring to. If you’re lucky, they would somehow help you get staffed to a project in that area, or refer you to an expert of the field. 

Either way, you’re increasing your chance to get more exposure and learning opportunities in the office.

Remember that any step you take to reach out to people must align with my first tip about the right attitude: Be patient, sincere, and humble. No one likes a bragging big-mouth, or some fake friendliness. Reach out to people with your earnest urge to learn and contribute.

And don’t forget to be friendly with all your peers and junior consultants, they are your ally!

The first client project 

Working with clients is one major part of any project. They’re the primary source of data and insights you need, in order to solve those complicated C-level problems. 

First client meeting is one important occasion in that it sets the scene for future collaboration between your team and the client’s team.

What to expect?

The cycle of a project goes from DIAGNOSIS to STRATEGY and wrapped up with Implementation IMPLEMENTATION. Depending on when you get hired into the project, your first client meeting can fall anywhere in this spectrum.

If the project is in its initial phase of diagnosing the problem then your work is mostly for understanding the structure and dynamics of the organization. You need to do a lot of data crunching and staff interviews by this time.

If the project is tilting towards the Implementation phase, your work is more about working with the client’s team to apply strategies into real work. The tricky part is to convince them to work for you and follow your plan.

Whatever the purpose of the meeting, there’s one thing unchanged (most of the time): The client’s team is not always gonna be cooperative from the start.

At the end of the day, you’re just bringing more work to their table, adding up the piles of paper already high in their office.

And so, there’s more reason making the first meeting important: to show enough of your friendliness to make them like to work with you, but also enough professionalism and authority to get them to work efficiently for you.

One key principle that gets you further in consulting firms is to do what’s supposed to do, more than what’ve been told to do.

Tip 1: Build personal credibility

Credibility is one of the most important aspects of a consultant, especially new consultants who do not have much confidence and experience. 

You need to build credibility and respectability in the eyes of your clients, and one of the most effective ways to achieve this is to know your client and your responsibility inside-out.

Do your research thoroughly and beforehand. As consultants, we’re expected to understand the client more than they do. 

Getting familiar with a sheer amount of knowledge of a company: its position, its strategic goals, and its current pain points, … etc, is not easy. 

But don’t freak out, we have plenty of resources to munch on: the internal knowledge database (so-called PD at McKinsey), publishes on the Internet, independent reports,… you can start with that. 

We even have a massive network of experts in various fields to untangle any complexity – but use them wisely!

The more you know your stuff, the more steady you can be when expressing your opinion in front of the client, and that’s a plus point for your credibility. Always be well-prepared:

Tip 2: Befriend with key contact points

During the project, you’d be introduced and work with some key contact points at the client’s site. They’re the ambassador, the bridge through which you need to get to resources you need. 

There is no one way to manage people, it’s usually depending on your personality. But I figured out the best way is to befriend them –  to know them personally. Hence, utilize the lunch time or casual conversations.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that you’re playing politics or anything. It’s just, to achieve a win-win situation, we have to know each other’s needs, wants, and expectations. 

Once you know you’re working towards the same goal, say, to increase work efficiency (so that this specific staff can go home earlier), everything would be a bit easier.

Tip 3: Take advantage of all available resources        

One thing that new employees, including new consultants, often don’t do well is leveraging the wealth of resources at their disposal. 

In the consulting realm, every project is surrounded by a myriad of support sources, both internal and external. However, newcomers might not be fully aware of these resources and, consequently, don't employ them effectively. 

One valuable piece of advice I often give to new consultants is to: dive into the wealth of documents related to the firm's prior projects. 

Consulting firms maintain extensive databases containing a treasure trove of information about their past endeavors. These documents are a valuable knowledge source that can substantially aid your work. 

As a new consultant, delving into documents associated with projects akin to your own is a pivotal step. Not only does it enable you to gain experience but also offers a unique opportunity to learn from seasoned professionals who've successfully navigated similar challenges. 

During a project, consultants can also request assistance from teams in the support center. These specialized teams play a crucial role in handling time-consuming tasks like data collection, slide creation, and intricate spreadsheet work.

Learning about these services right from the outset is essential for maximizing your productivity.

Furthermore, your closest source of support lies in your colleagues, both peers and seniors within your team and company.

Newcomers often have the "privilege" of being encouraged to ask questions. This is an invaluable period to absorb knowledge and ease your initial experiences.

However, always remember to be polite, choose appropriate times to ask, and be considerate of others' availability. These colleagues are your allies, treat them with respect.

Additionally, there are also resources from the client's perspective. While these resources can vary significantly, the key is to know how to harness them effectively and don’t hesitate to do it.

Embracing and making the most of these various support channels can significantly enhance the first period of your consulting work.

All the actions above are the most fundamental things a new consultant needs to do to have a smooth beginning at work. If you just land an an offer and want to learn more in-depth, check out the Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Programs.