Best way to prepare for the job after you get an offer?

Question

Hi. Let's say you have accepted an offer at a consulting firm, but have no idea how best to prepare further beyond passing the interviews and actually getting the job. So like, how many suits should you have, any specific things you should have, any tips or advice regarding things you would need on a trip abroad...etc. My job will require weekly travel to Saudi for example. Would I need a large suitcase or is carry-on luggage enough? Any tips are appreciated :)

Answer 1

A good starters kit is: 10 shirts (so you can drop off one week and pick up next at the dry cleaners), 5 pants, 3 full suits, 3 pairs of shoes, 3 ties.

Carry on only is a must, buy a cheap one then usually top firms have discounts with nice brands like tumi, etc.

Make sure your passport is valid and that you have extra photos if you need visas (you won't have much time to go through this stuff once you start).

Adapters, cash, extra phone power cords, usb power bank always useful.

Hope it helps,

Andrea

Answer 2

Hi,

Sorry, will not give you an advice re suits or luggage - it's all personal and minor. Carry-on simplify your life though.

I would concentrate on getting the right financial modeling skills and presenting your analysis in Power Point.

1) Financial modeling - the best course I know is Training The Street. Take Financial Modeling, Valuation, Maybe LBO. Also, learn the basic statistics tools

2) Power Point - Google for MBB presentations and try to replicate them. Search for tips and tricks in books / internet in parallel. Plus read "Say it with charts" and "Pyramid Principle"

And finally - take a long vacation before starting your job;)

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Hi Anonymous,

for what concerns suits and luggage: you should be ok with 5 outfits (non necessarily 5 different suits – you could readapt some of them with different shirts/ties) and the hand luggage.

For how to prepare, you can divide preparation on technical, communication and goal setting/stress management skills.

On the technical side, Excel will be the most important technical thing to master at the beginning, in particular for what concerns VLOOKUP and Pivot tables; an additional useful review may concern PowerPoint, which you will also use pretty intensively. At BCG we got training courses we could use to improve on them, and I guess you will receive equivalent training in other firms but so far that you have already mastered the skills before joining (you can find several courses online for both for free), even better.
For what concerns communication, a classic on the topic is the book “How to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie. Any sales experience you may have before joining would also be very helpful.
Finally, for goal setting/stress management I would recommend “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne.

A couple of things that could help you during your first weeks are instead the following:

Take notes when your manager tells you something – this will help you to remember details and will show you care about them to the team.
Ask for feedback every two-three weeks – this will show you are proactive and willing to learn.
Always double check. First impression is very important in consulting: if you show you are reliable from the beginning, you will create a reputation of a reliable person.
Ask for help when you don't know what to do – better to let know you are in trouble with meeting a deadline then missing the deadline.
Be social and respectful with the support staff – these people are great and influential as well in the company.

Hope this helps,

Francesco