Preparation for Entry Level MBB

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on your upcoming consulting career start!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• While it is great to see how eager you are to prepare for your career start with your future employer, I would highly advise you not to worry about it. All major consulting firms will provide you with excellent onboarding and training that will prepare you for everything you need to know.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hey there,

Congrats on the achievement!

If you are interested in preparing for your new role, I'd suggest the following:

When I got the offer some years ago I did the same. I reached out to people I knew in McKinsey and people who interviewed me to ask: what can I do to make the start easier? how can I prepare?

The answer from everyone was: Relax! Enjoy your time before you start and don't think about it. You will figure it out on the job. I followed that advice and it made sense to me once I joined.

When you start at in top tier consulting there are 2 ways to learn:

1. Formal training. The formal training sessions/ weeks/ days in the beginning, are nice, however, they are more for networking and meeting your peers. You learn some interesting concepts and get some useful tips from more experienced consultants BUT
2. Constant and implicit learning on the job is where it's at. No matter if you are a newcomer or a veteran after 5 years, you will always find yourself on a steep learning curve. As soon as you barely mastered one skill or the skills needed for one level in the hierarchy, you will take care of things, which are expected from a more senior colleague. This cycle never ends. You are expected to learn on the job, learn from your colleagues, your mentors, sometimes even the client. So basically a newly promoted Engagement Manager has the same 'struggle' as a new-hire Business Analyst. They both need to work in a completely new environment and role.

Knowing that, if we now go back to square one in your MBB journey it makes perfect sense to enter the firm with a blank slate with a lot of curiosity and eagerness to soak it all up and quickly learn the ropes.

Nothing matches the experience and the learning and this is a good thing (also the reason why ex-MBBs are valued highly on the job market).

You will learn everything you need to master while doing it. You will be thrown in the cold water and need to swim. However, your colleagues will always be happy to help you and mentor you. And for the rest, you will figure everything out along the way. The key here is always to ask for tips, shortcuts, feedback, etc. Don't be quiet if you get stuck.

Lastly, if you have no domain knowledge about a certain industry or topic, read through the internal library of documentation (which is endless) and call some of the firm experts on the topic. Usually, they are happy to offer you a short call to get you up to speed.

But here’s something extra: Since the question came up many times with my clients, I've authored a book titled "Consulting Career Secrets," specifically to guide newcomers like you in navigating this journey. The goal of the book was to answer all typical questions of entry-level consultants and show them the way to make the entry and the transition as simple and painless as possible. 

While no book or training can entirely prep you for the unique experiences of your first day, week, or project, it offers comprehensive insights to mentally prepare you, suggests essential tools and skills to acquire, shows you the ways how to do that, and strategies to quickly adapt and excel in your new role - while also paying attention to the work-life balance.

You can DM me if you want to know more.

In any case, don't sweat the small stuff and enjoy the ride!

Florian

Congrats on the new job!

Honestly, any preparation you did for the interview process will serve you well in the actual job - it’s a great foundation. If you want to continue preparing, I’d recommend more of the same - case studies, problem-solving exercises, and refining your presentation skills.

If you are looking for reading materials, any MBA reading list from a top business school would be a great place to start. Finally, if you're looking to hit the ground running, focusing on strengthening your excel skills may be the best bet for an entry-level role. Excel mastery will help you making a great impression since the start.

Best of luck, and congrats again!

Mattia

Hi there,

Q: May I know what specific courses and reading you found useful?

In most offices, you will get onboarding training when you join, which should be enough in most situations. 

If you want to prepare more, I reported a few tips below:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

IT TOOLS

You are probably already good with Excel and PowerPoint, if not you can take a quick course to review the basics. You can check in advance with your office if they recommend training on any other tool, such as Alteryx or Tableau and if so, do some prep on that.

If you can, focus on learning keyboard shortcuts with Excel as they come in very handy during the job.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

INDUSTRIES

If you want to work in specific industries, it could be a good idea to learn more about them (on the other hand, you will still learn the most during the job, plus you might not have the flexibility to choose the beginning).

You can find some tips on recent consulting trends here:

▶ 11 New Consulting Trends You Should Know

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

READING LIST

Reading is a great way to invest your extra time. If you don't have much time to read, I would recommend Audible and listening to books instead.

Below you can find some books I consider interesting for developing a growth mindset:

• The Compound Effect – Darren Hardy (great book on long-term planning)
• Tiny Habits – BJ Fogg (interesting science-based book on habit formation)
• The Mediations – Marcus Aurelius (written ~ 2000 years ago but incredibly actual – the personal diary of the most powerful man in the world at the time)
• The 80–20 Principle – Richard Koch (smart life tips from one of the founders of LEK)
• Peaks and Valleys – Spencer Johnson (crisis management tale – from the same author of the famous “Who Moved My Cheese”. I personally found Peaks and Valleys more interesting and applicable)
• The Gap and the Gain – Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy (great book on mindset and framing your achievements)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FIRST WEEKS

Below you can find some tips for the first weeks (some are quite standard but might work as a reminder):

1. Take notes during meetings/discussions with your manager to remember details.
2. Double-check your work. The first impression is very important when you join a new company. If you show you are reliable at the start, you will create a solid reputation.
3. Define priorities for your work. Identify the most important activities and prioritize them before starting any task. Whenever the priorities are unclear, you can align with your manager at the start of the project.
4. Align with your team on your personal needs. If you have personal commitments, align with your manager/teammates as soon as possible, so that they know them in advance.
5. Ask for feedback from your manager every few weeks. This will show you are proactive and willing to learn.
6. Ask for help when you don't know what to do. Better to have the team know you are in trouble with meeting a deadline than missing the deadline.

All the best for a great start!

Francesco

One week in a MBB project is worth 3 months of previous trainings.

Any MBB has good onboarding training programs. On the ground job is the best learning field. 

Use the time to be ready physically, mentally and emotionally. Exercise. Socialize. Do whatever charges your batteries. MBBs are extremely demanding and you need to be in your best possible shape to absorb all learnings when you join.

I would suggest you take the time to enjoy yourself, catch up of sleep, etc.

They will provide all the necessary trainings.

If you really want to spend time preparing... I suggest making sure you know basic powerpoint and excel.