"Entering the professional world as a management consultant?" is a move I would make again!
After 15 years of working as a consultant in the field of software compliance, risk and governance issues, the thoughts I respectfully faced back then as a young professional entering consulting can be summarized in retrospect as follows:
- I will always and constantly be on the road: Traveling is part of the job. But you quickly develop a routine in travel preparation and planning. In the past, the expectation to spend two to four days on-site at the customer's project office was much more prevalent than it is today. Virtual working has greatly reduced work-related travel. Where we used to spend several days working on site in the project office at the client's premises, the time spent on site is now primarily used for workshops and appointments.
- I'll be working a lot of overtime: Of course, in the consulting environment, we are also subject to schedules, management requirements, constant changes in goals; but here too, preconceptions rush ahead of reality.The flexibility of being able to open the computer anywhere and thus, for example, also be able to use travel time efficiently to work on tasks, means that I can divide up the working time for myself and it is not always necessary to make up for lost time after arrival. We already did a lot of mobile work before Covid 19, but the pandemichas now made this more "normal" for our customer environment as well.
- How exciting - I'll be in a different city every day: Hotel, cab, train, plane - coffee to go cup in hand - on the road tomorrow at 5 a.m. as an early bird to a customer appointment across the country. Sounds like a jet-set lifestyle? Yes, that's how it sounded to me. In reality, this professional life is certainly fun on a temporary basis. But we all have a social environment and interests in our free time that consultants also want to pursue. I quickly understood that this prejudice does not have to be a permanent condition in this profession. Today, my means of transportation are still cab, train or, if necessary, sometimes the plane. But I make less of a beeline for the hotel for the nightly pit stop, since the appointments can often be completed with a day's travel.
- I am requested by well-known companies to solve problems for the company: Daily rates in the four-digit range for creating a presentation, structuring a plan of action, evaluating an Excel file or moderating and documenting a workshop. I couldn't imagine that. After the first few months, I already understood that the view from the outside with technical expertise and methodological knowledge particularly (actually) help companies to be consulted.
What helped me to arrive and develop in this professional field at that time?
- Gain a foundation for methodologies and approaches through training in project management, presentation techniques, communication and rhetoric.
- Build and apply subject matter expertise by focusing on selected topics.
- Work and learn in project teams with experienced consultants.
- Receive mentoring from professionally experienced consultants.
We at COMPLION see these four pillars as success factors to facilitate the start into our consulting world for young professionals. Senior consultants pass on their experience and knowledge in individual coaching sessions, feedback meetings, knowledge specials and practical reports. Especially by working directly on customer projects, young professionals quickly get to know a wide range of situations, from normal project work to management presentations or escalations. This practical experience is important for applying the methods learned.
Moreover, consulting is a people business; people interact with each other. It is often not enough that things harmonize on a professional level; the chemistry between the acting people should also be right. For this reason, we support young people in acquiring a method and knowledge kit and in developing their own authentic appearance.
The entry into consulting enables career starters to get to know a wide variety of client companies, their objectives and the many ways of working in a short time. In addition, the constant development in technology, new work and communication styles requires continuous training of our skills and qualifications.
Whether you're just starting out or a professional, there's no end to the challenges. The good thing is that we can master them as a team and inspire each other.
For me - 15 years after my entry into consulting - I can say: "Standstill" does not exist in our team!
Author: Stephanie Riesebeck