You studied engineering, so why consulting?
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. If you start as a generalist in consulting then you buy yourself several years to decide. Also you will see a lot of industries and functions in a consulting career so it gives you a much better sense about what’s out there and what you’re good at.
What made you want to join Partners in Performance?
It’s a no nonsense company. No-one acts like they are ‘above you’, it’s just good group of people, who do good work.
How did you stand out in the recruitment process?
I did a lot of practice for case study interviews and worked carefully on my “narrative” so I could explain to consultants interviewing me why I wanted to join in a structured way (I know consultants love structure, e.g. three main reasons). I’m more confident when I’m better prepared.
What’s been the biggest challenge?
Consulting is inherently challenging. You need to be comfortable working outside your comfort zone. In only a few years you can work in a dozen companies across industries, geographies, functions, etc. You’re working in small teams to solve problems and get results – for most people, group work at Uni is a lowlight and in consulting it’s your day-to-day.
Key skills for the job?
You need to be comfortable with uncertainty. You also need to be naturally logical and methodical. To begin with your biggest learnings will be focussed on slide making and Excel modelling but you can upskill on this quickly – it’s more important to be a logical thinker than to know a few formulas.