How I Started My Career as a Consultant?

28 Jun 2022

Prior to pursuing an MBA, my career goal was to work as a management consultant. I was adamant about pursuing this career goal during my MBA program, participating in all kinds of consulting club activities and joining different consulting internship programs.

Honestly speaking, I was never the smartest student and I lacked the talents to excel in case interviews. However, after graduation I eventually became the only few graduates in my cohort to work as a management consultant.

Because I participated in a summer internship program and demonstrated my value and culture fit, I was fortunate enough to receive the offer from Skylight Consulting, a boutique consulting firm in Japan.

The Start of My Career as a Consultant

Prior to working as a consultant, I had a very limited understanding of what a consultant does -- Consultants make money by helping clients solve challenging problems with solid business skills.

However, I failed to see how those case cracking techniques would help in my actual work. And even When I interned with KPMG strategy team, I wasn't able to gain an understanding of how to approach a business problem and come up practical solution. I started to doubt myself if I was suitable to pick up this career path.

After I joined Skylight Consulting, this anxiety continued and I couldn't unwind even during the new hire orientation. I aimed to be the best new consultant in my batch in the 3-month training program, and managed to achieve my "goal" by learning the fastest and getting the best evaluation.

So What?

Ironically, I was the only new hire who wasn't able to get assigned to an client-facing OJT(on-the-job training) project right after the 3-month training, since there happened to be no English-speaking projects available. My inability to speak proper business Japanese prevented me from offering the fundamental value as a consultant in this nation.

I came to recognize the reality -- The value of a consultant depends on what you can delivery to fufill the clients' needs. It doesn't necessarily to be something challenging. The clients will only pay for what they need.

However, one thing, nonetheless, is crucial: the capability to understand the clients' true needs. If I only concentrate on showcasing my skill sets and neglect the real needs, I will never be successful in my job.

To be continued...