If you're considering a career in consulting, it's important to understand the different ranks and roles within a consulting firm. Joining a consulting firm as an analyst is the typical entry point after graduating from college. However, if you have more than 10 years of work experience, you may be hired at a much higher consulting level, such as a director or partner.
Consulting firms
hire very few people at this level.At the junior level, consultants are the workhorses of any consulting team. They are responsible for researching information, collecting data, analyzing it, and creating PowerPoint slides. Junior consultants are more involved in the execution of tasks than in strategic planning. They usually report to senior consultants and support them in their workflows.
They are also less involved in managing customer relationships and have limited exposure to partners. Senior consultants do all the work that junior consultants do. However, they usually own their own workflow. This means that they oversee the planning and process of their work, in addition to the execution.
Senior consultants also have the responsibility to manage a junior consultant. They will supervise their work and provide direction and guidance. They will also be responsible for managing relationships with junior-level customers. Senior consultants are usually accountable to managers.
They will also be more involved in team discussions with partners. Managers have developed experience and specialization in a particular industry or function. It usually takes 2 to 3 years to move up to the next level. An important decision factor is the ability to sell consulting work. Associate consultant, who was promoted to vice president and director of Bain Media Lab, shares her thoughts on the daily life of a Bain consulting partner. That's why senior leaders spend most of their time networking, connecting with CEOs, and selling consulting services (projects).
In the United States, consulting firms allocate most of their resources to undergraduate institutions ranked in the top 20 to 25. A more recent trend is that many firms offer interim degrees to their consultants as they move up the ranks.
