What An Associate Consultant At Slalom Wishes They Knew Before Entering The Consulting Industry
Rummel's response reveals the unexpected breadth of a consulting role at Slalom LLC, highlighting the need for adaptability: "you'll do a lot of things that you think you wouldn't" and that day-to-day tasks are heavily client-driven, often diverging from academic training. This necessitates a willingness to continuously expand one's skillset and embrace the unknown.
Adaptability, Problem-Solving, Client Management, Communication, Rapid Skill Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Rummel Zafar
Associate Consultant
Slalom LLC
Northeastern University - 2020
Loyola University Chicago - MBA (2021)
Business Management & Admin
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Consulting
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. You will be pushed to expand your skillsets in ways you weren't previously experienced with.
2. The day-to-day work is based on client wants, not just what you learned in school.
3. Adaptability is crucial, as expectations may differ from what you initially anticipate
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you ever started?
I wish someone told me that I'd do a lot of things I thought I wouldn't, or be pushed to expand my skillsets in ways I wasn't previously experienced with. The running joke in consulting is that people say, "I don't know what consultants do" because consultants really do everything.
Regardless of your experience or job description, it's really based on what your client wants. You might enter a role – like for me, I'm in change management – and the best practices and strategies studied in school aren't what I actually do on a day-to-day basis.
This is because the client has separate expectations, which aren't wrong, but just not what I learned by the book. I think that's something I didn't expect. It hasn't thrown me off or been a bad thing; if anything, it's caused me to grow more.
However, you have to be super adaptable. Whatever you think you know, you don't. That's the best way I could put it.