College Experiences That Helped a Senior Associate Consultant at a Top Consulting Firm Succeed
Surprisingly, Yannan's acting class proved unexpectedly valuable, teaching crucial communication skills like "eye contact, tone of voice, and body language"—skills essential for networking, client interactions, and selling consulting projects throughout their career at a top audit consulting firm. This unexpected benefit highlights the importance of transferable skills gained even from seemingly unrelated coursework.
Communication, Networking, Body Language, Public Speaking, Emotional Intelligence
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Yannan Colljns
Senior Associate Consultant
Top Audit Consulting Firm
University of San Francisco 2015
N/a
Anthropology, Sociology, Fine Arts, Music
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Business Strategy
International Student, Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Develop strong communication skills, including eye contact, tone of voice, and body language. These are crucial for networking and client interactions.
2. Take advantage of networking opportunities to connect with professionals in your field. This can significantly increase your chances of securing interviews and building relationships.
3. Consider classes or activities that help you develop presentation and persuasion skills, as these are essential for selling consulting projects and influencing clients.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
Honestly, my acting class was going to be my acting class. Because I'm a Performing Arts major, all of us have to take some acting class.
But through acting, I learned so much about eye contact, tone of voice, and body language. I also learned how emotion is conveyed from one person to another.
That helped me a lot during the networking sessions. I had to connect with all the practitioners at the firm, which will be critical for you to get an interview or not.
Later on, I have to connect with clients to get their buy-in. In the future, I will need to sell consulting projects for new clients.
So, I would say that is one class I did not expect to be important. However, it has been very beneficial in my career.
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