Consulting Career
What client-facing work does a new consultant actually do?
I have accepted an experienced-hire role at Consultant level. I am trying to picture the first six to twelve months: what will I actually do with clients, and what will matter most while I am learning the job?
Ian’s Answer
Client-facing responsibilities
You are working directly with the client from day 1. Normally you're "paired" or partnered with a client counterpart or two with whom you're work with and keep updated on your given workstream. Furthermore, you'll have frequent engagement with other employees as you conduct interviews, get data, etc. Finally, you'll have to meet with/present to senior management at the company periodically as you progress your workstream.
In essence, what will be expected concretely in the first half to 1 year
You will be conducting a lot of interviews, analyzing/processing data/findings, creating compelling powerpoints, frameworking/solutioning effectively, etc.
You are expected to try and fail a lot. The most important is that you show strong capability to deal with ambiguity, learn rapidly, and handle client relationships well.