Day in the life of
consultant Introduction
Hello, my name is Isabel and I joined Bain over 3 years ago in the Sydney office. I studied Commerce (Economics/Finance) at the University of Sydney. Since joining, I have spent 4 months in Bain’s Dubai office and am now transferring to the London office.
Why did you become a Management Consultant? Throughout university, I interned at a few firms including accounting, marketing and investment banking and after those internships I realised what I want and didn’t want from a job but didn’t know what that career would entail. Management consulting seemed like the perfect fit for graduates that were ambitious, hardworking and wanted to work in a collaborative team culture however didn’t exactly know what career they wanted to pursue.
What do you do as a Management Consultant? We help clients answer key strategic questions about challenges they are facing in their organization and that can range from strategy (e.g., how do we increase market share or expand into a new market?), full transformations (e.g., what are the list of initiatives a firm needs to address to increase revenue and reduce cost while staying efficient? What is the process of implementing these initiatives?) or operating model (e.g., how should a company’s organisation structure look like? What accountabilities are associated with each role?) At my time at Bain, I’ve had various opportunities across different industries and capabilities. Some of my project experience includes demerger strategy of a wealth management company, a private hospital transformation, the organisation restructure of one of a financial service firm and the launch of a new venture for a retailer.
What else do you love about consulting? 1.
Diversity of the work: we have such a steep learning curve at Bain because the work always changes whether that’s the industry (healthcare, financial service, retail) or capability (strategy, transformation, operating model)
2.
The best people: People at Bain are invested in you, your learning and your development. Working with inspiring people in a collaborative environment has been my favourite aspect of the job.
3.
Ownership from day 1: You will be embedded in the team with a clear role, ownership and deliverables from the start which will set you up for success
How do you think management consulting prepares you for your future career? Taking a role in consulting is like making a decision without actually making one because of the immense exposure and skillset you get, which will set you up for the rest of your career. Your time at Bain will embed the skills of being comfortable with ambiguity and the ability to solve, structure and crack problems. Some people end up staying till Partner, others move into private equity, start-ups, corporates etc. Basically the options are endless!
What are some of the opportunities you get at Bain? One of the main reasons I joined Bain was to have an international and challenging career within a supportive culture—and it has definitely delivered! In my first year, I had the opportunity to work across 4 industries in Sydney & Melbourne and attend a twoweek global training in the US. In my second year, I went on a 4 month transfer to the UAE where I was exposed to the work culture in a developing market and learnt a lot of what the Middle East had to offer. Then I seconded at a start-up for 6 months then came back to Bain…& now I am transferring to the Bain London office.
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