KELSEY ALPAIO: So here's what, I think, consultants do,
and it sounds pretty great.
They travel around the world, and get all their meals paid
for, and stay in fancy hotels, basically,
get paid to make presentations.
They also make a ton of money, even right out of college.
But there's got to be more to it, or else,
we'd all be consultants already.
The term consulting is so broad, like it could really
mean anything.
So what do you consultants actually do?
KRISTINA KANG: That is a very, very good question.
Like, at the highest level, a consultant
is really just someone who is an expert in something
and helps other people.
KELSEY ALPAIO: That's Kristina Kang.
She's a change management consultant,
which, basically, means that she helps
companies and their employees navigate big transitions.
KRISTINA KANG: I am a change management consultant,
so the way I describe it is companies
are always going to be going through different types
of changes.
For example, they might be going through a merger,
or acquisition, or they might be installing or implementing
a new type of system or technology.
I'm very focused on the people side of change,
and getting people on board, and understanding
why their company that they work for
is going in a certain direction.
KELSEY ALPAIO: Change management is just one
of many types of consulting.
You can, basically, be a consultant in anything
from marketing to strategy to operations to human resources.
KRISTINA KANG: The thing I love most is that the work I do
helps improve people's lives at their work.
The work I do helps people feel engaged in their work
and helps them feel like, yeah, I understand my company's
vision and their goals.
And I understand my role in that,
and it just brings so much more meaning to that work life.
KELSEY ALPAIO: I've always heard consulting
is big money, big money.
So how much are we making as a first time consultant?
KRISTINA KANG: Well, starting out, I
want to say it's, like, $60,000 as, like, an entry level
position.
KELSEY ALPAIO: Wow, that's, like,
a lot lower than I thought.
KRISTINA KANG: Oh, really?
I mean, yeah, that's like from what I for, like, you're
just fresh out of college.
KELSEY ALPAIO: I am shocked by that number.
She said it, obviously, depends on where you live,
but I thought it was easily going to be in the 100k range.
You should know, in the world of consulting,
there are a few names that get thrown around a lot.
And if you've been flirting with the idea
of becoming a consultant, you've probably heard of some of them.
KRISTINA KANG: McKinsey, Bain, and Boston Consulting Group.
So those are also large consulting firms
that are more focused on management consulting,
specifically, and strategy consulting.
The big four consulting or accounting firms
really are Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PWC.
When I heard about consulting in college,
those were, like, the key firms that people
were trying to get into.
KELSEY ALPAIO: So, say, I was interested in getting
into consulting.
I'm putting together my resume.
What are the, like, top five skills or, like, top three
skills that I need to have on that
resume if I'm going to get kind of attention
from the hiring manager?
KRISTINA KANG: If you have client facing experience, that
is very useful, because consulting,
you are all about serving the client's needs
and helping the client.
So if there's any type of experience
that you have around that, I would definitely call that out.
I think the ability to absorb things quickly, and analyze
things, and come to conclusions at a fast pace
is also a useful skill for consulting.
KELSEY ALPAIO: Now, I'm curious what
the challenges are in the day to day life of a consultant.
What do those look like?
KRISTINA KANG: One of them being time.
So if we just don't have a lot of time for a project,
then that's definitely really challenging,
because there's a lot that goes into working
with these clients.
So if we're at a time crunch, it just
adds a lot more pressure and stress onto my team.
Another challenge, I would say, is--
I just don't want to talk bad about clients.
--being able to manage that many different voices and eyes that
are on a certain deliverable or project
is another challenge, even if everyone just works really
well together, just even logistics,
like getting the time on the calendar
for everyone to be on the same page,
just managing all of that, and making sure
we're progressing versus kind of taking a step back
in the process.
KELSEY ALPAIO: So what are some of the misconceptions
about consulting?
KRISTINA KANG: Well, I think one of them
is that consultants only create PowerPoints.
I definitely have friends who work in consulting
and are really good at making PowerPoints,
but that's not all that consultants do.
So for me, I work on workshops, and films,
and lots of different engaging media for clients.
I think another misconception is that clients just throw money
at consulting firms.
It's not like they just pay us, we do our thing,
and we, like, send them something.
It really is a process, where we work together,
and building those strong client relationships
is one of the most important things as a consultant.
KELSEY ALPAIO: I've also heard that you're pretty much always
working or always traveling.
I like to have a good work-life balance,
but is that impossible when you're a consultant?
KRISTINA KANG: I think it varies,
so I know I have friends who have worked
at consulting firms that work crazy hours, stay up
really late.
I've had friends, where we were supposed to meet for dinner,
but they couldn't end up coming.
Because something came up from work.
There's also the travel aspect.
Obviously, when travel was more frequent,
where you will be somewhere from Monday to Thursday, and then
you only have the weekend, where you're living.
So you maybe don't have time for actually,
like, doing personal things or self-care,
so there's that side of it.
For me, I feel like I have a pretty good work-life balance.
I try to set boundaries.
KELSEY ALPAIO: In terms of getting into the industry,
Kristina said, there's a few options.
The most common one is to come straight out of undergrad.
So if you're majoring in business,
you try to get an internship in the industry
and hope that internship turns into a full time job.
For Kristina, she was more of an experienced hire,
which means that she didn't come straight out of undergrad.
KRISTINA KANG: Obviously, it'll help you
if you're able to make a connection with someone
who works there and get your foot in the door that way.
There's also people who will get a lot of work experience
in one industry or something, like that,
and then go get an MBA.
And then you could get recruited into a consulting firm.
KELSEY ALPAIO: What is the interview process like?
Like, is it behavioral questions?
Is it, like, trying to figure out
how many golf balls fit in a limousine?
Like, what should I expect in this world?
KRISTINA KANG: Yeah, so I had an in-person interview that
was, like, an all day thing.
So I was there from the morning, until the afternoon,
and I guess I would kind of describe it as, like,
a gauntlet, where different people would come in.
And I had different activities or tests almost
that I completed.
So one of them was, like, a writing sample,
and, like, a writing test.
One of them was just talking to a peer consultant,
and that one was more just casual.
I could ask them some questions about the work they're doing,
and then I had another one, where
I had a case presentation.
So I was given a case study in advance of my interview,
and I had to prepare a presentation.
So that was another part of my interview day.
KELSEY ALPAIO: After talking to Kristina,
I find consulting even more fascinating.
No matter what you're interested in,
there's a type of consulting out there for you.
Yes, working with clients can be challenging.
Work-life balance can be hard to come by,
and the interview process does sound a little bit intense.
But at the end of the day, consulting
is all about helping others, and I can totally get behind that.
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