The number one factor that draws students to management consulting is the diversity of the job. As a consultant, you'll work on a variety of projects, with a variety of colleagues and clients. You'll gain experience in all sectors, industries, and even countries, as many consulting firms also offer opportunities to travel. How is public sector consulting different from private sector consulting? While there are certain similarities, public sector consulting work is not just about doing work in the private sector for government entities.
One of the most rewarding aspects of a consulting job in the public sector is the far-reaching impact your work will have. Consulting work in the public sector helps keep citizens safe and ensures that they have access to the government services they need. Their work could affect organizations ranging from defense to intelligence and civil and military health. In addition to a good salary and a stimulating work environment, work-life balance in consulting also attracts professionals in the sector.
It is true that the branch has earned a reputation in recent years for its long working hours. It is also known that, on average, three-quarters of consultants work longer hours than stipulated in their contracts. However, in many cases, long hours are rewarded with various secondary benefits that encourage consultants' work-life balance; an available option could be considered, such as parental leave, teleworking, the possibility of taking a sabbatical year, etc. Experienced consultants leave the consulting sector to, for example, work in companies in management positions.
Every year, thousands of experienced professionals also choose to enter the consulting industry or work for a firm as experienced consultants or independent advisors. In the business community, most people know the top consulting firms and have great respect for the people who have done management consultancy in those companies. One could consider advancing their professional development by pursuing higher education (some of the leading firms even encourage their consultants to pursue a master's degree in Business Administration) and taking internal coaching courses or programs taught by senior consultants. Consulting firms want to hire candidates who have thought carefully about their careers and have decided that they really want to be consultants.
It struck me when you said that consultants can work on different projects, industries, types of business growth, etc. If you're a consultant for 2 years, that could mean 8 customers, industries, types of business problems (growth, costs, etc. My consulting offer has helped almost 89.6% of the people we have worked with to get a job in management consulting). Larger implementation projects often also involve larger teams, but it is mostly smaller teams that consult with customers, with individual consultants taking much of the responsibility for the project (commitments to customers).
I've attended some consultant networking events and had some really fascinating conversations with the consultants I met there to talk about the projects they were working on. Leaving consulting is something you often discuss openly with your teammates once you're a consultant. Secondly, one day I would like to start my own business and working as a consultant will provide me with the skills to do so. However, your personal reasons for choosing consulting are probably not the same as the answers you should share in a consulting interview.
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