5 skills you need to thrive during your first year in consulting

1. Be flexible: My advice is to adapt quickly to changing priorities and client needs, and to adjust to the different working styles of your various team members. Being flexible helps to ensure effective collaboration with everyone and to adapt when something changes.

During the design phase of my initial project the client's requirements changed drastically, requiring us to rethink our approach. Rather than sticking to the original plan, I worked with the team to review our processes and realign them with the new priorities. This involved ongoing stakeholder communication and willingness to revisit deliverables when needed. While it meant doing some rework, it ensured we addressed their specific needs and provided real value. I learned that adaptability, combined with transparent communication, is key for maintaining momentum and client confidence.

2. Know your audience: Be sure to tailor your message, tone, and level of detail based on who you're communicating with and their level of expertise. This helps to ensure your message resonates with each stakeholder.

I've worked with diverse stakeholders across different projects – some more technical than others – so I've learned to adjust the information depending on my audience. With operational teams or junior staff I provide a comprehensive background and clear explanations, whereas with senior leadership or subject matter experts I focus on key decisions and outcomes. This has helped me to improve effectiveness, reduce miscommunication, and ensure stakeholders are appropriately informed.

3. Don't be afraid to ask questions: Clarify any ambiguities! This helps to avoid rework and shows genuine engagement.

When I joined a complex, multi-workstream project with little previous experience in the firm, I proactively asked for more information from senior team members on things such as deliverables, interdependencies, and business drivers. This helped me to understand the reasons behind my tasks and to contribute meaningfully within weeks. I found that despite demanding schedules senior colleagues were always happy to take the time to explain.

4. Embrace new tasks: Explore the unknown to build your skills and prove your value. This will also expose you to different teams and people, naturally building your network and broadening your professional experience.

While my expertise is in PMO functions I sought opportunities in change management and testing governance, volunteering to support these teams on the project. This provided me with invaluable insights, helping me to understand how PMO activities interconnect with change enablement, stakeholder communication, and quality assurance. Working across teams helped me to see the fuller picture and build relationships beyond my own team.

5. Be solution oriented: Try to come with solutions – not only problems. This helps to move things along faster.

During the implementation of a newly adopted project management tool, I discovered some gaps in documentation and inconsistencies in how teams were using core features. Rather than escalating these as problems, I proposed a solution which the team then reviewed and adapted as was needed. This helped to set everyone back on track and gave me the opportunity to test out my critical thinking.