In this video, Tejas Dave, Consultant - McKinsey & Co., Ex-Entrepreneur, IIM B answers various questions about consulting and entrepreneurship. He talks about ways to find a job in consulting, even if it isn’t through campus placements, and how to sustain a prolific career in consulting.
Summary of the video
Tejas answers various questions related to working as a consultant, getting recruited as one, working at McKinsey & Co., etc. He talks about moving from a high paying consulting job to entrepreneurship and then moving back to a consulting job. He shares how he kept up with the industry, even when he was away from it.
He then talks about developing a perspective in order to succeed as a consultant. He talks about how his stint as an entrepreneur helped him grow in his consultant career. He then talks about how one can get a job with McKinsey & Co. when the company may not come down to your b-school campus during the placement season.
Tejas talks about maintaining a network and reaching out when one is looking to work as a consultant. He shares how working at McKinsey & Co. is different from working at a smaller company like Booz & Co (now Strategy& at Accenture).
Tejas talks about how consulting may become data driven in the future, but the human aspect will always be a huge part of it too. Finally, he talks about the skills one needs to be a good consultant.
Next, he answers questions around entrepreneurship and education. He shares how entrepreneurship teaches you to find solutions to real problems, because you may not have relevant case studies to fall back on. He finally talks about how education is a means to an end and b-school is not just about studying. He shares how the learning environment, fests, competitions, etc shape you as an individual.
On a side note, if you’re curious about how InsideIIM functions, this is a must watch for you. In the course of the conversation with Tejas, Ankit Doshi, Founder of InsideIIM talks about the business that is InsideIIM and how we function.
Whether you aspire to become a consultant or an entrepreneur in the future, this is a must watch for you.
Key Takeaways
1. Entrepreneurship teaches you to be mindful of clients.
2. You need to have your own point of view in consulting.
3. You can find a job in a consulting company by reaching out to your network and asking for recommendations.
4. The human relationships aspect of consulting will not get easily replaced.
5. In consulting, you’ll be reinventing yourself every few months.
6. You don’t need to be the loudest voice in the room, but you need to be the voice that makes the most logical sense.
7. Being okay with uncertainty, cultivating an opinion and willingness to work hard are basic skills you need to be a consultant.
8. The number of challenges being thrown at you (as an entrepreneur) is not something you’ll find case solutions for.
9. 2nd Year at b-school is time enough to start working on your startup ideas.
10. It’s the skills that you pick up around your education plan that matters.
11. In relationships, you need to give before you get something in return.