MarquisParker.com // Business Strategist, Admissions Coach, and Career Advisor

I was recently sent an email from a reader who’d hit me up a couple of weeks back. He had a follow-up question to the one I responded to on here, so I thought the response might be helpful to other readers…

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Sudha wrote:

“Dear Marquis,
I think you have addressed this issue before, but I want to pose the question nevertheless to get a more direct answer.
From what I understand, an associate consultant does not decide which project (in terms of function/industry) he/she will be working on and will get assigned to a project randomly. So how and when does one make the switch from being a generalist to a specilist in a preferred field?
Say my prior experience has been in technology, and I am interested in media. I have also taken courses at b-school in those areas to augment my knowledge. Will I be able to project it in someway that helps in project assignment? Suppose I do not get to work in the tech field for the first 3 yrs, then how do i become a specialist in this area later on?

Thanks, you are doing a wonderful job helping out applicants like me know the whole consulting gig better
Sudha”
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My response:

Sudha,

To answer this question, i’m going to make it as general as possible because there are a host of consulting firms out there and the answer will be a little different for each one. In general, this all comes down to whether you’re on a generalist track or an industry/function-specific track. The former would apply to firms that start people off without a specific industry or functional focus. The latter would apply if you were either hired by a company that aligns its staff according to industries or functions from the start of their tenure.

When you are at a generalist type of firm, in most cases, you would have more flexibility in your staffing than being “assigned to a project randomly”, as you stated in your email. Rather, you’re more likely to have a staffing manager who will ask about your preferences about a number of factors, including industry/function of expertise or interest, developmental needs, and specific skills/qualities that you bring into the role. Based on these, the staffing manager will look at what sort of studies are available for you and will put you on a first study that will both allow you to provide value to the client and help build your overall consulting skillset. When that first study ends, you’d meet with your staffing manager again to assess where you are developmentally and what’s out there and the whole process starts over again. Since you’re on the generalist track, you’ll get a chance to sample several industry/functional areas in this manner, which is one of the best features of being in Consulting. Once you’re ready to start specializing, you would inform your staffing manager and people within your practice area of interest and they’ll help you get further integrated into the practice.

Assuming that you are at a generalist firm and you demonstrate and interest in tech, then you wouldn’t likely be put in a position where you wouldn’t be able to work on tech studies for 3 years straight. Once you get through your first year, I’d recommend specifically asking for tech-related studies if you intend for that to be your area of focus later on in your career. This way, you would begin to build networks with the “Partners” and “Managers” who work specifically on tech studies and will help you get pulled onto other tech work. Then, before you know it, you’ll be doing all tech-work and will be considered a specialist in that area.

In the industry/function-based model, a new consultant would be primarily staffed on studies having to do with your designated area of focus from the beginning. If you want to do studies in topics out of your area, you might be able to do so, but it would likely require some sort of negotiation with your staffing manager to be put on something else. Eventually, as you move along in your tenure, you will develop expertise in your core industry/function and, chances are, you will get fewer opportunities to sample other areas. By the time you reach a “Senior Manager” level, you would be considered a specialist and would likely continue to do work in your area for the remainder of your tenure at that employer.

I hope this answers your question in the way that you were hoping. Take care.