Want to know what a day in the life of a junior consultant looks like and what they really think about their jobs?
Here’s your chance to find out, straight from the source!
We’ve been surveying associate-level employees at the Big 4 firms since 2018. Today, we'll share the inside scoop on their daily tasks, internship experiences, workload, managers and more. Let's dive in!
When a company hires a consulting firm, they're looking for expert advice to help solve problems or improve their business. The consulting firm works on this project, also known as an "engagement." Most of your time as a junior consultant will be spent helping out with client engagements.
As a management consultant I am responsible to execute client deliverables. It depends on what problem the client is facing, but usually it is to reduce costs, increase revenue or assisting in drafting their transformation road map for the next few years. – Junior consultant @ PwC
On a day-to-day basis, you'll work on "client deliverables." These are outputs or final products that a consulting firm gives to the company during or at the end of each engagement.
Most of the time, deliverables are reports and presentations – your team studies a problem the client has and makes a report and/or presentation on your findings and your advice on what they should do.
To make these, you'll spend a lot of time in Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint. In Excel, you might analyze data, make charts and graphs, and create financial models (to predict a company’s financial performance under different scenarios).
Primarily excel modelling and report writing. – Junior consultant @ PwC
Huge emphasis placed on presentation and communication, more time in PowerPoint than expected – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
Creating power points, creating excel sheets – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Working on excel spreadsheets Power point presentation Very simple internet research – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
Completing a range of tasks either in Excel or PowerPoint. Watching online videos to self-teach concepts or aid with solving the tasks I have to complete (e.g. watching a 4-minute video on IF or XLOOKUP functions for Excel). – Junior consultant @ KPMG
At the junior level, you'll usually be the one who takes a first pass at the deliverables, which you'll submit to more senior members for their feedback.
As a consultant I do the grunt work at the organisation. I am often responsible for producing first-pass deliverables, giving these to my supervisors, and incorporating their feedback. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
The type of client work you'll get to do really varies from project to project.
Consulting for different clients. One project I am loving whilst another I don't like at all. In the project I love, I am engaging with stakeholders, creating deliverables, using my ... knowledge (environment/sustainability) and playing a high value role. In the other project, I am just sending emails and compiling input which I don't find satisfying. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
As the most junior member of the teams you're on, you'll also be expected to carry out a variety of administrative tasks.
As a consultant, I'm usually tasked with low level tasks that form the baseline of the project which aren't too difficult. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
My role is to provide support to the team that I work with, which includes organising meetings and tracking tasks. I review documentation and input it into workpapers and assist with reporting and other deliverables. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Scheduling meetings, building discussion material, designing workshops – Junior consultant @ EY
In your first years you will be creating lots of word/excel/PowerPoint documents, making and organising meetings, taking minutes and doing any tasks that is required from your partner. – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
EY is pursuing a lot of transformational projects that are really interesting from an outcome perspective; however quite resource intensive, and often means you are doing a lot of mundane administrative tasks as a junior rather than learning technical skills. – Junior consultant @ EY
I am jumping between projects and admin work every day which keeps things fresh and allows me to learn a variety of new skills. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
At the moment I have been put on a job where I don't have much responsibility and a lot of what I do is administrative work. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Day-to-day responsibilities vary. Have found difficulty in finding clearly define role within engagements. Many admin tasks and support to senior staff. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
It's boring, uninspiring work. It's very conservative. I'm being bossed around to do things I have no passion for, often-times medial and basic tasks. And asked to be more enthusiastic doing these tasks. I observe those at higher levels and do not aspire to be them. – Junior consultant @ PwC
I support the senior consultants in any way needed. – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
Creating powerpoint presentations Creating meeting invites and sending emails to internal and external people – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Assisting with any live engagements I have been assigned to (i.e Desktop research, creating draft documents/ report templates, organizing meetings, taking meeting minutes). – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Depends on the engagement, but typically a few team meetings totaling 1-2 hours. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Presenting presentations, interviewing clients, facilitating workshops – Junior consultant @ KPMG
going to client meetings, going to internal meetings – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Ocassionaly give input during meetings with clients – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
One junior consultant mentioned working with C-suite executives. However, this is very rare at the associate level.
I am personally given a lot of responsibility - meeting and working with C suite clients. – Junior consultant @ PwC
During engagements I am given tasks to complete and I complete them in a timely manner. I complete self paced training when I have some spare time. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Responsibilities can range from client deliverables, attending training sessions and internal meetings as well as general administrative work that aids us in providing our services to clients. – Junior consultant @ PwC
On top of your client work, you'll also be expected to help out with "internal initiatives." This refers to side projects (e.g. charity projects, community initiatives, recruiting) you do to help the firm or the broader community.
Outside of my usual role, I volunteer through EY's Ripples program and do work for Diversity and Inclusion – Junior consultant @ EY
Opportunities to be involved with community outreach and various inclusion and diversity groups – Junior consultant @ KPMG
One junior consultant mentioned that these internal initiatives may even be a factor in promotions.
assisting in firm-related stuff outside of clients is highly recommended if you want to be better considered for promotions. – Junior consultant @ PwC
This aspect of consulting is also called "side of desk work." For more context, check out this junior consultant's explanation:
Side of desk ... was my main shock to the system because I was like what "What do you mean I need to do all of that stuff alongside my client work which is already taking up full time all of my time?" And while it's not really written in your contract explicitly, it's just one of those things that you find out when you get to the firm and they tell you what is expected of you, what the review process involves every year ...
... So you have to just kind of balance things around and naturally you will have peaks and troughs in your client work. Sometimes it's really busy, sometimes it's a bit more relaxed, so you can fit a bit of time in of your side of desk work ...
Sometimes people take on random bits of side of desk work so it might not be something that you have to consistently contribute to. It might be just an initiative or two that you've picked along the way.
Another type of non-client work you'll be expected to help out with is business development. This means anything that brings in more business for the firm. Generally, only senior members are responsible for bringing in new clients, but you'll help them out by preparing proposals.
Varies from business development (like research) to client-focused engagements – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Helping with business development work (i.e creating/ formatting proposal presentations on Microsoft PowerPoint) – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Management consulting is very interesting but currently have been stuck doing learning and business development work – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Different meetings with clients, producing deliverable such as powerpoints or excel docs, or helping work on proposals for business. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
For more context, here's how a former HR consultant explains it:
Let's say your partner wants a potential client to hire their team for a project. As a team, you'll then need to convince this potential client to choose you over, say, another Big 4 firm.
That's why you need to come up with a proposal that shows the firm’s abilities to deliver the work that was requested by the client as well as the team’s ability to deliver the work.
The proposal needs to tell a story and be structured to include sections such as:
- “Who We Are”
- “Our Value Proposition”
- “Our Team”
- “Our Tested Tools & Methodologies” (this is our approach and where we need to really wow them)
- “Our Approach” (this is usually done in the design thinking workshop and tailored to the client ask and requirements)
- “Similar work we have done before" (also known as "Success Stories" or "Case Studies”
- “Our Credentials”
- “Our Financials”
The proposal could be 53 pages or it could be 7 pages. You can imagine the amount of research and work that goes into it!
Some interns mentioned doing minor, administrative tasks.
A lot of admin and following instructions from senior staff. Good experience to what it would be like to work as a permanent staff. Internship definitely made it easier to secure a permanent role – Junior consultant @ KPMG
During my internship the teams were fairly quiet, but it was good to gain general business experience and perform minor tasks. – Junior consultant @ EY
Some interns got to do real client work.
Thrown into the job and had immediate responsibiity on client work. Lots of guidance though. No unrealistic expectations from the team – Junior consultant @ PwC
You are valued as a team member and are given responsibility (it is not just an admin - coffee run/printing internship). Team members are supportive and interested in the areas of growth and share their experiences with you. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
I was thrown very much in the deep-end in terms of client work. I embraced this and seemed to thrive in it. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Some said it was tough.
It was a 6 week interview. – Junior consultant @ PwC
It was very important in securing my job, it was a tough experience but the value and knowledge from it was great. – Junior consultant @ PwC
Many former interns said that their Big 4 internships helped them see if the firm was right for them.
Was a great experience to be able to work at the company before securing a job and work oout what area best suits me – Junior consultant @ PwC
It was very important for me to immerse myself in the company culture and gain first hand experience in working at the company. It also gave the company the opportunity to learn about my working style and assess whether I would fit in well with the team. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
It was very similar to the work I do in my current role and it was very important to securing the job. What is important to remember is it is a two way street though and that whilst the company will be evaluating performance, each candidate needs to consider if the company is a good fit for them and somewhere they would like to work long term. – Junior consultant @ PwC
Most junior consultants had positive things to say about their training.
Incredible amount of training programs. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Great L&D programs that offer formal training programs and week long bootcamps focusing on technical skills and more management consulting skills. – Junior consultant @ EY
There is so much training, both scheduled and modules that you can do based on what you are interested in – Junior consultant @ PwC
Our team gets, on average, two hours of informal on-the-job training every week to improve our technical, management, admin, client-facing skills. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Training is very detailed, and give you opportunities to pursue what interests you – Junior consultant @ PwC
My company follows the 70/20/10 rule: 70% on-the-job training (immediate client exposure from day one of beginning work), 20% coaching, and 10% formal training. This has worked really well for me to date. Every employee is paired formally with a career coach, and most people also have informal mentoring networks outside of this. – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
Deloitte will sponsor a lot of certifications, as well as pay for training to be completed in house. Training days will happen maybe once a quarter. – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
When you first start you are bombarded with huge volumes of training materials but it just shows you how much access to growth opportunities you have. There is regular upskillig courses and training developments which you can do in your free time and be rewarded for doing so. There is a whole training page with courses on anything business. There is also a Deloitte global knowledge page with training and materials from Deloittes all over the world. – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
Soft-skill trainings have been the primary focus so far. Mainly on topics such as presentation, communication, dealing with stakeholders, working in teams etc. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Many junior consultants mentioned that they learned more from on-the-job training.
There are various online training and induction programs, although I learnt most skills from on the job learning. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Not that much formal training yet, but informal has been great, as everyone in the team is always willing to put aside time to train you. – Junior consultant @ PwC
Prefer the informal, on the job training, but there are some genuinely good formal training courses as well. – Junior consultant @ PwC
Some noted that the training was not relevant to their work. Depending on the specific type of consulting you're doing, it's possible the formal training the firm provides won't be that helpful.
I have only been to a Management Consulting Core Skills session, which was 2 weeks of training. It was very focused towards more audit-type of skills, which are not so relevant to my service line. However the soft-skills that this allowed us to practice was very beneficial. – Junior consultant @ KPMG (Analytics practice)
None of the training programs at my company (that I have been forced to attend as they were compulsory) have been useful for me because my team is so specialised. The programs are more geared towards other advisory or audit teams and don't necessarily apply to mine. I'd say they were a waste of time for me but might have been useful to people in other teams. – Junior consultant @ EY (Actuarial practice)
Training is mostly informal or conducted within out team to assist us in skill development. Most of the formal training is firm-wide and isn't always specific to our service line. I find the internal team training much more valuable as they are relevant to sustainability assurance. – Junior consultant @ KPMG (Sustainability practice)
Some juniors commented on not having enough time to do training.
Not a lot of time to do learning and development – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Lots of opportunities for training but not always enough spare time to actually complete training – Junior consultant @ EY
I think that there isnt enough time for training allocated within working hours. You are expected to do this learning either on the job (which is great) or outside of work hours for more formal work training like courses which is unfair we need time ( especially as graduates) to learn. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
In general, junior consultants report a very flexible approach to work hours, with the ability to work from home or choose their working hours. However, this flexibility often comes with the expectation of working long hours.
My company is quite flexible. People are allowed to work from home and come and go as they please, as long as they are completing their work. – Junior consultant @ EY
Really flexible, you do as many hours as you need to get your work done... EY is really really flexible about working locations and hours. – Junior consultant @ EY
The company is flexible but its still long hours as deadlines are always strict. – Junior consultant @ PwC
The company is flexible of work hours as long as work is completed with high standards. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Flexibility is good, just a large amount of work. – Junior consultant @ PwC
My average work day is 8am - 6:30pm, which although isn't terrible its not ideal. I have worked until 10pm, 11pm, 1am on occasion. – Junior consultant @ EY
Several respondents note that the level of flexibility and the length of work hours can vary greatly depending on the team they are in or the specific project they are working on.
The project that I'm currently on is stressful, I sometimes work more than 12 hours a day and work an average of 9 hours a day, even missing lunch. There's just way too much to do and not enough resources. – Junior consultant @ PwC
The most full on experience thus far was a 3-4 week period where I was working an average of 14 hours a day. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Team dependent - some teams are constantly pushed. – Junior consultant @ EY
My work hours can change depending on the engagement – Junior consultant @ EY
Hours vary depending on workload and current resourcing. Hours can vary from 6am-midnight+, to standard 9 - 5 – Junior consultant @ PwC
Flexibility is more so built around the type of work in each area. For example, I may be required to work extremely long hours for a particular project with a tight deadline – Junior consultant @ PwC
You may be wondering what the long hours are about. To complete client engagements, you'll need to spend extra time on various tasks that you can't charge clients for: e.g. internal meetings, training, research.
I understand that as consultants we often have to work longer hours than what we are able to actually charge - so I think that as long as the extra work is recognized by others, it's all good. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
In general, junior consultants say positive things about their managers.
Managers are all extremely helpful and take the time to explain things when required. They are also happy to provide feedback. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Really great leaders at EY who build great relationships with juniors and take time out of their day to engage and support their colleagues. EY is very much a 'people first' place. – Junior consultant @ EY
Managers in my team care about your development and are very open and easy to talk to. – Junior consultant @ PwC
Managers sit on the same floor as everybody else and are very open to discussion. Each of the managers make excellent coaches and are more than happy to provide aid or advice when needed. – Junior consultant @ PwC
However, many also said that their managers can be quite busy.
I am happy with my managers. They are very helpful and insightful but are very busy so reaching out for help is not always easy. They provide ample feedback and recognition. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
I work with great managers! Sometimes they are hard to get a hold of as they are very busy. In saying that, I know they would drop everything to support me if it came down to it. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
they are very nice but they are also busy so i try to not interupt them too much – Junior consultant @ KPMG
They are good just very busy with their own work so they don't have much time for us – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Some junior consultants also noted that management varies by team and project.
Management is very accessible and provides constructive and timely feedback in most cases. However, please note this is very team dependent due to the size of the company. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Dependent on engagement. Generally quite personable, however have experiences where I have been abused. – Junior consultant @ EY
Many junior consultants mentioned that higher-level managers are a lot less accessible.
Managers that you work with directly on projects tend to be quite helpful, as is your career coach, who you can reach out to at any time. Directors or Partners can be a little less accessible only because they are so busy – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
Managers/Senior Managers can be accessible & can make good mentors. Partners are USUALLY not available and USUALLY make poor mentors. – Junior consultant @ PwC
At low level - Managers are very good, easy to work with, are generally good mentors, and provide good feedback. At the higher level - Partners have a completely different view from lower staff and therefore it is difficult to interact with them on a meaningful level. – Junior consultant @ PwC
My partner didn't initiate conversation with me for one year, and would even ignore me when passing by me. – Junior consultant @ EY
Note that you'll usually have a career coach who's different from the senior consultants who you report to on a daily basis.
Each of us gets assigned a counsellor/career advisor who we talk to if we want advice. They are also in charge of representing us. – Junior consultant @ EY
You have a project coach and a career coach. While the project coach is (understandably) not too heavily invested in your development, your career coach should be very involved and will push your project coach to give you good opportunities. Performance feedback occurs throughout the year and is very transparent. – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
very accessible. I can talk to managers as if they are my equal. My counselling manager (everyone is assigned one) is very helpful and always offers great advice. I have been very lucky. – Junior consultant @ Deloitte
Every employee is provided with a Performance Development Manager (PDM) when they commence. Required to have regular catch ups to set goals and discuss performance / and career goals and aspirations. Always willing to help out and point you to the right person. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
Junior consultants mentioned that promotions tend to happen automatically at the junior level.
First few ranks are structured (occur after a certain amount of time). Thereafter more merit based. – Junior consultant @ PwC
Varies based on rank and team and individuals demonstrated capabilities. But in general, junior ranks are promoted fairly rapidly. – Junior consultant @ EY
If all criteria is meet, there is a high likelihood of becoming a senior consultant in 2 years and potential salary increases every half year – Junior consultant @ KPMG
natural progression from consultant to senior consultant then based on work quality – Junior consultant @ KPMG
My team has a very standardised process for progressions for grads. As long as you can get a 3/5 rating at roundtables, you will get progressed (Consultant 1 to Consultant 2 to Consultant 3) every six months, then spend a year at Consultant 3 before being promoted to Senior Consultant. I've heard this is a faster progression than the average EY team. Each progression comes with a pay rise, which is always good. You can progress faster than this if you're really good. – Junior consultant @ EY
Some consultants say that promotion is largely merit-based.
I have worked hard and been a high performer, and have been promoted really quickly accordingly. Some teams have a culture of "spending time" at your level, which makes it difficult to progress quickly if you are a high performer but this has not been my experience and I think promotion is largely merit based. – Junior consultant @ EY
I have progressed really quickly and felt my capability and contribution has been recognized by promotions. – Junior consultant @ EY
However, compared to audit and tax, promotions in consulting seem to require more politics and networking or socializing.
It's who you know not what you know - should be based more on merit – Junior consultant @ KPMG
I believe promotions are in large part influenced by politics, and I find this very frustrating. It is more about who you know and what they know about you, and less about the quality of your work and your commitment to providing good quality work. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
To progress up, it comes down to the different tasks you do and also how involved you are in the social aspect of the company. – Junior consultant @ KPMG
You need to perform well at your job and get involved in team social events. Usually at a junior/manager level, promotions occur every 2 years. – Junior consultant @ PwC
Promotions happen quite frequently, and as long as you have the right balance of expertise and social skills – Junior consultant @ PwC
Fairly dependent on the results of the business, competitiveness of your peers and ability to network rather than actual performance. – Junior consultant @ PwC
Some also mentioned that availability of openings about you is an issue.
once you display the qualities of the people who work in the level above you it's a waiting game as it depends on budget and progresstion of the people above you... – Junior consultant @ PwC
Promotion depends on business unit and if roles are available. – Junior consultant @ PwC
To move up you have to be better than average within your position (but not necessarily a 'high achiever') but more importantly you have to serve your time and there needs to be a space for your to move up – Junior consultant @ PwC
There are opportunities for progression, but some people can get stuck ... This means it can be challenging to get promoted until business need allows or a position becomes available. – Junior consultant @ EY
We hope this gives you a better idea of what it's like to be a consultant at the Big 4. And if you're still on the hunt for a promising opportunity, check out all the internships we have in the field of consulting!