What does a consultant actually DO?? 12

[Fasteddie82]

OK, so I’m in the process of searching for a new job. I have a BS in Aerospace Engineering, and 5 years of experience as an engineer.

I know that the Big Four consulting firms hire engineers as consultants. After searching their job listings, I found one that looked interesting. The Job title and Responsibilities are posted below.

I’ve read the responsibilities part several times, and I still can’t make much out of it. There’s lots of nebulous duties like “serve as a resource” and “provide working level knowledge.” But what does a consultant actually do on a day to day basis?



Job Title: Associate/Sr. Associate, Risk Management, Aerospace & Defense

Responsibilities::
• Provide working-level knowledge within A&D and highly engineered manufacturing operations and/or supply chain functions; demonstrate experience in executing process and strategy improvement; provide value to clients by assisting with process transformation, improved operational performance, and organizational realignment
• Serve as a resource and key team member in client projects, and support progress against project milestones to help ensure timely delivery of project deliverables
• Demonstrate solid written and oral communication skills, such as status reporting, briefings, and one-on-one interfacing across multiple-level and cross-functional client representatives
• Contribute to the development and publication of thought leadership solution offerings
• Assist leadership in the creation of proposals, other business development activities, and practice administration

 

[MikeHalloran]

I can help you understand some of it:

Provide working-level knowledge := claim to know everything, but avoid actually doing anything.

executing process and strategy improvement := screw things up, even more than they were.

process transformation := tell the client to do everything differently. Not better, just differently.

improved operational performance := fire departments
organizational realignment := fire individuals
(You don't actually do the dirty work; you just make lists.)

key team member := attend every meeting. Wear wing-tip shoes, a conservative tie, and a dark suit, always.

support progress := impede progress, while claiming it's someone else's fault.

timely delivery of project deliverables := after making sure the deliverables are meaningless and/or useless.

written and oral communication skills := self- explanatory, except that you need to be able to deflect responsibility for doing anything, so as to avoid blame for having done it wrong.

status reporting := tree killer

briefings := kill more trees with preparation and reporting

one-on-one interfacing across multiple-level and cross-functional client representatives := snitch

thought leadership solution offerings := total bs

creation of proposals, other business development activities, and practice administration := generate more work for the consultancy, until the client is bled dry and dies. Business development includes finding other clients to bleed, e.g. vendors, customers, competitors of the client currently under attack, on the client's time of course.







Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[IRstuff]

Mike is apparently a cynic ;-)

The job description is for a consultant in "fixing" whatever is deemed to need streamlining and efficiency improvement. Based on the first couple of lines, this involves firing people as well; but also includes trying to determine what course your client should take to improve their financial performance and/or future.

Given that you've only had 5 yrs of experience, you're probably under-qualified for something like that.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[lz5pl]

MikeHalloran,

------------------------
It may be like this in theory and practice, but in real life it is completely different.
The favourite sentence of my army sergeant

 

[Jordonlaw]

This is HR (sic) speak that is typical nowadays. It describes little about the job but is a type of code that uses words like "synergy" and "leverage" to make a technical job sound more interesting. The UK satirical magazine 'Private Eye' publishes this stuff under the caption "Birtspeak" named after the infamous BBC chairman.

If you've done risk management before and you know what aerospace companies do then you're well suited to apply.

And yes, I'm a cynic as well. It pays to be when dealing with HR.

 

[hokie66]

Mike is not a cynic, just a Dilbert fan. He has the HR gibberish down to a T.

Fasteddie, by "Big Four consulting firms", do you mean the big accounting firms? You don't want to work for them.

The word consultant as it applies to engineers means just about anyone who works in the private sector, but usually means the firm rather than the individual.

 

[JJPellin]

In our industry, a consultant is anyone who lives more than 100 miles away and charges you more than $200 per hour (plus travel expenses and per diem) to not solve your problem.

Perhaps I am a cynic as well.

Johnny Pellin

 

[rcooper]

In my experience, consultants talk a good job, contractors do a good job.

 

[Spirit]

Consultant: an ordinary person working a long long way off his home.

It is not mine, read in some quotations collection.

Cheers

'Ability is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.'

 

[zdas04]

This is fun, but probably not helpful for the OP.

When I retired from a big oil company and started my minuscule business I had the same question. Four years later I find that I'm doing all the fun parts of the job I retired from and not much of the parts I hated. Typically, today I can do the problem analysis unhindered, develop a solution and/or a project design without many (if any) meetings, and then present the results to an interested audience. Occasionally the result will be that I build what I designed and that is fun too.

When I worked at a big company each of those steps required at least 30% of my time in pointless meetings and meaningless discussions with people who had little to contribute. Now meetings are closer to 3% and I just don't answer calls from ditherers--the people who hire me generally laugh about that.

David

 

[MikeHalloran]

Back to the OP. Seriously, this time.

Big consultancies are not at all like David's little business.

The side of them that's visible to ordinary corporate citizens is pretty much as I've described above, from actual experience, with no exaggeration, for a statistically significant sample of consultancies and clients.

The view from within the consultancy may be very different. I do not expect to ever find out.

If you take the job, be emotionally prepared for people to treat you with fear and loathing. Be wary of the ones who smile widest; they loathe you most.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[epoisses]

In my experience consultants sometimes do add value (accidentally, maybe ) by asking the "stupid" questions that nobody else asks or dares to ask, with the possible exception of a brilliant new-hire engineer.

However what must be frustrating (I am not a consultant) is that you never actually achieve anything "real", your brilliant proposals always end up on place 39 on everyone's miles long to do lists (the report is usually too expensive to be filed without any further action).

 

[csd72]

Sounds like Project managegement, process management, quality management and risk management all rolled into one.

In my experience, these management type professions use a lot of jargon to make their job seem more complex than what it is. This is quite the opposite to engineering where we actually go to great lengths to make sure that ordinary people (such as builders) can understand our designs.

You need to learn the jargon, and you also need to learn how to make a good presentation to management. You may need to stand up and defend your case in front of directors e.t.c. I would imagine that these are the only skills that you may lack for this type of position.

 

[looslib]

Those that can do, do.
Those that can't do, consult.
Those that can't consult, teach.

"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli
Sr IS Technologist
L-3 Communications

 

[Fasteddie82]

Thanks for the replies. And Mike Halloran, please don’t hold back, tell me how you really feel

The job is with KPMG, which is one of the big four accounting/consultancy firms. Hookie66, you said “You don’t want to work for them.” Why?

The qualifications of the job I posted were:

Qualifications for both positions:
• Two years of combined advisory or industry experience in Aerospace and Defense manufacturing operations and/or supply chain management (e.g. procurement operations, global strategic sourcing)
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university
• Strong analytical, presentation and other communication skills
• Experience in the co-development of proposals, deliverables and reports
• Willing to travel
Additional Qualification for Senior Associate:
• Additional year of advisory or industry experience in A&D or supply chain management industries

This was for an Associate/Senior Associate, Risk Manager, Aerospace and Defense. The requirements for Manager, Risk Management, Aerospace and Defense were similar, but required 5 years of previous experience.

I guess that’s where my disconnect is. If all their requiring is 2 years of experience for an associate, how can that person possibly be of any value in telling other companies how to improver their operations?

When I think of a “Consulting" firm, I think of more what zdas04 was talking about. Someone who’s been in industry for a long time retires, and then uses his vast experience to consult on projects. Makes sense, since sometimes, there’s nothing better than having a “gray beard” that you can call on who has faced the problem your tackling a thousand times already.

But for someone to be a “consultant” after having only 2 years of experience seems like a worthless task. If a company, say a mid-tier Aerospace supplier like Hamilton Sundstrand, has some problem with their operations that they can’t solve, how can they expect to bring in a tem of people with 2 to 5 years of experience, at other companies no less, to solve their problem? If Hamilton Sundstrand can't slove their problem, then I don't think and outside consulting firm would be able to.

Is that what the issue is? Is Management Consulting just some big sham that consulting firms sell to clueless company CEOs?

Regardless, after taking a second look at the job requirements, I see that they just require you have any Bachelor’s degree, and not an Engineering degree. That right there kind of turns me off the whole thing, because previous experience has taught me that being an engineer in a position that doesn’t require an engineering degree is a frustrating endeavor. Not to mention, it doesn’t usually pay as well as being in an actual engineering job.

Thougts?

 

[DaveVikingPE]

Can't emphasize it more:

CON

plus

inSULT

equals

CONSULT.

 

[mechmama]

FE -

In response to your question of how someone with only 2 years experience is of any value:

You are an "associate." You most likely will be assigned to a "principle" with many years of experience in the biz. This person will give you gofer tasks & such until you are educated in what you need to do the job yourself.

I don't see it that much different than how engineers learn to do engineering. Someone asks you to design X, you go research X a little on your own, seek guidance from the guy who already knows, and so on. Don't know the best supply chain management recommendations for your client? Research, ask, and so on. Same thing.

 

[dcasto]

They steal your watch, and then tell you what time it is...........

 

[Pud]

A consultant is someone who when you ask them what the time is, they look at your watch and bill you for the information...........

Cheers


Harry

 

[mechmama]

PS. I did interview for one of these type jobs once, but in a division of a huge engr firm not an acct firm. They did the same stuff, though. I didn't get the offer. I think it was because I balked at the 60 hour week requirement and didn't seem to enthralled with the details of corporate finane. S'pose it was for the best. . .