My interest in management consulting stems in part from the opportunity it provides to learn continuously. At Cohen & Company, this pursuit of learning is encouraged by both the required intern trainings and current advisory staff.
From Day 1, I was provided a weekly curriculum focused on the sequential development of crucial consulting skills. To establish an underlying set of soft skills, the initial focus was directed toward time management, communication, problem-solving strategies and storytelling through deliverables. Building on this base skillset, lessons transitioned toward expanding on hard skills. Excel and PowerBI dominated the lesson content during the latter half of the summer.
While trainings provided a built-in avenue to guarantee learning, the encouragement I received from my managers to pursue topics that sparked my curiosity was even more impactful. During a meeting with the consulting team the first week, a manager asked each intern to share what topics they were interested in investigating. My answer was PowerQuery and SQL. Before I could even ask, two consultants reached out to provide their favorite introductory websites and videos and offered to walk me through recent models they had built using these tools. What's more, once I developed a foundational understanding, my direct manager made an intentional effort to assign me tasks that allowed me to solidify my understanding of these tools by applying them to solve real problems.
My advice to future interns is three-fold:
From Day 1, I was provided a weekly curriculum focused on the sequential development of crucial consulting skills. To establish an underlying set of soft skills, the initial focus was directed toward time management, communication, problem-solving strategies and storytelling through deliverables. Building on this base skillset, lessons transitioned toward expanding on hard skills. Excel and PowerBI dominated the lesson content during the latter half of the summer.
While trainings provided a built-in avenue to guarantee learning, the encouragement I received from my managers to pursue topics that sparked my curiosity was even more impactful. During a meeting with the consulting team the first week, a manager asked each intern to share what topics they were interested in investigating. My answer was PowerQuery and SQL. Before I could even ask, two consultants reached out to provide their favorite introductory websites and videos and offered to walk me through recent models they had built using these tools. What's more, once I developed a foundational understanding, my direct manager made an intentional effort to assign me tasks that allowed me to solidify my understanding of these tools by applying them to solve real problems.
My advice to future interns is three-fold:
- Take advantage of the skills you can develop through the training programs.
- Identify and pursue topics that pique your curiosity.
- Seek opportunities to apply new skills or knowledge on projects.
