Recent college grad, new to consulting, just found this bowl and am so glad to see it because I have been having a lot of anxiety about my career being an introvert.

Do you find that this has been a fulfilling career path for you and easy enough to become successful in networking/getting promoted?

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A bit late to the convo but I’ll weigh in. Couple of observations I’ve made in my career that I think have helped me:

- there’s a difference between being shy and being introverted. I was both. The shyness held me back at first because I was terrified of public speaking, meeting new people, small talk with clients...all the things “introverts” supposedly are. I was able to overcome that with practice and some good mentors. Actually being an introvert though means that I need time to recoup after networking so I made sure to network selectively, with the right people, doing the right things. That helped me learn when to say yes and when to say no (super useful skill that I’m still working on, I’ve said yes to too many stupid things that just exhausted me)

- use your introversion to your advantage. I’m never going in to be the best sales person with all the bravado and confidence in proposal meetings. But I’m a better listener than a lot of extroverts and that helps you craft a better solution for your clients because you truly understand their problems and underlying issues. Find out what your strengths are and play to those.

- find your own voice. I’ve gotten feedback my entire career to “talk more” and I tried mimicking partners who were really outspoken and successful. I just felt stupid and fake. Then I had a mentor who told me to look to someone who had more of a soft presence and I realized there was one partner who didn’t speak much and had a naturally quiet voice. But when she spoke, everyone shut up, leaned in and listened. I started to learn from her as much as I could. I’m not there yet (I can definitely still talk more) but I feel better knowing I don’t have to be “that guy” to be heard.

likeuplifting

This is great advice!

Welcome!

Yes and no. The analytical and intellectual rigor appeals to my introvert tendencies but there’s also such a reliance on managing optics and networking which can get exhausting. That being said there are introverted partners and senior managers at every firm, maybe they won’t be the first people you notice because they aren’t at any of the networking things either. I think what made the difference for me was a couple years of trial and error to find the right leaders that I vibe with and then sticking with them once they realized how much I have to offer.

That being said you don’t need to think of your career as linear either. Promotion to senior consultant is almost guaranteed at most firms and subsequent promotion to manager isn’t too hard if you build those solid relationships with a few key people. Once you hit senior consultant (or equivalent at your firm) you will start getting great exit opportunities. Even better if you make it to manager. The consulting skill set is in high demand so take advantage of that and shop around if you feel like consulting isn’t for you anymore.

Personally I left consulting after 5 years partly due to the optics and networking BS but I’m grateful for my time there because it taught me a lot and made me a lot more competitive in the job market.

likeuplifting

I ended up going to business school but I’m looking at tech right now 👀

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