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A lot of poopy faces at ORD right now.
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Staff aug can really be the true test of your consulting skills if you’re willing to push. Can you shift the way they think and execute?
If doing for a limited time, it provides you a much better perspective of how clients think and what their day to day problems are. Really helps when you leave staff aug.
What others have said .. plus..
If you are not too junior, then it’s a great opportunity to build some strong client relationships which you can leverage later.
Also opportunities to seed and bring back business development opportunities. Your partner will appreciate that element!
This was an amazing thread. Thanks for all the insights. I’m on staff aug right now. Wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
Usually staff augs are just you and the Partner that sold you, so if you do a good job can build a good repor that you wouldn’t get in a normal project
Keep the advice coming folks. Gonna be on a staff aug for 6 months, and am loving every bit of this thread!
How different would a staff aug be among a lower level (analyst) and mid-level (senior Consultant). For context, I am a senior Consultant. I am concerned about the lower exposure to PAMs. Any pointers on how to stay engaged with the firm during this period?
Thanks, M2! This is helpful.
Thank you, all! This is very helpful perspective as I start a long term staff augmentation role and was very nervous
It sounds like you have the right attitude, which is everything! A few other points that may be helpful:
- Provide ‘bonus’ value. Meaning, if you’re in, say, a global marketing role, talk with principals who specialize in product launch, join practice area calls, etc. You can bring ideas from the firm to the client, and it can materialize into new work
- Be mindful of sensitive client situations. If they’re talking about budgets, personnel, or other things where your best judgment would say to step out, offer to do so. Clients like when you demonstrate a respect for internal-only discussions (and will probably let you in on those meetings down the line since you’ve established trust)
- We tend to work in a culture that’s more open, younger, and willing to take [smart] risks. Have awareness of those three things so as to not come across as contrarian, immature, or irresponsible
Hope these didn’t come across as too mother hen...just things I picked up along the way
Depends on the nature of the role too, I improved Excel skills for example, given the ops, repetition, and reporting
From my experience they are more similar than dissimilar. The main difference for me was at staff aug, you have to remind yourself you work for your consulting company sometimes. In a specific project focused role you have to remind yourself that the client is in same team.
Depending on the role, it can give you operations experience. It can be harder to exit, especially at more senior levels of consulting if you don’t have hands-on experience doing something, rather than just telling people what to do.
I was in your shoes (also at ZS). Great experience and all of the advice above rings true. What’s different about our model from most, though, is the tight office culture as a local model. Do your best to stay engaged - come back for lunches, help teams doing projects adjacent to your function, etc. You don’t want to be so integrated that you become forgotten in the office.
all my job is staff aug save me pls
Usually exposure to a more diverse set of problems, a better view of politics and decision making.
Low exposure to PAMs is the flipside.
Also, they might try to recruit you towards the end.