Looking for advice in consulting

[InTheStudyCave]

Hello internet friends. I am looking for some advice on successfully transitioning to consulting from an insurance company. I worked for 2 years at a insurance company and started 3 weeks ago at a consulting company.

I am worried because I have not gotten much work. I don't know if this is normal. I've brought it up with several of my coworkers, my manager, and nearby managers.

For instance, yesterday I finished all my work and studied the whole day. Monday I also did nothing. Today I billed 1 hour and studied the rest of the day and now I'm typing this message at work.

My manager says there isn't much work right now and to sit tight. Is this normal for consulting companies? Am I going about it the right way to find more work?

I've never worked a consulting job before and I just want to get it right.

Thanks

[Colonel Smoothie]

Look around. If your coworkers look bombarded, it's likely that will happen to you with time. Enjoy the downtime while it lasts.

[Breadmaker]

Originally Posted by Colonel Smoothie

Look around. If your coworkers look bombarded, it's likely that will happen to you with time. Enjoy the downtime while it lasts.

You can of course graciously offer to help out , but if there is nothing work wise to do, as I'm fond of saying, "Go study."

[yoyo]

you've been there 3 weeks, don't worry about it

[Canadiens Fan]

Originally Posted by yoyo

you've been there 3 weeks, don't worry about it

It's normal at the beginning.

InTheStudyCave, when you started your insurance job, were you busy during the first 3 weeks?

[Jemaine Clement]

Consulting work tends to be very seasonal. Also, sometimes a person can only easily be integrated into an existing project at certain times (e.g. when work is ramping up rather than in full swing). Certainly feel free to talk to your managers or coworkers to get a sense of what's normal in your practice. But I wouldn't be particularly worried until a few months in, or if you start lagging behind others hired at the same time or later.

[Helena Lake]

Agreed with the comments regarding seasonality, and timing to bring a new person into an existing project. Study while you can, it's really really really easy to fall behind on exam progress in consulting.

If you really want to show initiative and be ready to roll, talk to your supervisor or manager about looking through some client files from the past six months or so. It'll give you an idea of how they go about peer review, documentation, etc. It could also provide some insight into what kind of work they do most often, some of the outliers, and maybe even a view into how different managers or principles approach similar work.

[mathmajor]

Yeah, just browse through stuff and get up to speed. Don't you have client assignments?

They don't go through the process of hiring you if there's nothing to do. Give it time.

[InTheStudyCave]

Thanks for the encouragement! I'll keep trying to make myself useful.

I guess I still have the new hire jitters.

[Helena Lake]

Originally Posted by InTheStudyCave

Thanks for the encouragement! I'll keep trying to make myself useful.

I guess I still have the new hire jitters.

Lol, in my experience, it takes about 9 to 18 months for those to go away. But maybe that's just me.