The One About Building a Career Narrative

The One About Building a Career Narrative

From Consultants Saying Things by Chris Lockhart

February 11, 2025 · 37 min · Season 7 · Episode 78

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges and advantages of being a generalist in consulting when transitioning to industry roles.

Is it difficult to find work these days if you've spent your consulting career as a generalist? What is the real value of broad experience in today's market and is it actually an advantage rather than a limitation? There are 6 things you need to know... We Discuss : Is being a "jack of all trades, master of none" truly a disadvantage when transitioning from consulting to industry? At what point in a consulting career do you decide "I suck at this" and need to get out? Does the world really not value generalists, or are we just telling the wrong story? Should consultants with broad experience focus on developing a specialty, or continue leveraging their generalist background? If you're facing an "up or out" situation and need to find a job quickly, should you focus on building new skills or leveraging your existing network? 6 Takeaways : Many consultants struggle with career transitions not because they lack skills, but because they're approaching the job search incorrectly by mass-applying to positions instead of leveraging their existing professional networks. Being a "utility player" or generalist in consulting can be a significant…

Topics covered

  • career narrative
  • consulting
  • generalist vs specialist
  • job search strategies
  • networking

Keywords

  • career transition
  • job market
  • consulting career
  • broad experience
  • specialty development

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