Oxford Odyssey

Category: Being Employed

  • A Guide: How to Survive in Consulting

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    Consulting not only prepares you to develop high-level strategy in industry but also trains you in the intricacies of corporate life. Here are the key lessons I’ve learned so far: Iterate fast Timeboxing Avoid stress Think, then do Train logical thinking and exposition Master slide formatting Excel modelling Adapt communication for stakeholders Build relationships with…

  • Tech Sales

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    This is coming from someone who had an account manager pitch to him to sell. I took an onboarding call with a vendor who has been working with my company to provide analytics software. Think through your existing product mix and what makes sense for client – prioritise it for them. Knowledge to the specific…

  • Travel tips from a consultant

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    If you are in consulting, you will probably more advice from the seasoned road warriors in your firm. That said, I’ve known MBB folks who got packed off for their first overseas assignment immediately after training, so it might be worth reading these beforehand.

  • Give your bosses not problems, but decisions

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    Don’t come to me with problems, come to me with a solution. Why didn’t you come to me earlier?? I’ve heard these exact two lines uttered by the same manager (not mine, thankfully) and I was absolutely bewildered – so do I approach my boss when I’m stumped, or do I try and solve it,…

  • Embracing uncertainty

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    One of the biggest realisations after leaving school is this: no one has all the answers. In school, the problems were often predefined, and the answers could be found in textbooks or from teachers. At work, it’s a completely different ballgame. Many challenges you face are original, uncharted, and require you to carve out a…

  • The unfair demonisation of private equity

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    When a group of my friends were planning an Easter trip to the USA, I wanted to try out Red Lobster. I’m a huge sucker for buffets and the endless shrimp offering was something that I was eager to take on as a new dietary challenge. Funnily enough, this was also one of the reasons…

  • Finding a new job

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    Hate your job and thinking of moving on? We’ve all been there. Around the one-year mark, I found myself in the same situation. I realised I would need to make a change sooner or later, so I thought, why not sooner? But there’s a fine line between making a timely move and rushing into unemployment.…

  • Why formatting is important

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    “Investment Banking/Consulting is about moving the logos around a slide for the thirteenth time at 5am”. Formatting seems like the tired, brain-numbing BS that juniors get put through just because they’re paid an above market salary. Being in consulting, this “low-value” work genuinely annoys the crap out of me. With bigger, more strategic challenges on…

  • Why it is irrational to give it your all at your work

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    Elon Musk famously claims to sleep and live in his factories to work longer hours and drive his companies forward. This relentless dedication has paid off for him; he is now one of the wealthiest people on the planet. However, the same can’t be said for everyone. Take Nico Murillo, for example—he followed a similar…

  • Can I leave the office before my boss?

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    When you don’t get paid for overtime, but companies are still insistent that you spend time in the office when you have nothing to do, how is this fair? First, it is clear that most work is based on business needs, which ebb and flow as the year progresses. The lack of forecastability means that…