Secrets of the City

Min went through a "standard" career path for lifelong City workers. He started in consulting at OC&C, left to work in private equity and now works in a VC firm focused on climate technology start-ups. Although his career path was standard, his story is anything but. Min realized after less than a year in PE that he wanted to quit. In this episode, we get a refreshingly honest view of what he liked and disliked about his job. We also unpick how important it is to align your personal and professional values. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 21st April 2023.

Imran is the living embodiment of the fact that nobody's career goes in a straight line. He trained to be a doctor at Oxford and Harvard, then worked as a consultant at McKinsey, before he started his own telemedicine company. Now he's an angel investor. Through his journey, Imran has had to learn how to balance life and work in the most demanding careers. From his experience as a founder and investor he also knows what it takes to run a successful business - creating products, raising funding, building a team. We unpack this wonderful career and more in today's episode. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 30th Jan 2023.

Taariq joined the 'City life' before he even went to university through an internship at Accenture. From there he has gone from strength to strength - including a full-time role at Accenture, an Analytics consultant at OC&C and most recently a strategy manager at RELX. We speak about the differences in work and life across these firms, as well as what drove Taariq to move to a corporate strategy role. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 11th November 2022.

Kam has been on one of the more unconventional journey through the City. He joined Roland Berger straight after Cambridge University, but after 6 months he quit his job and took the plunge of starting his own company. His goal was to "see how it went after a few months" but more than 6 years later his business is still going strong. On the episode we discuss Kam's brief stint in consulting and how it helped set him for success today. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 10th September 2022. 

Only once you've aced your CV, cover letter and interview does the hard work of consulting actually begin! But how do you succeed once you've got your dream job? From my experience, the people who thrive in this industry often have three traits in common. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia on 24 January, 2022.

I often get asked why I decided to go into consulting. I was lucky enough to have tried out a few different jobs before I graduated from university, and consulting stood out for many reasons! On this episode I talk about my motivations for becoming a consultant, and how the job has lived up to those expectations. This will help inspire you and teach you if consulting is indeed what you want to do! Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia on 5 November, 2021.  

When someone tells you they're a "consultant", what do they actually mean? Consulting is a term that encompasses a lot of different jobs, and can often be confusing if you don't work in the industry. Today we unpack 5 of the most common consulting types - strategy consulting, operational consulting, financial consulting, HR consulting and IT consulting. We also talk about how "management consulting" fits into all this. Equipped with this knowledge, you should be in a better position to work out what type of consulting is for you! Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, on 4th September 2021. 

Last time we spoke about how to write the perfect CV. Most employers often also ask for something else: the dreaded cover letter. Candidates can spend days trying to write and perfect their cover letters - only to realise they then need to write another one, and another one, and another one. So how can you write the perfect cover letter, every time and with the least amount of effort? Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia on 13 June, 2021. 

The CV is arguably the most important part of any job application. Without a good one, you won't even get the chance to show off your skills in an interview room. So what should you do to make your CV stand out? Listen now! Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia on 18 April, 2021. 

Since I became a consultant, I often get asked "so what do you actually do?" The answer? Listen on to find out! In this episode, I will walk you through a typical day that I go through at work. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 20th March, 2021. 

Last time I spoke about how to ace your interview once you get into the interview room. But behind every success story there is heaps of preparation that goes into it - so how should YOU prepare to help you put your best foot forward? Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 19th December 2020. 

On the first episode of Season 2, I talk  through three tips that will help put your best foot forward in a case study interview, based on what I have seen from the "other side of the table". Interlaced with stories about my own time in consulting to give you a feel for what we really do! 6 December, 2020. 

From start-ups to her own YouTube channel to Big 4 Consulting, Kajol has done it all! She is now a Senior Consultant after 4 years at Deloitte, but her journey there was totally unique. On this episode, we discuss all of this and more, including the distinct skillset you need to succeed at a Big 4 company. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 17 October 2020. (Kajol also her own YouTube channel with tips and tricks to get into consulting, details at the end of the episode!)

Having studied computer science at Cambridge and MIT, Imran found a natural fit in Quantum Black, McKinsey's data analytics branch. About a year ago, he moved to a more generalist role at McKinsey. We discuss the differences between the two jobs, why Imran decided to switch and his long term ambitions. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 9 August 2020. 

After studying engineering at Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Cyriaque is now an Associate Consultant at Bain in London. Before joining Bain, however, he took a year out where he worked at an engineering start-up in Bordeaux, for EY in Paris and finally for a social enterprise in Cape Town. On this episode, we explore the lessons Cyriaque learned during his gap year, and his experiences so far at Bain. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 9th June 2020.

Laura worked in JP Morgan’s Investment Banking division for over a year, recently leaving to join BCG this fall. Today we take another step into the finance industry: we discuss the many reasons why investment banking is such an attractive position, but also the challenges of a hugely demanding role. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 6th June 2020. 

After several years working in marketing, Kate's "next big adventure" was doing an MBA at INSEAD, after which she joined OC&C Strategy Consultants in London. On this episode we explore the many leaps of faith Kate took to go from marketing to MBA to Senior Consultant, and the lessons she learned along the way. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 16th May 2020.

Haseem is a former analyst in Goldman Sachs' private wealth management division, and is now an equity research analyst at Mondrian Investment Partners. On this episode we begin to unpack the complex world of financial services, and discuss Haseem's experiences during his time at GS.  Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 2nd May 2020. 

Mudit joined BCG London in early 2019 as an Associate. On this episode, we explore the different types of projects a consultant does, and discuss the increasingly important role of big data analytics in strategy consulting. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 20th April 2020.

Daisy is an Associate Consultant at OC&C Strategy Consultants in London, a role she begun after graduating from Cambridge University in 2018. This episode explores how Daisy is able to balance her passions for sustainability and running with the relentless demands of consulting. Hosted by Aayush Sonthalia, 6th April 2020.