Must-Have Management Consulting Reading List

Books and magazines can be very helpful in learning the ropes of your consulting career. Here are some of the best ones.

When you apply for a job as a consultant, it is of the utmost importance that you be well-read, for the following reasons:

1. After you submit your resume, and while you are going through the recruiting and interviewing process, your business literacy will be tested formally and informally.

2. When you are exposed to the various problems, solutions and situations that arise in business, it is a litmus test for the depth of your interest in a career in consulting. For example, if you are not interested in reading about how the US auto industry got into the mess it is now in, and all the different things they need to improve in order to save themselves, then you are not going to like consulting.

3. By familiarizing yourself with the business world, you will be ready to get started the minute you get hired.

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Now that you know why you should read, here is what you should read:

The Best In Books:

The McKinsey Way and The McKinsey Mind, by Ethan Rasiel. Rasiel is a former consultant for McKinsey. These books will give you a lot of in-depth information on firm practices and culture. The things you will learn include hypothesis driven problem solving, 80/20 thinking, and more. These are things that I will be covering in posts here, but you can get a jump on that with existing information.

Look for anything written by Jim Collins. Some of my own favorites are Good to Great and also, Built to Last. You will get a real feel for the zeitgeist of thinking in business today. You will hear a lot of consulting team members discussing his ideas. These books influence the way in which consultants know their clients and corporations review and critique themselves.

Top Picks in Magazines and Periodicals:

The Harvard Business review always has at least one good, timely article to enjoy. I have never read the whole magazine, but I still do read it regularly. I learn something interesting and pertinent every time. There are always specific articles on how to implement good practices in business, such as encouraging bottoms-up innovation and setting up organizational systems to retain good employees.

You will want to have a look at The Economist. Because of my experience with McKinsey, I have been very surprised to find out how many people read The Economist on a regular basis. This is one magazine that I always subscribe to. It is very helpful in understanding the key issues in the global economy today. Areas of particular interest are business, economics and finance.

You will always find high-quality, in-depth articles in Fortune Magazine. It will tell you a lot about the top thinkers in today’s business world. You will also find current and pertinent information about the best companies. Fortune is very interesting to read because it is well-written and informative.

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