Breaking into Consulting

Step‑by‑step roadmap for launching a career in management & technology consulting—followed by an in‑depth guide to riding the wave of Generative AI consulting.

Aliou Sidibe • Consulting Manager, Emerging Tech Strategy @ EY

About Me

I’m Aliou Sidibe, a Consulting Manager in EY’s Emerging Tech Strategy group. I help Fortune 100 clients unlock value through GenAI, cloud, and data modernization—bridging technology innovation with business transformation.

Speaker on AI, future of work, and GenAI enablement. Passionate about mentoring students and building inclusive GenAI learning ecosystems.

Summa Cum Laude graduate of the Zicklin School of Business • Former peer mentor • Builder at heart

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Today’s Journey

  • 1️⃣ Consulting 101 – what consultants do & why it matters
  • 2️⃣ Skills & Recruitment – what firms look for in early talent
  • 3️⃣ 12‑Month Action Plan – resume, networking, interview prep
  • 4️⃣ Switching Gears → GenAI Consulting
  • 5️⃣ Market Trends, Skills, Career Paths in AI
  • 6️⃣ Q&A / Ask Me Anything

Key Outcome

Walk away with concrete next steps, a skills checklist, and industry‑vetted resources you can start using this week.

Consulting 101

Consultants tackle high‑stakes problems and steer change. Value comes from structured problem‑solving & execution support.

Core Service Lines

  • Strategy & Transformation – market entry, operating models
  • Technology & Data – cloud, analytics, cybersecurity
  • Operations – cost optimisation, process redesign
  • People & Change – org design, upskilling

Consultant Day‑to‑Day

  • 📝 Frame the client problem (hypothesis tree)
  • 📊 Analyze data & build models
  • 🖼️ Craft storyline & slide deck
  • 🤝 Align stakeholders & drive workshops

Skills Recruiters Hunt For

  • 📊 Analytical Firepower – Excel, SQL, PowerBI / Tableau
  • 🗣️ Storytelling – Pyramid principle, 30‑60‑90 sec elevator pitch
  • 🤝 Client Gravitas – presence in workshops & C‑Suite dialogs
  • 🌐 Digital Fluency – cloud basics, automation, GenAI tools

Fast‑Rising Skills (LinkedIn 2025)

  • ⚡ Data storytelling (+31% YoY postings)
  • ⚡ Prompt engineering basics (+47%)
  • ⚡ Agile delivery & Jira (+18%)
  • ⚡ ESG & sustainability (+22%)

12‑Month Action Plan

  • Quarter 1: Craft impact‑oriented CV, contact 10 alumni for coffee chats
  • Quarter 2: Complete 25 live case interviews; join a consulting club
  • Quarter 3: Secure internship / project, quantify value delivered (e.g., 12% cost‑save)
  • Quarter 4: Refine personal pitch, apply to analyst programs

Interview Prep Toolkit

  • 📚 Case books: Wharton, LBS
  • 🎧 Podcasts: Strategy Simplified, 20VC
  • 🛠️ Platforms: Udemy, YouTube, PrepLounge

GenAI Consulting – Why Now?

Generative AI is forecast to add $4.4 T in global value (McKinsey 2025). Firms need advisers who can turn LLM capability into bottom‑line impact.

Service Demand YoY Growth

  • 💬 Chatbots & conversational AI (+67%)
  • 📄 Document automation & RAG (+55%)
  • 🎨 Synthetic media & personalization (+61%)

Client Pain Points

  • ⚖️ Data privacy & IP leakage risks
  • 🤖 Model hallucinations & trust
  • 🪙 Uncertain ROI & cost‑to‑serve

Skills for AI Consulting

  • 🧠 LLM Engineering – prompt design, RAG, evaluation (BLEU, faithfulness)
  • ☁️ Cloud & MLOps – Azure ML, VertexAI, pipelines, CI/CD
  • 📐 Responsible AI – fairness metrics, bias tests, model cards
  • 💼 Business Case Design – TAM sizing, sensitivity analysis, change mgmt

Certifications

  • 🌩️ Azure AI Engineer Associate
  • 🌩️ AWS Certified GenAI Engineer (beta)
  • 🌩️ Google Professional ML Engineer