Career-Ready Consulting Skills

A practical pathway for RMIT students targeting consulting, strategy, and analytics — with the technical skills that actually show up in real work: Excel modelling, SQL, Python, slides, and structured problem-solving.

Roadmap Technical Skills Join

What consulting actually is

Consulting is structured problem-solving for organisations. You clarify the goal, build a framework, analyse the drivers, then communicate a recommendation with risks and next steps — often under time pressure.

What you’ll do on real projects

  • Diagnose the problem: clarify scope, success metrics, constraints.
  • Structure the analysis: MECE issue trees, hypotheses, priorities.
  • Model the impact: Excel, basic finance, scenario analysis, sensitivity.
  • Work with data: SQL pulls, cleaning, interpretation, simple visuals.
  • Communicate: slide storylines, executive summaries, crisp recommendations.
Competitive Screening is fast — your edge is evidence + practice.
Transferable The same toolkit maps into strategy, analytics, and grads.
Trainable Case performance improves with reps + feedback loops.

How RMITSCS helps

A clean, practice-first pathway that matches what recruiters actually test.

Workshops

Frameworks & modelling

Structured thinking, commercial intuition, and the building blocks that show up everywhere.

Case Practice

Reps that compound

Live cases + drills so you improve measurably (structure, maths, communication).

Communication

Slides & clarity

Insight-led storylines that land with executives: “So what?” → “Now what?”

Pick a lane early

“Consulting” is not one job. Choose a target lane for 8–12 weeks so your prep is focused: Management Consulting, Corporate Strategy, or Analytics / Insights.

Technical skills that matter

You don’t need to be a programmer to get into consulting — but being technically capable makes you faster, clearer, and more credible. These are the skills that show up repeatedly in consulting, strategy and analytics work.

Excel modelling (non-negotiable)

Build clean models: assumptions → logic → outputs. Use sensitivity tables, scenarios, and clear structure.

IF / XLOOKUP Pivot tables Sensitivity 3-statement basics
  • Create a 1-page model summary with assumptions and outputs.
  • Practice “back-of-envelope” sizing + convert to a simple model.

SQL (get the data yourself)

Most real analysis starts with pulling data. SQL is the simplest high-leverage skill you can learn.

SELECT / WHERE JOINs GROUP BY Window funcs
  • Write queries that answer “what changed?” and “why?” questions.
  • Build a small KPI table (weekly retention, conversion, churn).

PowerPoint / Slides (consulting language)

Slides are how recommendations travel. Strong slides = clear thinking + clear story.

Storyline Headlines One-chart clarity Exec summary
  • Start every slide with a headline that states the insight.
  • One slide = one message. Remove clutter aggressively.

Python (optional, powerful)

Not required for every role, but it accelerates analytics, automation, and credibility in data-heavy work.

pandas matplotlib notebooks automation
  • Recreate an Excel analysis in pandas (same outputs).
  • Build a simple “weekly report” script and export a chart.

Data storytelling

The goal isn’t charts — it’s decisions. Explain drivers, confidence, limitations, and next steps.

KPI logic Driver trees Cohorts Recommendations
  • Write a 6-sentence executive summary after every analysis.
  • Always include: “So what?” and “Now what?”

Business fundamentals

Even technical candidates get tested on basic business logic: revenue, costs, unit economics, strategy.

Unit economics Pricing Market entry Profit trees
  • Practice: “What drives profit?” in 60 seconds, structured.
  • Learn to size markets and sanity-check assumptions.

Want this turned into a structured weekly plan? RMITSCS runs practice-driven sessions so you build these skills with repetition and feedback.

Join RMITSCS
Step-by-step

A realistic roadmap (8–12 weeks)

This roadmap works whether you’re a beginner or already applying. The key is consistency and measurable improvement.

The sequence

  1. Pick a target lane

    Management Consulting / Strategy / Analytics. Focus beats “prep everywhere”.

  2. Build a story bank (6–10 stories)

    STAR stories: leadership, conflict, failure, ambiguity, teamwork, impact.

  3. Case reps (2 per week)

    One live case + one drill session (math / estimation / structure).

  4. Technical proof (choose 2)

    Excel model + SQL KPI query + Python report + slide deck. Pick two and ship them.

  5. Mock interviews + feedback loop

    Track patterns. Fix one recurring weakness per week.

What “good” looks like

  • CV shows impact (numbers, outcomes, ownership).
  • Cases are structured, hypothesis-driven, and communicative.
  • Tech demonstrates ability to analyse + explain results.
  • Slides are clean and insight-led (not “what I did”).
Weekly target2 cases + drills + progress on one technical deliverable.
Best leverageFix structure + communication first — it lifts everything.
AvoidBinge-watching prep content without reps and feedback.

RMITSCS is built around practice: cases, drills, skill workshops, and feedback. If you want a structured environment to improve fast, join us.

Join RMITSCS