The Aspiring Advisor book cover
A Practical Guide for New Consultants

The Aspiring Advisor

What gets you into consulting is not what will keep you there, much less what will make you succeed.

Based on thousands of hours of experience and insights from hundreds of practitioners. This book teaches junior consultants what to do and what to avoid early in their careers.

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Available in Kindle & Paperback

A Note from Moritz

A quick heads-up.

This book is a proud 2015 time capsule. Some examples come from an era before AI was everywhere and before culture shifted in a bunch of meaningful ways.

If you hit a line that makes you think, "Yep, that's... very 2015" (grooming norms and a few gender-y assumptions included), treat it as an example, not a commandment.

Keep the principle, swap in a version that fits you. If I post any updates, they'll be on LinkedIn.

- Moritz Dressel

Is This Book For You?

  • You just landed your first consulting job and want to succeed from day one
  • You're a junior consultant with less than 2 years of experience looking to stand out
  • You want to avoid career-killing mistakes that no one warns you about
  • You're tired of vague advice from senior partners and need practical, actionable strategies
  • You're starting at a consulting firm without proper onboarding or mentorship
  • You want to accelerate your consulting career trajectory

What You'll Learn

  • 1How to produce consistently impressive deliverables that keep bosses and clients happy
  • 2Networking strategies that drive real career impact beyond your immediate team
  • 3How to stay staffed on meaningful projects and avoid being "parked" between assignments
  • 4Effective time management techniques without needing boss approval
  • 5Mastering verbal, written, and email communication to reduce follow-ups
  • 6When and how to push back on unreasonable workload without damaging relationships
  • 7Making your work count in year-end performance ratings
  • 8Strategies for protecting yourself when difficult situations arise
  • 9Putting yourself in the right light inside the firm with rigorous error avoidance
  • 10Understanding what separates those who advance from those who plateau

What's Inside

A comprehensive guide covering practical, real-world situations junior consultants face daily. From your first week to deciding your next career move.

1

Before You Start

What to expect and how to get ready for day one at the firm

2

Surviving Your First Week

Navigate the initial overwhelm and make a strong impression

3

Delivering Great Work

Quality standards that actually matter to partners and clients

4

Mastering Communication

Email, phone, and meeting best practices to reduce friction

5

Managing Your Time

Balance multiple projects and competing priorities effectively

6

Building Your Network

Strategic relationship building that accelerates your career

7

Getting Measured Well

Understand what partners actually evaluate and how to perform

8

Protecting Yourself

Navigate difficult situations and challenging team dynamics

Included Resources & Templates

  • Self-introduction pitch templates ready to use
  • Printer-friendly checklists for common scenarios
  • Email templates for difficult conversations
  • Realistic project scenarios with recommended approaches

What Readers Are Saying

Trusted by consultants at Big Four, boutiques, and beyond

Consolidated helpful information in one place. Much of this content is available free online, but valuable to have it all centralized. Recommended for those new to consulting.

Goodreads Reviewer4 years consulting experience

The practical checklists and templates alone make this worth reading. I use the email scripts almost daily.

Junior ConsultantBig Four Firm

Finally, a consulting book written by a practitioner who remembers what it was like to be new. No guru nonsense.

AssociateStrategy Boutique

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Frequently Asked Questions

Recent graduates and junior consultants with less than 2 years of experience. If you're starting your consulting career or struggling in your first few years, this book is for you.

Most consulting books are written for senior leaders or focus on high-level strategy. This book provides practical, actionable advice specifically for junior consultants navigating day-to-day challenges.

Moritz Dressel spent 4 years at a global consulting firm and identified a gap in available resources. The book draws from thousands of hours of experience and wisdom from hundreds of practitioners.

Ready-to-use templates including self-introduction pitches, email templates, communication scripts, printer-friendly checklists, and realistic project scenarios with recommended approaches.

The principles apply across consulting firms, from MBB (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) to Big Four to boutique firms. The advice focuses on universal consulting challenges, not firm-specific processes.

About the Author

Moritz Dressel

Moritz Dressel wrote "The Aspiring Advisor" after four years as a management consultant at Deloitte, specializing in post-merger integration, joint ventures, and strategic alliances. He supported transformations across mining, chemicals, semiconductors, energy, MedTech, and pharmaceuticals.

The book grew from a gap he kept seeing: smart people making avoidable mistakes because no one taught them the unwritten rules. Drawing from thousands of hours of on-the-job experience and insights from hundreds of practitioners, he distilled field-tested strategies for the realities of consulting.

Stop Guessing What It Takes to Succeed

Your consulting career starts now. Don't waste months learning through trial and error. Get the strategies that work.

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