| Topic Name: |
What "stuff" do new employees need? |
| Message Name: |
Seconding, and expanding |
| Date Posted: |
01/07/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
Electronics: The policy varies by office, it seems. Laptop is always provided. In my office, we used to be provided w/ cheap cell phones. Now the Firm pays all our service, but we have to buy our own hardware ($150, for a decent Motorola w/ Bluetooth). Firm pays BlackBerry service, but I had to buy my own hardware ($250), which I was actually able to expense to my study (since I needed it for the client work).
As for clothes, it all depends on the client. In my 2.5 years, I've only had to wear suits on maybe 15 days - big meetings, and some interational trips. If you serve banks or hospitals, you can expect to wear suits every day. Other than that, most clients are business casual (nice shoes, pants, shirt, and I usually have a sport coat handy). Sometimes we wear suits at big meetings, depending on how the clients dress. The rule is "when in Rome"....
One comment I'll make is that I really do like nice shoes. However, I've had to resort to cheaper, rubber sole shoes. Shoes just get beat up too much while traveling. Plus, with leather soles, I find it difficult to sprint between gates in O'Hare....
For luggage, "carry on" is the key phrase. So, get a decent suitcase that fits in carry on. I have the standard black Atlantic model. Makes it impossible to differentiate it from other people's luggage (save for the little piece of blue ribbon my wife tied on the handle). The Firm provides a standard issue laptop bag. Many of the status-oriented people (i.e. Partners) buy "Tumi" stuff. I haven't bothered to do that. I have a number of really nice old Coach bags(before Coach sold out, and started making the cheesy nylon crap), that I don't use for work because they would take a real beating.
In general, spend as little money before you join as possible, until you see what you really need. |
| Message: |
First, congratulations on your offer!
I basically agree with all of HBS 2003's advice. Wait till after you've started and get the "lay of the land" (office norms, likely staffing) before spending much money on new clothes etc. You've got at least one or two interview suits, I'm sure - those should tide you over for a while unless your first study is at a bank. Basically, McK consultants dress to the level of the clients they're working with on a day-to-day basis, or perhaps one level of formality up (especially once you get more senior and are spending more time with senior executives, less with client staff). So, if you find yourself doing a lot of operations work, you may find yourself wearing khakis and cotton shirts (think Eddie Bauer) and your big investment may be steel-toed boots (which you should be able to expense to the study).
Now, if you do need suits, you're probably fine at a decent department store (Nordstrom's, Macy's). Suits with both skirts and pants would seem to provide more flexibility for a woman - you can wear the pants on the plane and pack the skirt for an easy change of outfit. Wrinkle-free tops are probably a good investment if you don't feel like ironing on the other end.
In general, for both business casual and business formal, if in doubt on styling, go with classic over trendy, for two reasons: first, in most cases, McK tends to try to project a relatively conservative image, and second, that way you don't have to buy as much new stuff every year as trends change. Can't really go wrong with black, charcoal, navy blue... Just look around your office on a non-Friday and you'll get the right idea.
As for luggage (again, assuming you are staffed out of town - it was a year before I had to travel on a regular basis, but after that I was traveling a LOT!) you are right that sticking to carry-on luggage is best. (Your teammates won't be too keen on waiting for you at the baggage carousel at the far end of your flight...) I did well with Briggs & Riley bags; a little more expensive up front, but tough and durable, and a no-questions-asked lifetime free repair policy which has helped on those occasions when the airlines still managed to break off the zipper pulls.
If you're staffed out of town, you'll acquire some kind of higher status in your frequent flyer program soon enough, which will at least give you preferential boarding (giving you time to snag overhead storage space for your bag) and may eventually get you enough upgrade coupons to fly business even on short legs (at which point you get plenty of room for your carry-ons).
Pretty sure you're right about electronics - certainly don't buy a laptop, and as for the phone/Blackberry/PDA, wait and see what your office policies are.
Hope that helps!
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