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For all the talk of how much life on the consulting career path can be difficult at times, there are some pretty sweet perks. Whether you’re on the partner track or using this as a jumping off point to your “real career” here are six perks you should be exploiting right now.

If you haven’t had a bad project, you will at some point. Mine came in the summer of 2007 – and it seemed like the end of the world. When this happens to you, how can you make sure these little gems are just a speed bump and not a complete disaster? Here are a few pointers.

“If you accept a position with a firm that with a very specific niche focus – and you realize you don’t like the work – what’s the best thing to do for my career? Should you switch to a generalist firm immediately or work there for a couple years?” It’s a great question, with a not-so-simple answer. If you’ve pondered this yourself recently, here are a few things you might consider when making your pro/con list.

Has your boss ever given you feedback that you need to be more proactive? Have you ever wondered exactly what they meant? That type of generic feedback can be helpful, but it doesn’t always tell you exactly how your boss wants to see things play out differently day to day on the job. Here are 5 great examples of what your boss actually wants you to DO differently.

Consultants that get great ratings and fast promotions didn’t get there by accident. There are a handful of strategic activities they invest in to make sure the odds of success are stacked firmly in their favor. While you can’t control the environment in which the decisions are made, you can control the foundation for the conversation, and that happens well in advance.

Each year consulting firms go through an annual ratings process to rank their talent and make promotion decisions. The environment is incredibly competitive and the formula for success is anything but black and white. When you understand how the review process actually works, however, you can greatly increase your odds of success. But don’t hold your breath waiting for the company training on this one. Here’s what HR probably won’t tell you.

You’ve been assigned to a new project thinking you’re going to be doing one thing only to find out the scope has completely changed. Your role is now entirely different, something that is nowhere near your area of expertise, and you are freaking out. By now, someone has probably given you the pep talk about “every new challenge being an opportunity” and you’re trying to decide whether that’s true or just BS to make you feel better about the situation. Here are some smart things you can do while you’re figuring it out.

The greatest truth I’ve learned when it comes to work life balance is that work will take and take and take until you say stop. And, the only way to truly feel you have good work-life balance is to find your unique sweet spot of harmony between what you give to yourself and what you give to others. With financial matters, the line is black and white. But what about giving in areas outside of the financial realm, especially when it comes to work? Here are 3 steps to help you find the right balance for you.

As a business owner, there are many hats I wear on a daily basis. Nearly every week, there are situations where I am faced with something new that I haven’t had experience with in the past. Similarly, as they frequently move from one challenging project to the next, consultants have to be very comfortable with ambiguity and manage any fear of the unknown they have to get the job done. Recently, in the simplest of tasks, I was reminded of a very important lesson of highly successful people: the ability to ask for help when needed. If you are like the many that are wrestling with something but aren’t asking for help, consider the impacts it is likely having on you.

Wondering what kind of performance review you’re going to get this year? That’s never a good feeling. Here’s 10 things you could be doing to help ensure it’s a good one.

Whether writing your review is part of your manager’s job duties or not, if you have strong expectations about the outcome, why would you leave the process entirely in the hands of someone else? You should be playing a big role. Here are three big reasons why I changed my tune about writing your own performance review.

As a consultant, sometimes the staffing process can be a whirlwind. Ideally you’ll have conversations with your project lead or clients prior to arriving on site day 1. However, if you you have limited information, here’s a quick list of 20 questions you can ask to get the essential information to get up and running quickly.

Ambiguity and uncertainty are part and parcel of change. And, change is a certainty of everyday consulting life – whether it’s the start of a new project, a decision by a client to go a different direction, or simply the addition of a new team member. These changes can be the source of frustration for consultants. But for Deloitte’s CEO, Jim Quigley change creates opportunity.