Career Conversations

We help impact-focused consultants plan their careers.

TAlk to US

Whether you have a plan, an offer, or a question mark, we can help.

Many consultants want to use their skills to improve the world but don’t know how. Apply to speak one-on-one with a member of our team to support you in choosing a focus, making connections, and finding work that makes a difference.

Prospective Consultants

Is consulting right for you? How can you find out? We can provide feedback on whether working in consulting makes sense for their professional and impact goals.

Consultants

If you’re currently working as a consultant, we can help you make the most of your time. Let’s discuss how consultants can have a meaningful impact inside their firms, develop the right skills and relationships, and set you up to achieve long-term goals.

Consulting Alumni

If you’ve left consulting and want to find a way to pivot into higher-impact work, or are unsure what to do next, we’d be happy to support you. Let’s chat!

Schedule a career conversation

Join the 450+ prospective, current, and former consultants who have already benefitted from speaking with our team.

Quick Application

Sai Uttej

ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT, BAIN

"The career conversation was incredibly valuable to me. It not only helped me reflect deeply and think more strategically about my future, but also connected me with incredible people who have taken the time to listen, guide, and mentor me. This journey would have been so much harder and longer without Consultants for Impact.”

HOw it works

Let’s break down
a typical
Career Conversation:

Whether you’re ready to exit consulting, are considering moving into the field, or want to explore how to make the most of your time with your firm, our team of former consultants are here to help.

Our career conversations are designed to help you clarify your goals, values, and options so you can choose with confidence.

Define your values

Most career paths have pros and cons. We’ll work with you to define what you really value in a career. This will help you decide what causes to focus on, and how to balance social impact with your personal priorities.

Prioritize Causes

There are many pressing problems in the world, and it can be hard to know where to start. We can offer frameworks to assess the relative impact of different causes and pressure-test your thinking about where you personally can make the biggest difference.

Assess your options

On the call, we’ll discuss your current list of potential career options, share our perspective, and might even suggest some options you hadn’t thought about.

Resolve Uncertainties

Career decisions are tough. It can be hard to determine where we, personally, can maximize our positive impact. We can help you think through your uncertainties and empower you to resolve important questions.

Make a plan

Once you’ve refined your broader strategy for impact, we’ll help you make a preliminary plan about how to move forward and develop some concrete steps to make progress on that plan.

Get Connected

We enjoy introducing new advisees to like-minded professonals and hiring managers in relevant fields. Many members find these connections to be the best part of working with us.

Define your values

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2
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Prioritize Causes

Assess your options

On the call, we’ll discuss your current list of potential career options, share our perspective, and might even suggest some options you hadn’t thought about.

3
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4
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Resolve Uncertainties

Make a plan

Once you’ve refined your broader strategy for impact, we’ll help you make a preliminary plan about how to move forward and develop some concrete steps to make progress on that plan.

5
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6
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Get Connected

We enjoy introducing new advisees to like-minded professonals and hiring managers in relevant fields. Many members find these connections to be the best part of working with us.

Meet our advisors

Who will I be
speaking with?

Our team consists of former consultants who have thought hard about how to use careers for impact and transitioned into socially impactful work. Between them, they have over 15 years of consulting experience and have advised over 450 prospective, current, and former consultants.

Sarah Pomeranz

she/her

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Sarah joined Consultants for Impact in 2022 as the first full-time employee. Before this, she was a strategy consultant at Accenture, where she founded a workplace group to encourage her colleagues to develop high-impact and evidence-based career and donation strategies. At Rutgers University, Sarah studied global business, entrepreneurship, and social justice, and co-founded Sulis, a social venture developing solar-powered water-cleaning technology for communities in India. Sarah has pledged to donate 10% of her lifetime earnings to highly effective charities.

Edmo Gamelin

he/him

Edmo has ~8 years of consulting experience. Born and raised in Vermont, he became interested in applying analytical skills to social impact while studying Political Science at Boston University. After a year of conducting market research at ZS Associates, he transitioned to Blue Matter, a boutique consulting firm where he built out the firm’s nonprofit capabilities and supported social impact projects. Edmo served as Co-Director of Rethink Wellbeing, a mental health nonprofit for young leaders, before joining Consultants for Impact in 2023.

Emilly Dardaman

she/her

Prior to joining Consultants for Impact, Emily spent five years within Boston Consulting Group, specializing in purpose and communication strategy, before shifting to advanced AI governance research. Her work in AI risk identification and disclosure has been cited by leading think tanks and government agencies, as well as featured in Wired and VentureBeat. She holds a Masters Degree from University of Georgia in Emerging Media. In her free time, Emily enjoys writing fiction, running and hosting gatherings at her home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Testimonials

Samie Dorgham

EX-DELOITTE

COACH AND BUSINESS MENTOR

“Don't hesitate to book a career conversation - the number of doors that will open to you from that one conversation is hard to quantify.”

Cedric Potvliege

EX-MCKINSEY

“Being at the beginning of my career, I still have a limited picture of career opportunities. CFI enabled me to speak with former consultants with more experience and in different career tracks. It also provides information about career opportunities you might not be aware of as we live in a world of asymmetric information.”

Serena Chao

FORMER CONSULTANT

"If you’re on the fence, I recommend engaging anyway! It’s always great to expand your network, as we know, and Consultants for Impact is both a short-term and long-term resource."

Lucia Cazares

FORMER CONSULTANT

"What sets Consultants for Impact apart is their responsiveness and eagerness to help. For example, when I asked my career advisor if she could meet for a 1:1 to talk about a time-sensitive topic, she was very quick to respond and schedule time. This is so rare and valuable in a job search process."

Lucas Schmuck

EX-BAIN

"Having a well-connected and empathetic counterpart who could support my career explorations was super valuable."

Matt Wang

EX-BAIN

“CFI has been a seamless way to meet other folks on similar professional paths wrestling with the same questions who are all happy to share about their highs and lows. I've been incredibly impressed with the generosity and vulnerability of the folks I've met through CFI. Without CFI, I don't know where I would have found those people."

Get Answers

Who are Career Conversations for?

We feel best suited to support current, future, and former consultants who are interested in using their skills to have a positive social impact.

We’re most likely to be able to help if you:

Are a current, former or prospective business or strategy consultant (or similar)
Want to prioritize social impact in your career
Are open-minded and willing to consider unexpected options
Are interested in thinking strategically and analytically about career choice

How do I apply?

Fill out our 5-minute application form, which includes a bit about you and what you are hoping to get out of the conversation. The more detail, the better! This helps our team determine whether we can help and which of our advisors’ experience and perspectives would be most relevant to you.

How are career conversations free?

Consultants For Impact is a fiscally sponsored project of Rethink Priorities, EIN 84-3896318. If you or someone you know would like to support our work, please contact us.

What if I'm interested in using my career for good, but I'm not a consultant?

If you fall outside the consulting field, check out 80,000 Hours, and Probably Good, which support a broader range of careers. We recommend consultants explore these resources too!

What should I read before I apply?

Reading our approach and principles can help you determine whether a conversation with us is likely to advance your goals.

Do I already need to have a career plan?

No. In fact, some members recommend talking to us earlier in the career planning process so that we can help you prioritize where to explore.

What if I want to work on a cause area that might not be considered high-impact?

Choosing what cause to work on is really personal. Our job is to help identify the most neglected, tractable, and scalable problems to work on, and figure out together which types of work align with your personal and strategic goals.

What if I’m later on in my career?

We advise many mid and late-career consultants and alumni and would love to speak with you.

What if I’m a student?

We love helping students land their first role. If you’re considering taking an internship or job in consulting and are prioritizing impact with your career, contact us. If you’re looking for more general "breaking into consulting advice," check out Prep Lounge or Case in Point.

What if I’m already highly involved in the Effective Altruism community?

You may find it useful to talk to chat with us. We can help talk through your career uncertainties and introduce you to potential new employers, funders, and mentors.

What if I’m not an Effective Altruist or don’t know much about it?

Check out our principles, our philosophical approach, and our thoughts on donation and career choice to see if they resonate. If they do, we may be a great fit, regardless of your connection to Effective Altruism.

Once I apply, when will I hear back?

Outside of holidays, we aim to get back to all applicants within 5-7 business days. If you have a question about your application or haven’t heard back, feel free to email us.

Which CFI advisor will I speak with?

If you’d like to speak with a particular advisor, please include a note in your application. We assign advisors based on fit, availability, and the advisee’s preferences where possible.

Can we have multiple calls?

If you and your advisor both agree that follow-up calls would be helpful, we're happy to support multiple calls.

What if I have more questions?

Send our team an email and we'll get back to you.