Been on the bench for three weeks now and the utilization anxiety is real. I’m hitting up internal training modules, but worry it’s not moving the needle with leadership. Saw some seniors mention proactive strategies beyond LinkedIn updates and coffee chats - what actually works to maintain presence without coming off as thirsty? Bonus if it’s something that builds real skills vs just optics. How do you balance visibility hunting with genuine development during these periods?
visibility? lol. truth is partners forget you exist the second you’re not billing hours. ‘proactive strategies’ = unpaid labor. but hey, if you must play the game: find a director’s pet project and ‘accidentally’ cc them on every spreadsheet. works 60% of the time, all the time.
same boat!! i started doing weekly recaps of my upskilling and dm’d them to my staffing manager. not sure if helps but feels better than waiting? maybe try shadowing calls if ur firm allows? idk still figuring it out tbh
Three actionable steps: 1) Identify emerging firm priorities through recent leadership memos, then draft a 1-pager analysis aligning your skills to those needs. 2) Request 15-minute virtual check-ins with 2-3 PMs weekly to discuss their pain points. 3) Lead a brown-bag session on a niche skill you’ve developed. Strategic visibility comes from solving unspoken problems.
Bench time = growth time! 
Use it to craft mini-projects that align with leadership’s current focus areas. You’ve got this!
When I got benched last year, I started analyzing failed pitches from our public repo. Compiled trends into a deck, slid it to my ED before staffing meetings. Got staffed on 2 healthcare projects even though I was TMT focused. Sometimes showing pattern recognition > begging for work.
Analysis of 127 MBB bench periods (2023 internal data) shows consultants who initiated 3+ substantive conversations/week with stakeholders above their level had 73% faster redeployment. Focus on insights-sharing vs availability announcements. Example: Forward industry analysis with ‘Could this impact Client X?’ subject lines.