Picking Among Consulting Offers

When fortunate enough to have more than one consulting offer, a common sentiment is to go for the firm that is more prestigious or pays the most (oftentimes those go hand and hand). However, I always recommend that anyone who gets more than one consulting offer should think beyond prestige and pay. It is wise to take stock of what they value to see what consulting offers to more holistically match their life interests. It is better to be happy and professionally growing than being unhappy and professional floundering, even if that misery takes place at an elite firm.

Below is a framework of four factors to consider that may help you think through the decision. However, ultimately it comes down to personal preferences, and I am not making any value judgements.

1. Workplace Culture

You can think about workplace culture in terms of propensity for team-based activity. Of course, every consulting firm requires collaborative excellence, but how they operationalize it in terms of workplace culture can differ greatly. On one end of the spectrum are firms whereby consulting tasks are highly individualized. Work is done in teams, but the consultants work most of the time individually anywhere they want in a physical sense. Socializing as colleagues is rarely structured and social bonding is based upon the ad hoc initiative of individuals. This set up can work really well for people who seek to avoid long commutes and prefer a high degree of autonomy over their work environment. On the other end of the spectrum are practices that focus extensively on teams being physically together with structured team bonding activities. This is great for people that prefer to work in a more social setting and enjoy having activities structured for them.

2. Travel

Although consulting is traditionally thought of traveling Monday to Thursday, that does not always have to be the case. There are some firms that follow a home office staffing model whereby all the clients are relatively local to the home office, so the days with long hours can be done at home rather than at a hotel. Especially for those with young children or a significant other they would like to see more regularly, a firm with a home office staffing model can be a huge distinguishing factor. Some firms are a mix of both whereby each office has teams that travel regularly and teams that don’t as they have a mix of clients. For people that want to have both travel options available to them, that may be a good option.

3. Areas of strength and growth

Every firm has its core strengths (be it a functional area or industry) and areas that it is trying to grow. It is important for a consultant to get a sense of what those are and find them broadly interesting. Generally, the strength and growth areas of the practice are the ones that have the most opportunity for staffing and advancement.

4. Talent Management

Talent management can be drastically different among firms. Some allow a consultant to hop around among function areas and industries until later in their careers. Others lock their consultants into a narrow band within a matrix of function and industry. Hypothetically, most firms allow their consultants to change focus areas, but the ease to actually do so varies greatly. Yet, depending on how much career flexibility a person wants to have in a consulting career, that is important to know in advance.

Ultimately, accepting a job offer is a very personal decision. Everyone has different things going on in their life that they prioritize. Like with any major life decision, it should be evaluated holistically. The above framework should serve as a jumping off point to ask more questions. These are questions in self-exploration as well as potential follow on questions to gain a better understanding of how the firm fits your life and career aspirations.

Hall Wang is a dual degree MBA and Master of Public Policy candidate at Georgetown University. He has worked at America’s most innovative companies including Blue Origin and Facebook, as well as having done two combat deployments as a US Army Officer.

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