Accenture MC vs. KPMG/PWC
(Chimp, 11
Points)
on 5/26/12 at 5:27pm
To the Consulting world, I currently have a solid gig at Accenture in Management Consulting (primarily on Tech engagements), but most recently have been heavily solicited by all of the Big 4 firms that are building up their Management Consulting practices for Tech Advisory. My question goes out to anyone that has worked in MC/Strategy for either firm: are these places better to be for high level IT Strategy work, even though this isn't their bread and butter? Is it better to stay at a firm that may be considered lower tier, yet specializes in all things Tech, vs. a firm that has better brand name recognition but may have a smaller share or focus in this sector? Thanks in advance for any input from anyone that has worked on either side.
interested
interested
As a former Accenture guy, I
As a former Accenture guy, I would say if you like tech strategy and implementation, you can't really beat Accenture.
As for tier and brand name - I would put Big 4 consulting below ACN consulting, and I'm not sure if anyone would disagree. Consulting just isn't their primary business. The only Big 4 group that I'd rather be in than Accenture MC is Deloitte S&O.
Much appreciated, I certainly
Much appreciated, I certainly like where I'm at, but to add a bit of complexity to the fold, the other firms are offering not only a significant boost in pay but also a level advance (think Associate -> Manager)... something that otherwise staying put would take an additional 3 years to achieve even on the fast track.
How much is prestige worth to
How much is prestige worth to you versus opportunity an impact?
Think about it.
Also, the more appropriate factors to look into are their clientele trends and engagement histories. Name is a name is a name, but if you can get on some really badass string of engagements you can leverage that a lot (if you're thinking of eventual exit options, but if you're going to stay in the firm then this is a no-brainer)
Thanks again... I feel like I
Thanks again... I feel like I want to stay in the consulting game for the next 10 years of my career... I'd rather pursue the partner track than corporate. That could change but at the moment my only consideration is firm vs. firm(s) with respect to Advisory/Consulting.
If you have a chance to join
If you have a chance to join Deloitte S&OP with a pay bump, a promotion that would otherwise be 3 years away, and increased focus in your field of choice, it seems like a no-brainer to me unless it comes with other catches.
In general, if your plan is definitely to stay in consulting for 10 years, it sounds like you are probably well served by taking the promotion. None of the big 4 consulting arms are *that* far inferior to Accenture's management consulting group (MBB considers Deloitte S&OP a significantly larger threat and we definitely pitched against them more frequently than we did Accenture). If you leave after 10 years as a junior partner at any of these practices, your exits are way more about your personal network and personal branding, so the 3 year head start on getting to partner would be invaluable in a lot of ways. A few things to consider:
Does this promotion hold up down the line (e.g. are you 3 years closer to partner or do the big 4 firms have more intermediate titles? Essentially, I would think about it as how quickly the promotion gets you to selling and brand-building activities like writing white papers, speaking at conferences, etc. Don't get caught up in the title differences between firms if your outlook is 10 years).
Are you putting yourself in a position to succeed? (Making partner at any of these firms is not easy and far from automatic - if you have a strong reputation internally and partners who know and support you, that is not necessarily something you can count on replicating at a new firm, especially if you come in with higher expectations as something of a mercenary lateral-hired from a competitor. This also applies in terms of whether you are ready to hit the ground running in a manager role - promotions are no use if they damage your career trajectory)
Are you confident that you want to pursue the partner track? (Leaving at the partner or principal level really reduces the differences between these firms - if you burn out or don't make the partner cut, however, these differences come back into play. Each of them place differently into business schools and have different reputations within different industries/geographical regions. You might want to hedge your bets unless you are very certain that you can and want to stay in consulting)
Obviously I'd do the rest of the due diligence as well - current pay scale and average progression comparison, etc. but in your position you should know more about that than I do. Good luck with whatever you choose.
signposts: If you have a
If you have a chance to join Deloitte S&OP with a pay bump, a promotion that would otherwise be 3 years away, and increased focus in your field of choice, it seems like a no-brainer to me unless it comes with other catches.
In general, if your plan is definitely to stay in consulting for 10 years, it sounds like you are probably well served by taking the promotion. None of the big 4 consulting arms are *that* far inferior to Accenture's management consulting group (MBB considers Deloitte S&OP a significantly larger threat and we definitely pitched against them more frequently than we did Accenture). If you leave after 10 years as a junior partner at any of these practices, your exits are way more about your personal network and personal branding, so the 3 year head start on getting to partner would be invaluable in a lot of ways. A few things to consider:
Does this promotion hold up down the line (e.g. are you 3 years closer to partner or do the big 4 firms have more intermediate titles? Essentially, I would think about it as how quickly the promotion gets you to selling and brand-building activities like writing white papers, speaking at conferences, etc. Don't get caught up in the title differences between firms if your outlook is 10 years).
Are you putting yourself in a position to succeed? (Making partner at any of these firms is not easy and far from automatic - if you have a strong reputation internally and partners who know and support you, that is not necessarily something you can count on replicating at a new firm, especially if you come in with higher expectations as something of a mercenary lateral-hired from a competitor. This also applies in terms of whether you are ready to hit the ground running in a manager role - promotions are no use if they damage your career trajectory)
Are you confident that you want to pursue the partner track? (Leaving at the partner or principal level really reduces the differences between these firms - if you burn out or don't make the partner cut, however, these differences come back into play. Each of them place differently into business schools and have different reputations within different industries/geographical regions. You might want to hedge your bets unless you are very certain that you can and want to stay in consulting)
Obviously I'd do the rest of the due diligence as well - current pay scale and average progression comparison, etc. but in your position you should know more about that than I do. Good luck with whatever you choose.
-It appears that each firms titles map 1 to 1 (the potential new firm doesn't have any additional/intermediate titles that would make the promotion a wash)
-Putting myself in a position to succeed.... probably the single most important factor that has caused any hesitancy in this decision. I'm confident in my abilities, I just don't want to end up in a place where I'm either a bad fit or wish I had stayed put (the grass is always greener!). I wouldn't want a promotion if I wasn't groomed enough at my current level to be able to perform, so I don't think that's an issue, I think it's more of a fit with the type of work I would be doing.
-Partner Track: This is my current goal I want to strive toward, that's why any move I may make, I want it to be to a firm that I stay put at for some time so I can develop relationships and my internal network. I don't want to be that guy that bounces from place to place at the sight of an attractive offer. I want a move to be not only a short term, but also a long term (career) move.
OP, if one of these offers is
OP, if one of these offers is from Deloitte Technology Consulting ( Deloitte & Touche ERS/advisory) and your offer with Accenture doesn’t consist of NOT pure Management Consulting but Systems Integration or similar... Deloitte Consulting > Accenture overall. There are things that either firm/arm does better but Deloitte Consulting is just the better brand overall.
When it comes down to it you won’t go wrong with either, but I think its hard to argue against Deloitte Consulting > Accenture.
Cheers
No pain, no pain.