MBA Consulting Recruiting. Choosing Home Office?
Hey, I'm wondering how choosing a home office works in Management Consulting recruiting as it will play a major role in deciding which school I end up going to. I currently live in LA County and would prefer to work in LA or Orange County (in the Deloitte S&O LA or Costa Mesa offices). How is your home office determined when you recruit for consulting? Since you fly so much and are rarely are in an office does it even end up mattering?
You apply for an office and interview for that office. It doesn't really matter that much, but it's more about where do you want to live and if you fit with the culture of that office.
In terms of choosing which office to recruit for, you rank your top 3 when you apply. But some schools are considered (officially or unofficially) regional feeders for some firms, meaning most students from that school will end up in a single office. (There could be a variety of reasons hwy this is the case. Weak alumni presence in other offices, school schedule, etc.) Doesn't prevent you from applying elsewhere, but might be an uphill battle.
In terms of how your home office might affect your experience once you're in the door. Depending on the staffing model of the firm, your home office could have an impact on which industries/functions you work on. Even at firms where the staffing model is global, I heard it could affect your project experience since it's always easier to meet Partners/Principals/Managers in your home office--but my firm didn't have a global model, so this is based on what I heard from my friends at other firms.
In addition to what's already been mentioned, each office at each firm can have its own subculture and work / life balance (well, maybe travel is the better way to put it) differences. If your home office is in a city with a large industry base, such as NYC with financial services, you may end up traveling less than if you're out of, say, Cleveland. To the point on culture, my suggestion is to chat with people from each office and ask them about their social events, what they do on the weekends, etc, to get a good feel for how office cultures differ.
Also note, during recruiting, the line you will hear from some firms is that it doesn't matter where your home office is in terms of the work you do. Take that with a large grain of salt, especially if it's a large, prestigious firm with a global staffing model. :)
If you're having to jockey to position yourself for your next case, not being in the same city of the partner selling the work will almost always leave you disadvantaged. And even if you win, flying cross-country will get old. For example, probably not the best idea to have LA as your home office and decide you want to do a lot of CPG work, though it is technically doable.
i just want to reiterate a point that thebidness made above: the home office you choose to recruit for MOST DEFINITELY plays a role in how difficult it is to get the job. i recruited NY for all the consulting firms i applied to and got burned pretty badly. NY/SF offices are the most competitive for all firms so I would suggest targeting smaller offices (DAL/ATL/DET) as a way to get into a firm. if you do well, you can always transfer out after a year or two (obv dont tell the recruiter that this is your plan).
recruiters will def feed you BS that the home office does not factor into anything, but it 100% does. its simple supply and demand. theres a very large demand for NY/SF spots and although these offices typically have more spots to fill, the amount of spots available is not enough for the excess demand. this causes the 'price' of these roles to increase thereby making it more difficult to get an MBB role in NY than in Atlanta. also, have a strong alumni presence in the office you target helps a lot as well, i'd imagine getting MBB NY would be easier out of Stern than out of Duke figuring theres more Stern alum in the NY office than Duke alum.
Consulting - Given choice of home office, what to pick? (Originally Posted: 10/08/2012)
I have an offer from Deloitte as a BTA and was given the choice of a home office / location. I narrowed down my choices to Atlanta (close to home, low cost of living, great airport hub) and New York City (networking, bigger hiring class, potentially projects in financial sector).
What should I consider when choosing and office and what do you recommend?
atlanta, you'll be travelling anyhow go with the lower lost of living.
Atlanta is a good city. I lived in ATL for a year and a half after college with my last firm before moving to DC. A lot of young professionals. Look into finding an apartment in the Buckhead/Midtown area.
Yeah I've heard Atlanta is a great city for young professionals but i've been told NYC offers better networking opportunities since its the headquarters. Since the pay is the same, I'm not sure if its worth to pay the extra money to live in NYC.
If you're in NYC and looking for projects in the financial sector you'll basically never travel.
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