Deloitte Federal S/O vs. Deloitte Federal Human Capital
Interesting predicament that I'm in- I have two offers from Deloitte Federal, but they are in different service lines under their federal practice. Both positions are as an Analyst with the same salaries, start date, and location. I am under the impression that S/O is a bit more well known and has traditionally been viewed as more prestigious. The Human Capital practice is growing and is a bit smaller, which excites me b/c their may be more opportunity to advance. If I could get any insight into the differences between these service lines that would be great! On these forums, I mostly have only seen posts related to S/O. Thanks!
It depends on what you want to do. S&O is a traditional management consulting shop and is a tier beneath MBB, whereas federal is a whole different service line effectively, not that there is anything wrong with working in federal, but if you want to have better B School options or have an interest in going into the private sector, you'll be much happier in S&O.
To be clear, both positions are within the federal practice. It seems that not many people know too much about Deloitte federal human capital. Is this accurate?
I would search for previous posts by @"BGP2587" on the subject. He has Deloitte federal experience and has written about federal vs. commercial before on the forum. I’ve spoken to analysts and consultants in both practices, and they have said the main difference between the two is that the travel is less and projects are generally longer in length on federal practices.
As you said, S&O carries a certain cachet that Human Capital doesn't have. I also know that many federal projects are interdisciplinary and staffed by a mix on S&O, HC, and Tech consultants.
As for exit opportunities, I'm sure someone with more expertise will come along with more information, but my understanding was that the difference between federal S&O and federal HC is much smaller than in the commercial field.
Best of luck, and congratulations on your offers.
I can explain some of the differences, but nowhere do you mention which type of work appeals to you more. My opinion is that the reputation is basically the same in the federal practice. If you’re planning to apply to b-school, S&O may be better known, but there are definitely more opportunities to stand out in HC (less competition for cool internal stuff).
In all honesty, there’s a ton of overlap between the two practices. As @blueapple mentioned, there are numerous projects that blend S&O and HC. Moreover, I know of many consultants that are in one practice but spend a lot of time on another project. In my less than one year as an S&O Consultant, I spent time on a Federal HC, Federal S&O, and Commercial S&O project, as well as a commercial internal project. I had a bit of a weird situation, but there is overlap, especially within the federal group.
Quite honestly, I don’t think it makes much of any difference which one you want to do. Most of your related exit opportunities are going to be in the public sector, although plenty of young federal consultants go on and do other things that aren’t all that related. Moreover, most go on to b-school at some point to get out of the federal world.
What interests you more? Personally, I found that within the federal space, the HC people were more impressive, but I’m working from quite a small sample size. I would really just do what sounds like it would be more interesting for you.
Feel free to PM for specifics.
Hey @"BGP2587", another federal consultant here. What are examples of public sector related exit opportunities for consultants?
I am far from an expert (have only spent about ~6 total months on federal work), but in that time I had multiple Senior Managers leave for Director level positions with our direct client. Basically, they became our client. Also had a friend and coworker (had just made Consultant) on my team leave for a job at the NYC Economic Development Corporation as a Project Manager, which is one of the (IMO) cooler public sector jobs. I believe he/she just got into HBS as well.
The vast majority of the federal consultants I worked with have or are going to b-school because they don't see the public sector as a long term place for them. Again, very small subset of the giant federal consulting picture.
BGP2587-Great! Thank you so much for that response. I found it to be very comprehensive. After talking with a partner in the HC practice I am leaning more toward Human Capital. The idea of capacity building really does appeal to me. Additionally, I think the smaller practice and the opportunities that come along with that may be more conducive to my working style/success. As far as what I want to do after, I am not sure. I am open to staying with Deloitte. I like the mission focused work. I also find economic development and community development to be especially enticing. However I am not sure if S&O or HC lends itself to that...
Are applicants now allowed to apply to both HC and S&O? Does this apply to commercial as well? Furthermore, can someone apply to both commercial positions and federal-- potentially applying for all four possibilities (not interested in tech)? In the past I thought that applicants could only apply to one service line and one practice. Also, how does this work for summer internships?? Thanks!
Hi - My question doesn't belong on this thread entirely, but could someone comment on interview for S&O compared to HC? How are cases structured, are expectations different? Thanks.
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