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I'm also interested in this if anyone has any insight.
This is also a question that I would like an answer to....anyone have any thoughts?
By lateral, do you mean MBB--> MBB? Or consulting firms in general?
I imagine that MBB --> MBB isn't very common because, let's face it, what would be the point? But in general, it does happen. I'm an example of someone who went from a small boutique to a bigger place. No where close to the prestige level of MBB though.
everythingsucks: How long were you with the smaller boutique? Were you able to enter into the larger firm at roughly the same level you would have been had you stayed? Also, how did you market yourself when interviewing with other consulting firms? Any regrets?
I will give some input as a consultant who has tried to lateral firms - I am at a non-MBB (Think Deloitte, Accenture, Booz).
A few comments -
In general, it is VERY tough to lateral into MBB at the analyst (or equivalent) level. They have very rigid time tables for recruiting, and the voluntary turnover at these firms is low. That being said, if you have a lot of contacts who can keep your poker in the fire, you might have a shot should an opportunity arise.
Lateraling from a non-MBB to another non-MBB is very situational...you really have to ask yourself WHY you want to leave your current firm. If the end goal is a top business school, then salary should NOT be a driving factor for you. The only factors should be the project experiences you will gain, and reputation of the firm (coupled with the dedication of the firm to send their analysts to top b-schools).
You will have the rest of your life to make a lot of money - you should be focused on getting the best experiences for b-school, or for lateraling into the industry you wish to work in.
Hope this helps, PM me if you have any other questions.
Possible, but painful.
I went from a boutique to MBB (after my 1st year). I graduated from a top 3 school, had a high gpa (over 3.7), and had actually interviewed with 2 of the 3 in undergrad. I also knew several people at the firm, knew that this office happened to be looking to flesh out its undergrad hiring, and had the most senior of my friends drop my resume at HR, which resulted in a immediate call - don't even bother going through the process unless you have this sort of inside edge, or are a gangster networker.
And despite all of that, I went through multiple rounds, got grilled on my motivation, on my background, on analytics (down to the "and then what functionality did you build into the model? oh really - how? huh, index matches, not such an impressive choice"). It was absolutely brutal, took over a month where I was stressed to the max - running a project and prepping for interviews, and culminated in an offer to come in as an analyst - basically resetting my clock.
Was it worth it?
To be flippant, yes - leaving the mid-atlantic where I'm based to travel to the south right now is pretty sweet, it's fucking cold out.
More seriously - I would never transfer unless it was to MBB, because otherwise why bother. Your resume looks spotty, getting more money at the non-manager level is fairly meaningless - $60K and $70K ain't worth something too different. The real goal is to put yourself in a better place to get a sweet managerial/PE/VC/whatever job afterwards.
And if your goal is to make partner, then do it at your boutique, because it's going to be a whole lot easier.
Second-tier consultant speaking to MBB (Originally Posted: 04/13/2013)
I'm in a second-tier consulting firm (think PwC, Deloitte, IBM) and am speaking to recruiters in MBB that I knew through my alumni network. I've been working in consulting for about a year.
I tried for these firms a year ago and didn't get interviews / didn't make it.
So - what should I talk about? How should I frame my story? This is just initial "catch-up" / "introduction" conversations. They know where I work.
Bump. Also interested in knowing how it is viewed by the firms you are applying to as well as MBA programs if you try to switch after a year. Are the firms you are speaking to open to the idea of interviewing you again?
Based on what I've read and heard from people through the grapevine, there aren't really any options for movement until a post-MBA level. Keeping that in mind, I wouldn't imagine too much conversation outside of small-talk.
In terms of "framing the story", just focus on on the positives of your work-place and how you're having a good experience. I think a recruiter would view someone that's upbeat and making the best out of their options more favorably than someone whose a year in and trying to already work his way back into a recruiting session (Not saying that's necessarily the angle you're taking, but just imagine how many of these people recruiters deal with).
I know it's definitely possible given certain factors (good resume, relationships etc.). I agree with the framing on the positives, but there has to be a way to hint that you're interested in a lateral move?
Any other comments?
Best Consulting Firm for Lateral w/o MBA (Originally Posted: 02/13/2013)
As the title states, what is the best Consulting Firm someone can lateral into without an MBA? Is Deloitte S&O, Booz & Co, OW, out of reach? I'm assuming Accenture, PwC Advisory, Deloitte Advisory, BAH, etc, are in reach. Please keep in mind that I'm coming from a niche consulting firm (think Towers Watson HR, Triage Healthcare, etc). The ultimate goal is to build a strong consulting resume for MBA, and then score a position at MBB/Booz. Apologies if this has been answered before, but its a tough topic to search for. Any advice appreciated. Thanks.
why dont you give it a try, that's the best way to get your answer
Really, there is no standard process for lateral hires as far as I know. Try to identify a few firms that do similar work to your niche/boutique, and network with people within that group. Deloitte as a strong HR practice, most firms have specialists (at the principal/partner level) in healthcare etc. Your best bet is to find people within these groups and network your behind off!
I would think the Big 4 might be easier for two reasons - one, they tend to higher larger numbers. Also, given that Deloitte and PwC are growing very fast, they often look for experienced hires for positions they can't fill internally. Two, they tend to have specialized groups for most kinds of functional and industrial expertise. It'll probably be easier to find a group that you're a good fit for at Deloitte/PwC.
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