Advice please! Google v. IBM v. Deloitte?

Hi folks,

WSO has been a great source of advice throughout my job search - and I finally have options that I could really use your help to decide between! I'm a senior at a top 3 university, currently trying to figure out what to do for full time. I really wanted to work for MBB but didn't get an offer after interviews. I currently have offers for IBM consulting (interned last summer), Google sales, and Deloitte consulting S&O. I'm also interviewing for the Capital One business analyst program and a position with Royal Caribbean on the revenue management side. A consideration of mine would be to potentially work at MBB in the future, or work in retail/consumer goods, although I'm not sure yet what I want to do.

Between the three - IBM (GBS consultant), Google (associate account strategist aka AdWords sales), & Deloitte (S&O consultant) - which do you think would be the best first job out of college, with the best exit opportunities?

Thank you! I appreciate your honest feedback.

 

Congrats on the offers!

Given your expressed interest in MBB and b-school I'd say you should accept Deloitte S&O.

Reason why; at Deloitte you will get client facing experience which will l help you transition to MBB in the future. Also, Deloitte S&O has a fantastic 2yr BA program for consultants; you'll do a rotation in three different industries which will give you a great overview on which one you'd want to work in MBB post MBA or if you decide to return to Deloitte after b-school as a Senior Consultant.

I won't go with IBM or Google because they would be too "industry" related roles. At DT you will be in client service and could possible work on an engagement for Google; PwC just landed a "Strategy" gig with Google.

Lastly, I've heard Deloitte consultants get a nice upper hand on their b-school apps after working as a BA for two years, not sure if that will be the case with your other offers.

Best of luck! Hope this helps!

 

Based on your stated goals, definitely Deloitte S&O.

M/B/B frequently takes applicants who work for Deloitte previously (even interns during full time recruiting). In addition, when you decide to go for you MBA, Deloitte will pay for it if you decide to return to them after you complete it (and agree to stay for a certain number of year). This is a great alternative option in case your interests change or you don't get the opportunities that you wanted from your MBA.

The wild card here is Google Sales; it's certainly a good position, and great sales people are treated like ROCKSTARS at Google. But exit opportunities are certainly much more limited if you decided to leave it in the future, and it isn't as clear of an asset for a MBA program. Having consulting on your resume will also help you in the behavioral portions of future interviews, if you decide to continue with consulting.

 

Thank you bluman, John-Doe8, aviance and UTDFinanceGuy for your thoughtful feedback! This has been really helpful.

I wanted to add a note that may or may not change your responses, but it's an important question that I'm thinking about that I would appreciate your responses to as well. This way I hear replies to both situations.

Would you change your answers if I told you I didn't want a long-term career in consulting? I recognize now that the reasons I wanted MBB were for the prestige and unparalleled exit opportunities, and it seems that many of you were leaning toward Deloitte so that I could get to MBB for that reason. Is there a value in building a career in industry vs consulting? Do you think that I should be working toward MBB? Would you still recommend Deloitte even if I planned to leave consulting instead of going toward another consulting firm after 2-3 years?

I ask because I'm also interviewing for other companies such as Royal Caribbean and Capital One - and if none of these options are better than Deloitte S&O then perhaps I shouldn't distract myself.

 

I agree with @John-Doe8 it would not change my answer that going with Deloitte S&O would be the best choice. At DT you will get top of the line training and gain exposure to different industries which will help you decide which firm or industry you'd like to permanently work in after 2-3 years of experience.

You will certainly come into an industry role at a much high position if you go with DT because of the brand and they know you worked your ass off. You will typically get double the exposure at DT than in industry. i.e.: 2 yrs at DT is equal to 4 yrs in industry because of the numerous clients and consulting hours you put in.

Lastly, at DT you will have access to the Deloitte Consulting Alumni network that will greatly improve your chances of getting into a role in industry. You are much more marketable with client service experience.

 

It wouldn't change my answer. The skills you'll develop in consulting at Deloitte S&O are going to help you greatly when you get into industry; you'll be more successful when you get there AND you'll likely come in at a higher level. The exit opportunities from consulting firms are a big draw, and MOST people don't stay in consulting long term anyway. That's partially a feature of the up or out system, and partly just burnout from travel/working.

 

Faced with these specific options, I would probably choose Deloitte S&O. You can of course try for MBB again after a year or so but I wouldn't count on that working out. However, you'd have great exit opps into industry from S&O if that is what you choose to do. In my opinion, S&O is also the safest bet for a top b school if that interests you. If you don't know what industry/role you'd be passionate about, take S&O and you'll learn a lot while you figure it out. If you end up liking it, you can even get sponsored by them and enjoy 2 years of b school

The only wild card is google, if you're interested in digital media/advertising, etc. it would be worth talking to people who have done this specific role to see if they've been able to transition to something you'd find more fulfilling there.

 
Best Response

Going to play devil's advocate:

This forum will predominantly favor Deloitte because of its finance / consulting preference, but I think Google is the right choice here. The perks are unparalleled and you will learn the art of selling from one of the best companies on the planet, which is arguably more important than any strategy work you will do for Deloitte. As far as setting yourself up for B-school goes, EVERY b-school loves Google, you already have a top-3 UG, so really you're set up either way. Then once you graduate B-school you transition into MBB. Done deal.

From a life style standpoint, Google takes care of all of the little shit that Deloitte won't whether its dry cleaning, food, transportation, and whatever other sick pleasures you have. The company enables you to solely focus on your work rather than about making sure you're staying on top of the petty life shit the rest of us have to keep track of.

Choose wisely because when you're at Deloitte busting your ass and you see your buddy hop on a tricked out bus then post instagram photos of his gourmet breakfast, lunch and dinner while riding around on his tricycle, you might wonder what the fuck you were thinking. And then when he gets into the same b-school you WILL wonder what the fuck you were thinking.

 
CorpFinanceGuy:

Going to play devil's advocate:

This forum will predominantly favor Deloitte because of its finance / consulting preference, but I think Google is the right choice here. The perks are unparalleled and you will learn the art of selling from one of the best companies on the planet, which is arguably more important than any strategy work you will do for Deloitte. As far as setting yourself up for B-school goes, EVERY b-school loves Google, you already have a top-3 UG, so really you're set up either way. Then once you graduate B-school you transition into MBB. Done deal.

From a life style standpoint, Google takes care of all of the little shit that Deloitte won't whether its dry cleaning, food, transportation, and whatever other sick pleasures you have. The company enables you to solely focus on your work rather than about making sure you're staying on top of the petty life shit the rest of us have to keep track of.

Choose wisely because when you're at Deloitte busting your ass and you see your buddy hop on a tricked out bus then post instagram photos of his gourmet breakfast, lunch and dinner while riding around on his tricycle, you might wonder what the fuck you were thinking. And then when he gets into the same b-school you WILL wonder what the fuck you were thinking.

This imagery isn't true at all Google offices and roles. A small office with no engineers won't see all of this amazing stuff.
 

I'm not sure if I understand your question - there is a rotational aspect, as they want consultants to get a broad exposure to either functions or industries or both. And I am a college senior but I know that there were some people that were 1 or 2 years out of college applying for the position.

 

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