Difference between revisions of "Specialization"
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The use of boutique consulting firms, when they are indeed small, may be riskier than using a large firm. In some cases, they have serviced many fewer clients than the larger firms, so there is not as much verifiable evidence that their services will be helpful. The methods boutique consulting firms employ might not be as well-defined or established as those of the larger firms. Small boutique firms may not have adequate resources to thoroughly train newly hired consultants. In general, boutique consulting firms tend to offer companies and agencies fewer frills, perks, and status through their association than their larger counterparts. | The use of boutique consulting firms, when they are indeed small, may be riskier than using a large firm. In some cases, they have serviced many fewer clients than the larger firms, so there is not as much verifiable evidence that their services will be helpful. The methods boutique consulting firms employ might not be as well-defined or established as those of the larger firms. Small boutique firms may not have adequate resources to thoroughly train newly hired consultants. In general, boutique consulting firms tend to offer companies and agencies fewer frills, perks, and status through their association than their larger counterparts. | ||
'''''From http://managementconsulted.com/boutique-firms/recruiting-decisions-what-is-the-difference-between-global-management-consulting-firms-and-boutique-consulting-firms/''''' <br> | |||
This is an important issue when recruiting for a business consulting job. In finance, most people think you must work for the biggest the Goldman-Sachs-or-bust mentality. And while the big management consulting firms (like McKinsey and Bain) get the lions share of media attention, there are many successful and well-respected boutique consulting firms (like Katzenbach Partners, LEK, and Marakon) that I would recommend prospective applicants consider. | |||
So what are the differences between the two? First, Ill start with the similarities: | |||
1) Consulting travel will usually be a component | |||
2) Youll work in teams, interacting closely with clients | |||
3) As an analyst/associate/consultant, your focus will be on data gathering, analysis, and presentation. In plain English, this means youll receive lots of data from your client, do calculations in Excel, combine that with thorough Internet research and some interviews, and put it into slides to share at meetings | |||
But the differences are very important: | |||
1) While the fundamentals of your work will be the same, the application of that work can vary. Boutique companies like Kurt Salmon typically focus on narrower questions and in fewer industries. At a Big 3 consulting firm (Bain, BCG, McKinsey) you receive exposure to different industries and functions (eg, strategy, operations, organization). In boutiques your exposure is more narrow at Kurt Salmon, your primary focus would be on retail and consumer goods companies. This is both a pro (you start building expertise) and a con (what if you decide the retail sector is not for you?). | |||
But again, the day-to-day will look very similar. The difference is in the longer-term. | |||
2) As for travel it depends. Some boutiques do a lot of traveling if they have an industry focus (Kurt Salmon is a well-regarded expert in the retail/consumer goods space, with clients spread throughout the US and internationally). But other boutiques have a more local focus (eg, Slalom Consulting) and thus you may travel very little most of your work would be with area clients with whom your firm has developed a lasting relationship | |||
3) While youre guaranteed to work in teams and with clients, both the types of team members, types of clients and nature of interaction could be different. Boutiques have less coverage for clients overall, which could mean youll see significantly more client interaction from an early stage, and with more senior members (this is the norm but I have heard of smaller consulting firms like ATKearney with enormous teams at the client, so it can vary). Your teams will usually be smaller, often with you and maybe one other person as the only real day-to-day presence at your clients. Each of these comes with its own set of pros and cons. | |||
Further reading: Interview with an ATKearney Shanghai consultant | |||
4) Culture can be vastly different | |||
I use the example of a small liberal arts college (Brown) vs a large, public institution (UCLA). | |||
Brown offers greater personalization and support, everyone knows your name, youre a big fish in a small pond. At UCLA, its harder to standout. The support network is not personalized and easily accessible. While there are more opportunities, its up to you to seize them. Youre a small fish in a big pond, but the upside can be higher. | |||
The analogy also applies to large city offices versus satellite/smaller city offices (for example, Bains San Francisco office versus their satellite offices in Texas. A great discussion of consulting office selection can be found in my interview with Marquis) | |||
5) Future jobs/exit options. In particular I need to put a disclaimer here, because your situation is largely within your control and the actual situations vary widely. But when we discuss the ACCESS that you have to exit opportunities across industries and job functions, larger firms (like Boston Consulting Group) are the clear winner. Much larger alumni networks, more internally shared recruiting emails and advice, greater brand recognition, the list goes on. Boutiques, given their strong reputation in particular niches, offer plenty of opportunities in the same space but are distinctly behind in offering opportunities to enter unrelated career paths. These corporate paths usually include (and this is not counting the many who enter graduate school): | |||
Finance investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, investment management consulting-friendly private equity firms and investment funds are the norm here | |||
Corporate/Fortune 500 roles range from corporate strategy to product management to marketing and business development | |||
More consulting either internally at your current firm in a new position, or at a new firm, new country, etc | |||
Startups probably the least frequent choice | |||
Further reading: Part 1 of a series on management consulting exit options | |||
Also, as a note for prospective summer interns many boutique firms do not offer consulting summer internships in the U.S. This practice is more common internationally. However, summer internship season can offer a great opportunity to see how the Big 3 management consulting firms/Big 4 accounting/one-stop-shop firms operate from the inside. While recruiting is competitive, the opportunity is golden if you get it | |||