Image by memoflores via Flickr
The short answer is yes, but it’s worth explaining how and building the case nonetheless.
Driving a top of the line Lexus is nice. It’s comfortable, parks itself and impresses the neighbours. However, I can assure you every Lexus driver wants a Mercedes. The only thing stopping them is the financial means to get one, or their earlier taunts about Mercedes.
The same happens when you work at Deloitte Consulting or Accenture. They are okay consulting firms; they feature well in rankings, offer a respectable salary and impress your colleagues. However, they are not McKinsey, Bain or the Boston Consulting Group. The élite management consulting firms pay more, train you better, treat you better, offer far greater value on your résumé and set you up for future success in a way Deloitte or Accenture cannot, because they are not pure management consulting firms.
That is not to say all is bad at Deloitte and Accenture. There are pockets of excellence and when it comes to understanding and implementing technology solutions, Accenture is the juggernaut. We receive many, many queries from consultants at Deloitte, Accenture, E&Y, KPMG, Hay Group, PWC and so on wanting to know if they can get into the élite firms, and if so, how. Today we will cover that.
The one point I want to really stress is that consultants from the best firms are not necessarily better than consultants from other firms. Some invariably are, but not all. They receive better training, development, coaching and opportunities. That is why they excel. If you think you have what it takes, then you have every right to try and gain exposure to the same advantages. Just like we trade up cars, we should be willing to trade-up exposure. You only have a limited window so you might as well make it count.
Despite your experience, focus on the basics. No matter your success at Deloitte or Accenture, do not let this go to your head. Expect it will be tough to get into the top firms, and expect to focus on the core attributes needed to be successful. The most important is an ability to solve complex case questions. Did you do exceptionally well at university or graduate school? Do you have strong leadership potential? Are you inquisitive? Do you have the soft skills like presenting, speaking and engaging well? If you cannot tick these off and say you are stellar, then it is highly unlikely you will get in.
Measure your experience for what it is. Let’s assume you were a brilliant analyst, consultant or even senior consultant at Deloitte and Accenture. Maybe you received the best rating you could receive. Clients may have written glowing testimonial letters. That’s great. You should be proud. Ask yourself this; did you do well despite the standards being very high? Are you a disciplined problem solver or did you do well since you were on the same kinds of projects? If you stripped down your success to its root-causes is it because you have the fundamental skills of a management consultant? This is important. Do not assume your success and skills will impress the interviewer. They may get you the interview but you must still show demonstrated competency. So it is not enough to say you can solve problems in the interview, you will be tested and must prove it.
Expect you past accomplishments in consulting to be re-rated. Unless you were a super-high flyer who performed at the highest possible levels expect to have some, if not a lot, of your performance heavily discounted during the interview process and after you get in. There is a reason for that. The top firms strongly believe in their own training programmes. Unless you achieve mastery in the skills they claim are important, your bragging rights diminish. You need to earn your stripes so to speak.
If you can make the switch but will need to go through this painful transition, why would you do it? Mainly because of the training, exposure and brand value of the top firms and their powerful alumni networks. I can assure you that someone spending even six months at McKinsey flashes it on their résumé because it conveys such prestige. These firms train future CEO’s. There is nowhere else you can get this training.
You may argue all the firms have prestige. Not true. If you do not believe this, here is a perfect example:
The winner of the second Apprentice with Donald Trump (Kelly Purdue) was more than happy to talk about this Rangers Army training, his MBA and JD Law from UCLA. The runner-up in the second season (Jennifer Massey) flaunted her Harvard Law degree.
The runner-up (Kwame Jackson) in the first season played up his Harvard MBA and employment at Goldman Sachs.
Did you know the winner of the second Apprentice (Kelly Purdue) was a manager in Deloitte Consulting’s Strategy & Operations practice? He never mentioned that even once. Not even when attacked about his business skills. I can assure you if he had a McKinsey background he would have thrown it out there. That is the difference in brand value. One can get you the top job and the other cannot.
That may be a 4-year-old example. Yet it is real, visible and hard to argue. There are many recent examples. The training, compensation, prestige, values and networks of the top firms are worth the shift.
