Deloitte Monitor UK question

Question

Hi,

I fortunately have an assessment centre for Deloitte Monitor as well as a few other tier 2 firms. However, having done some LinkedIn networking, I was very surprised what I heard.

From very high level research it appears monitor are a strong strategy brand with interesting work. Yet when I spoke to people working there, it appears that the brand has been diluted and that Deloitte are trying to merge the strategy work with other consulting practises. This seemed to have knock on effects on the type of work (longer projects more implementation focused) and also the pay (which appears to be circa 20% lower than S& and EYP). I suppose more importantly, the people I spoke to seemed far less passionate about their work which was very different to speaking to MBB, OW S& consultants.

Has anyone got some insight if it would be stupid to pass on this opportunity? Is the monitor brand less strong than it was and may that impact my exit opportunities?

Note: I have a graduate offer for Simon-Kucher which I really enjoyed interning at so I am in the very fortunate position to be picky with who I interview for.

Hope that makes sense and many thanks in advance for your questions.

I also have a job offer for Simon-Kucher

Answer 1

Hi there,

Congratulations on securing already the Simon-Kucher offer. In terms of your question:

Q: Has anyone got some insight if it would be stupid to pass on this opportunity? Is the monitor brand less strong than it was and may that impact my exit opportunities?

Ideally you have to decide considering your “opportunity cost”, which seems to be the offer from Simon-Kucher at this stage.

You can find some answers to a similar question below:

▶ SK vs Monitor Deloitte

This is what I would recommend to take into account (seems you have already started to do so, which is good):

Where do you want to be in 5-10 years? Look at the company that can help you to achieve that goal faster. You can check LinkedIn for that.
If you consider the average consultant/partner you talked to in each company, which one would you rather be? You will spend a lot of time with your colleagues in the next years - be sure you choose a company where the people are close to the person you want to become.
What is your gut feeling telling you? Our gut feeling is able to catch elements we cannot initially rationalize. You may “feel” a company is better, but don’t know exactly why. Try to find out why you feel that way, do some research on that and try to understand if that point is valid.

In terms of exits (for most people they are a very important factor to join a consulting company), you can check them as follows:

Look for alumni of the two companies on LinkedIn
Check how many moved to your preferred exits in your target region
Normalize for the size of the companies in the region

If you want to do extra due diligence, contact Alumni of your university (not current consultants) that worked in your target office (bonus if they worked for both companies). You will learn more in a 30min call with them than with any online research you may do.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 2

There is a significant divide between what you can learn at MBB, tier-2 (real ones, such as AlixPartners, Roland Berger, Oliver Wyman, SK&P), big4+Accenture, and other firms.

At MBB there is a stronger focus on strategic thinking, analytical rigor, and communication quality.
Monitor Deloitte is NOT a real competitor of MBB or tier-2 strategy boutiques and what you can learn there is not even close to learning opportunities you may have at MBB and some tier-2.

Answer 3

Hi there,

This is pretty common with the Big4 accounting firms that setup their own strategy divisions!

You have to remember that Simon-Kucher and Monitor Deloitte are completely different companies.

I mean, across size, breadth, brand, type of work, approach to problem solving, culture, etc., they are just immensely different firms.

Deloitte is a strong brand, yes. But you need to talk to people (actually speak with them on the phone!) and figure out your goals/values/priorities. Pair those with what you hear and then make a decision.

Finally, this is a false choice. You don't have an offer yet…go through this process and make a decision only if you need to (i.e. you get an offer)

Good luck to you!

Answer 4

Hello!

Congrats on the SK offer!

I guess what you are asking is: would this be better than a Monitor UK job? Answer is, it depends. And not only about what you want to do after, but also the role specifically and what it comes with it.

My advice: go for the interviews as if it was your only option, get the offer… and then compare. It's never bad to have too many offers, you never know how life turns…

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara