EY Tech Consulting vs. KPMG Customer and Operations Advisory—Internship

Question

Received offers for internships at both EY and KPMG. I am drawn to EY as a company and like the idea of doing digital transformation, but I am afraid of specializing too soon in tech and ending up doing mostly IT work when I should be getting broader experience. This makes me think I should go with KPMG.

Hoping to try again for MBB full time next year, and the feedback I've received for that is that either internship would be great. But if that doesn't work out and I end up returning full time after my internship I want to pick the job that best sets me up for management roles in the future.

Which internship should I pick?

Answer 1

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offers!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

First of all, please don't worry about specializing because this is just an internship.
Moreover, I would highly advise you to opt for the option that better aligns with your professional (and maybe even personal) mid- to long-term goals. In order to make an informed decision, I would advise you to do the following:
- Weigh the different criteria that are meaningful to you independently of the current options (e.g., prestige, culture, location, compensation, international exposure). After that, score the two options based on your criteria and their weighting, resulting in two scores. This way, you have covered the left-brain perspective.
- Critically assess your initial reaction to the outcome of the scores. For instance, if you feel the urge to tweak the numbers, this is a solid indicator that you do not want this decision to become reality. This way, you have covered the right-brain perspective.
- By doing so, you will be able to integrate both parts of the brain into the decision-making, guaranteeing a higher chance that you will still be happy with it years later.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 2

Hey there!

If you're aiming for broad experience, KPMG's Customer and Operations Advisory is likely the better choice. This role would allow you to gain exposure to various strategic functions, like operations and customer experience, which align closely with general management and consulting fundamentals. The broader experience can be highly advantageous in consulting since it develops versatile problem-solving and client-facing skills that MBB looks for.

However, if you’re particularly excited about digital transformation, EY Tech Consulting could also work well, especially since it involves the digital strategy side of consulting, which is highly relevant to the industry. You might, though, encounter more technical or IT work, so if you're cautious about specializing too early, KPMG could provide a wider array of projects.

Best, Alessa :)

Answer 3

Hi there,

Congrats! :-)

Given brand and recognition, I would go with EY.

On top of that, both are relatively specialized, yet tech is more relevant for future leaders/general management.

All the best,

Florian