Response after interviews completion

Hi there,

Does the fact that it is taking that much time a bad sign?

Not necessarily. I helped a candidate recently who got an offer from a Tier 2 after 3 weeks. Consulting companies tend to be fast, but also due to the Covid there may be delays. Plus, if they clearly stated when you will get results it probably means they will finish interviews then.

I prefer big 4 mainly because work life balance is relatively better. Your thoughts?

Honestly, I don’t think you can expect good work-life balance in any consulting company. For a good lifestyle, you will need to leave consulting. From that point of view, MBB are better as they allow better exits.

For more on the topic, I recommend the 80-20 Principle by Richard Kock (ex Bain Partner and co-founder of LEK). He mentions how he got a far better lifestyle only after selling his stakes in LEK and becoming an investor (incidentally he made a lot more money after consulting although working less – so he really lived his principles).

Best,
Francesco

No, the time does not mean a thing, especially if it is announced upfront. This probably means that they are collecting interview results for a hole batch of candidates and then make a decision on the hole group, rather than each individual by itself. In any case, no reason to worry. There is absolutely no reason for them to sit on negative outcomes to send them out in 2 weeks.

Hey,

Decision/Outcome

Dont read into it too much and just be patient. Typically they try and get back within a week or two but with 2-3 candidates I coached recently for BIG4, it was a good 3-4 weeks before they heard anything back (all were positive outcomes).

No news is good news and its not an accept or reject until you get one.

Fingers crossed, all goes well for you. 

Work Life Balance

Generally, all big consulting companies will drive you hard & work life balance is such a grey subject still. If you are savvy you can have a good work life balance over time otherwise NO :). Plunge in and work hard in the early days (1-2 years) while you are learning and building your reputation.

By savvy I mean the following well executed moves. You will need all of or most of below to make work-life balance work:

1. Staying in the firm for at least 3 years and having a good reputation (across levels-analysts all the way upto partner) & high on the job performance
2. Being close to key senior managers/directors/partners who are high performing themselves and back you
3. Staying on the same one/two clients for multiple projects
4. Having key clients back you and wanting you on the projects
5. Having a network of poeple to call upon for favours- these are colleagues/peers/seniors you are willing to help you out, share a load, cut you some slack etc etc

Now, here are the life lessons I have learnt on work-life balance:

1. You need to have a clear plan for yourself, otherwise work & people will totally consume you. You draw the line on work not intruding your personal space (leisure time, weekends etc). Learn to say NO subtly and tactfully
2. Dont follow the crowd- if everyone is or appears to be slogging, you don't have to. Be yourself, believe in yourself and follow points 1-5 above
3. Focus on doing your best, enjoy the process and dont worry about the outcome. Things fall into place
4. Keep talking to people (specially senior people) on their perceptions of you! People forget easily over time. Be visible a lot!

Hi there,

Please don't read into this.

They have a process and it has nothing to do with you as an individual. Please be patient, and don't reach out to them until after the 1st week of February.

Secondly, please don't expect a good worklife balance. EY/PwC can be just as bad (or worse) than MBB...all depends on the country, office, projects, etc.

Hi there, 

there is no need to worry if they told you they're gonna get back to you the beginning of February:)

Regarding the work-life balance in consulting, please check these threads on PrepLounge: 

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/does-work-life-balance-improve-with-time-8445

Short answer: it is pretty hard to have a great work-life balance anywhere in consulting, only you are resposible for it and if you know how and why- you can make it happen.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

GB

Hi,

my fellow coaches have provided nice input. Here some additional thoughts. Timing these days probable mean even less than pre-covid. Processes are not necessarily as smooth and there could be many reasons in general why it takes so much time.

Perhaps they were waiting on the responses from other ppl who have already received offers, perhaps they are still interviewing someone else last minute etc.

Work-life balance: Adi's post is on the spot! You will most likely only have some decent work life balance if you find the right spot in a company for you, surrounding yourself with the right people. It is mostly about being pro-active and "fighting" for your own desires, finding true mentors and friends and be good (in a practical sense) in what it is you do. Having a good network and literally delegate more and source knowledge / materials from others is crucial.

Best
Denis

Best,
Denis

Hello!

Since it was announced upfront I would not worry too much about it. 

Most likely they will be done with all the assessments by then and want to have all the info in hand to make the best decision. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara