Two years in Accenture, got an offer from BCG for an associate position

Question

Hi, I am working with Accenture for 2 years on Consultant position (the next after entry level associate) and currently a candidate for a promotion to manager. Alternatively, I have got an offer from BCG for an associate position (entry level). This means starting from scratch and loosing 2 years of work experience. Plus moneywise it is not an improvement (since manager at Accenture earns more than associate at BCG).

Is it a common practice to get an associate position at BCG with 2 years prior experience at the other consulting firm? What are your thought about it?

Answer 1

While BCG in general tends to discount experience at other consulting firms, what you can do is to negotiate with them to be placed in a higher band within the associate level (A1/A2/A3). This way, you will not have to spend ~3 years as it takes to graduate from associate to consultant but hopefully shorter

Answer 2

Hi Robert,

it is normal that they consider you for an Associate position. However, BCG usually takes into account some seniority given an experience like yours, thus not considering as starting point the one of a fresh graduate; I would try to negotiate that with HR.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi,

Yes it is common to take a ‘discount’ on your tenure when joining MBB, especially when coming from T2.

I too took a ‘cut’ when I switched from Kearney to BCG.

Here are my thoughts:

Like for like (for the same position), the pay at BCG is often higher than T2
The benefits of MBB go beyond just salary - there are other things to consider including
- Project exposure
- Internal opportunities (e.g. mobility)
- Exit opportunities

Hope this helps to clarify.

Answer 4

Hi,

Yes,BCG will discount your prior experience. However if you have relevant experience (Consulting in your case) you can negotiate to start as a Senior Associate

Best

Answer 5

Hi,

It is common to get downgraded when you come from another consulting company, as BCG wants you to adapt to their culture and the way of doing things.

To give you a benchmark, a colleague of mine came to BCG with 3-year work experience at Accenture, and he started as a 2nd-year associate (thus this means that BCG only counted 1 year from his tenure at Accenture).

Best,

Deniz