Boston Consulting Group
Visit Website: www.bcg.com
Related companies : Boston Consulting Group Asia , Boston Consulting Group Europe
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Overview
Introduction
Boston Consulting Group is the second largest consulting firm by revenue and consistently ranks high in our top consulting firms. The firm’s diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise to organizations, helping them to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact. Purpose-driven, the firm strives to drive lasting impact for its employees, clients, and society. "You will be challenged... and rewarded," say insiders.
Company Stats
Employer Type
Size
Featured Rankings
Vault Consulting 50...
Major Departments/Practice Areas
Business & Organizational Purpose...
Major Office Locations
Boston, MA (HQ)...
Employment Contact
Susan Grimbilas - Head of Human Resources...
Firsthand Findings
If you’re looking for an opportunity to work on some of the most challenging business problems in the world with colleagues who support and empower one another and their clients, Boston Consulting Group may be the place for you. This consultancy lives up to its reputation in virtually every sense of the phrase.
The level of rigor, career development, and high-intensity fluctuations of hours and client demands are everything you’d expect from an MBB. Nonetheless, insiders tell us that the culture of learning and high caliber of supportive, inspirational colleagues create a unique experience that nurtures talent from every direction and sets you up for a lucrative consulting career. There is no doubt that BCG is a career accelerator; whether you plan to stay ...
About the Company
With nearly 21,000 employees in over 90 offices in more than 50 countries, Boston Consulting Group ranks as one of America's largest private companies, according to Forbes. The firm partners with leaders in business and society to help them tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. Its clients include many of the world's largest and most influential companies. BCG counts Indra Nooyi, Chairman and former CEO of PepsiCo, Jim Koch, co-founder and chairman of Boston Beer Company, Michelle Peluso, SVP of Digital Sales & CMO of IBM, Marc Bitzer, CEO of Whirlpool, Yasuyuki Higuchi, CEO of Panasonic Corp., and Nneka Rimmer, President of McCormick & Co. among its more than 26,000 alumni around the world.
BCG believes that in order to succeed, orga...
2021 Vault Rankings
Employee Reviews
- “Incredible learning experience with a group of smart, driven but humble coworkers with the biggest clients in the world.”
- “Surrounded by an incredibly talented and genuine group of individuals, doing work I find truly fascinating, satisfying, and occasionally intense.”
- “One of BCG's core values is "Respect for the Individual". BCG truly lives this in how it treats people. I am not aware of another consulting firm with this in its value statement.”
- “BCG places an emphasis on making its members feel like part of a community, and is very welcoming and supportive of everyone regardless of background, race, gender, etc. It's truly a great place to work. The benefits and compensation are incredible, and we really have some of the most amazing people working here. People should come to this firm committed to being able to work hard and jump in as a contributing member of a team right away, as you will do meaningful work from the beginning. This is a place that provides lots of training and support but also has high expectations regarding development and progression; however, they are always willing to work with you to help you with any targeted areas for development to make sure you succeed.”
- “True openness in the culture—I genuinely look forward to seeing my BCG colleagues each day and feel that my managers want me to succeed.”
- “Having worked at a competitor, I can confidently say BCG puts more effort behind supporting their employees. BCG hands down invests more in its employees than anyone else.”
- “Hours and travel requirements tend to be on the high side but can vary greatly depending on the case. I have always felt very supported by BCG both overall and with regards to my home office in terms of my personal goals and preferences with casework, and appreciate that we have the ability to work with staffing to prioritize cases that fit our needs as much as possible (practice area, travel reduction, etc.). We also have opportunities to take a leave of absence or switch to a reduced hour working schedule if necessary, which have helped increase sustainability significantly.”
- “Best aspects are a very strong culture that values sustainability and is willing to walk the walk. Creates policies and programs to improve quality of life and then sticks to them. Worst aspects are driven more by the industry than by the firm, and these revolve around travel and hours, both of which we are working on, I would argue with greater success than other major firms.”
- “The hours can be long and projects intense, but the firm does make visible efforts to improve quality of life - I especially appreciate our facilitated ‘PTO’" discussions.
- “Health coverage has improved over the time I have been at BCG, with focus on increasingly inclusive coverage for medical services (excellent vision policy, inclusive mental health services, etc.). The firm has established mental health nodes in each office; case team, office, and firm leadership speak openly about the importance of mental health and taking time for wellness. As an employee, I believe that the firm is genuinely trying to establish a healthier culture around mental health and wellness in addition to excellent coverage for physical health.”
- “Note - travel has halted since COVID-19 travel restrictions. Prior to COVID, we traveled 4 days a week on average. Management has been incredibly encouraging with vacation time. They offered bonus vacation days if we use half of our time off by the end of summer. They encourage taking time to reset and to truly break away from work when on vacation.”
- “BCG has made extensive investments in helping our staff manage their integration of work/life. We have our "PTO" (Predictability, Teaming & Open Communication) program that supports all staff in actively thinking through and acting on ways to improve their team effectiveness that also allow for better personal growth & better sustainability. We are actively focused on making sure our staff not only deliver for clients but also do so in a way that allows them to succeed regardless of their next steps inside/outside of the firm, and to do all that while driving the best possible balance for their personal lives. We have a number of flex options that are actually in use and attainable for our average staff members and actively work against even implicit bias against those who take such options. We recognize our people are our greatest asset, and in proportion to our high expectations of them invest to make them the best they can be while having the best experiences they can.”
- “Pay is among the highest in the consulting field and health insurance is unmatched. We get 5% in a retirement account as a grant (it doesn't need to be matched). Bonus is pretty healthy and tied directly to performance, which is transparently communicated.”
- “Salary growth is rapid and exponential. Health insurance is truly second to none – it equals essentially free healthcare anywhere except for the most exotic and experimental procedures. Vacation days are below par for competition.”
- “Amazing benefits and compensation. Significantly higher than previous industry compensation. Great salary progression, equal pay.”
- “Compensation is very good overall with super premium health and wellness coverage. The generous travel benefits are awesome (pre-COVID).”
- “Strong salary progression and pay equity, including transparency about pay to every person in the firm each year.”
- “Compensation is very attractive and merit-based, while allowing everyone to participate in the firm’s success. We have regularly had special bonuses / additional vacation time awarded to all staff in most successful years.”
- “BCG is very transparent about the developmental pipeline and promotion process, with clearly defined metrics for tracking development as well as strengths and weaknesses. The firm has a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion with respect to gender, race, etc. There are also many opportunities for both formal and informal mentoring.”
- “Our firm's culture has a strong emphasis on timely & actionable feedback, and transparency in how you are developing & progressing in your career. Promotion processes are transparent and fair, and I feel like I have an active ability to influence the trajectory of my career here.”
- “I love our extensive Learning & Development resources. I feel that continuous learning is not only expected, but also supported in many different ways. I use a personal communications coach to work on improving my interpersonal communication. Additionally, I feel that we have adopted well to the digital environment. I miss being in person, but I still feel connected to my colleagues.”
- “Performance evaluations and promotion processes/timing are extremely transparent which is excellent. Not only does the evaluation process account for tenure, but it also considers feedback from several different managers/colleagues and more than just case/project performance. Training is fantastic (comparing to similar trainings from industry role), BCG has tried and true processes taught in an engaging way. Amazing amount of IP across industries, functions, and practice areas that are easily accessible for everyone.”
- “Promotion practices: BCG is very transparent on how you get promoted. The criteria are shared at the outset and are the basis for all of your reviews. Promotion decisions are made by a committee of people within your office, who may not even know you personally, ensuring fairness & that politics stay out of the decision. Training: Training at BCG is awesome. When you start, experienced PLs, Principals, and Partners guide you through a well-designed training program that actually teaches you how to do the job. It's unique in that it's managed by a professional staff of learning & development people, but incorporates consultants who actually do the job each day. We also have a terrific online portal, called Learning at BCG (LAB), that offers 24/7 access to high quality teaching content...”
- “Very clear promotion policies and it is communicated ahead of time how you are tracking against those requirements. Exit opportunities are as good as they get in consulting, with a lot of support for top-tier graduate schools as well. Big feedback culture so your managers will always be helping you improve. Formal training is just OK, but on-the-job learning is very high.”
- “We are truly making an incredible effort to promote and encourage diversity. There are still issues to overcome, especially with respect to retaining diverse talent, but we continue to take tangible actions that I believe will make a difference in time.”
- “For women, we are doing great at recruiting, and have done a lot of work in retention and are starting to see the benefits of that as you go up the ladder. For racial diversity…recently there has been [an increased] focus on it and the changes made for the upcoming recruiting season appear to be tangible and there is clear energy from everyone involved in my office's recruiting to make it a success.”
- “I have been very impressed with the number of women in high-level management positions in the firm, both globally and locally. BCG has a number of initiatives related to the hiring and support of people from diverse backgrounds, and has recently made substantial strides in strengthening their minority recruitment (increasing their presence at HBCUs, etc.).”
- “Transparency around the data gives me confidence BCG is doing a decent job around promotion equity for all —regardless of backgrounds. The early programs to support new hires with diverse backgrounds have been recently enhanced and should help even more. Pay for roles is also transparent and set for all consulting roles ensuring equity.”
- “Salaries are shared publicly and standardized across the region. BCG is thought leader when it comes to diversity and we walk the talk on many fronts – obviously, we can get better but the intention and investment are certainly in place and we're well along the journey.”
- “Diversity is very top-of-mind for firm leadership. I've been involved in task forces explicitly dedicated to improving diversity, inclusion, and equity for my office.”
- “Possibly the healthiest margins of any industry, and BCG has weathered COVID extremely well. Business remains and will continue to be strong. However, employee morale has [declined] due to loss of expensing perks, extreme work hours due to COVID, and weak social interaction.”
- “We have been seeing double-digit growth in the last few years which has fueled incredible new businesses and accounts at the firm and new capabilities that we didn't have before. Despite COVID, we're still up vs our previous year which speaks to our resilience…”
- “In my opinion, it has come down to BCG and McKinsey in leading digital work in tandem with strategy. The combination of these two may translate to a solid portion of the future of consulting.”
- “Currently strengthening technology offerings and improving collaboration across specialties.”
- “We have grown greatly despite the challenging business environment this year, and in our biopharma area, specifically, have displaced our only true rival as the preferred supplier at several large accounts. We are deeply invested in our clients and our team, and this genuine value-driven approach seems to be elevating us above those who would be our competitors.”
- “BCG is on the leading edge in terms of its digital offering—I am continually impressed by how BCG continues to push into new spaces, even those that fall outside of traditional management consulting.”
Getting Hired Here
- “….The ideal candidate is someone who is very intelligent, with good analytical problem solving skills and the ability to quickly distill key points and takeaways when presented with a problem or information. [They] would also need to have solid interpersonal and communication skills to be able to work effectively with a team and with clients, and must have the ability to receive constructive feedback.”
- “More than anything else, we are seeking candidates with brains and good judgement. Candidates who can take a problem and run with it, while also teaming effectively and productively to get to the solution…”
- “As with most top-tier consulting firms, ideal candidates are hard workers and creative problem-solvers, but what differentiates candidates who tend to succeed at BCG is a genuine interest in learning about new topics and digging into novel problems.”
- “BCG works to call interviewees back as soon as possible, often within a few hours, to ensure the process is transparent as possible. BCG is looking for driven individuals that can bring both creativity and analytical thinking to our case teams.”
- “Fair, tested and proved interviewing process. Incorporating additional activities that remove implicit bias from recruiting process. Extremely competitive and brings out the best in candidates. Engaging and enjoyable.”
- “We are looking for the best, brightest and highly motivated candidates with a diversity of backgrounds (ethnic, cultural, academic and life) who bring outstanding problem solving, teamwork and communication skills.”
- “Full case interview to gauge candidates’ ability to problem solve, communicate and overall [alignment] with firm values/culture.”
- “No standard questions. Interview cases are based on actual case experiences and meant as discussion vehicles with candidates, not as a test with right and wrong answers.”
- “We ask candidates to work through specific case problems that we have faced, and would not disclose anything that compromises the validity of that process.”
- “We utilize real world experiences to develop our case questions. We also ask a number of behavioral questions to better understand a candidate's experiences and background.”
- “Interview questions for leadership, facing adversity, etc. Business cases based on real project work.”
Perks & Benefits
