Overview

Introduction

EY Parthenon—the strategy consulting arm of the prestigious EY (Ernst & Young, to drop a name that industry outsiders will immediately spark to)—is one of the largest global strategy consultancies, with more than 700 offices worldwide. By harnessing the infrastructure of its parent organization and its international network of talented professionals, EY Parthenon offers a near-unparalleled learning experience for jobseekers looking to deepen their expertise while expanding their skillsets.

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Major Departments/Practice Areas

Consumer Products and RetailAdvanced Manufacturing & Mobility......
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Employment Contact

Firsthand Findings

According to those who work at the firm, EY-Parthenon is an incredible place to begin and grow a career for young consultants. An environment of perpetual learning, fueled by the industry-leading diversity of expertise for which the firm has become known, means that EY-Parthenon newcomers will be trained to think strategically and develop a toolkit that will serve them well wherever they go.

There doesn’t seem to be any sort of “up-or-out” culture, but insiders do acknowledge that a tenure in any one firm for a consultant is often only a handful of years; they credit the culture of growth and development they find at EY-Parthenon with positioning them for future success wherever they go.

And for those who do choose to stay here for the long run,...

About the Company

EY-Parthenon is a strategy consulting outfit with 6,500+ professionals in 50+ office locations worldwide. EY-Parthenon professionals advise c-suite, business, and organizational leaders across multiple sectors, including consumer, advanced manufacturing & mobility, education, financial services, health care, life sciences, energy, private equity and technology, media and telecom. EY-Parthenon clients include Global 1000 corporations, as well as high-potential growth companies, private equity clients, health care and education clients, and nonprofit groups.

A powerful combination

In 2014, The Parthenon Group, founded in 1991 by two former Bain consultants-John Rutherford and William Achtmeyer - combined with Big Four member EY. The combination brings together Parthenon's exp...

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2021 Vault Rankings

#5

Vault Consulting 50

#8

Best Consulting Firms for Relationships with Supervisors

#9

Best Consulting Firms for Exit Opportunities

Employee Reviews

  • “Constant learning curve in a sector I am passionate about with strong mentors and support to explore my interests in nontraditional ways.”
  • “The size of the organization and the fact that it is a partnership offers unmatched flexibility, opportunity and sustainability for anyone who is looking for a career in consulting and aims to be a well-rounded strategy consultant.”
  • “The people are enjoyable to be around and are genuinely good. Yes, we work on interesting projects. Yes, we produce high-quality work. But if you don't like the people you're working with, none of the rest of the stuff will matter. Being able to prove that as part of the recruiting process is a critical way that we continue to bring in even more good people.”
  • “EY-Parthenon is a challenging organization to work for, but ultimately you grow so much while here as a team member and consultant.”
  • “Exciting opportunity where growth is driven by a supportive culture, unique experiences, and strong leadership.”
  • “Quickly growing organization of genuinely good people providing employees with the opportunity to quickly grow too.”
  • “The hours are challenging, but this is more a function of consulting than it is EY-Parthenon. Mentors, peers, and those I manage all strive for strong work-life balances, so we are conscious of being efficient and trying to improve quality of life. It is also easy to take time off, and this is actively respected across the firm.”
  • “[Pre-Covid-19] travel requirements are minimal and we have an excellent office culture. We are also encouraged to get involved with internal initiatives and carve out time for mentorship, so balance (when we are in the office in person!) is generally positive. When you are pushing yourself to learn and grow, the hours are challenging, but when you need support or a breather, people are always there to give you the support and coverage that you need.”
  • “EY-Parthenon, supported by the broader EY firm, has a robust health & wellness program which includes gym fee reimbursements, access to a discounted "Gym Pass" membership, and multiple different exercise and nutrition programs.”
  • “EY-Parthenon has a very generous PTO policy, especially once you are a Senior Associate or above: you get 25 PTO days per year, plus firm-covered holidays. We are definitely encouraged to use it -- there are never any issues around people not being able to take PTO, even during periods of time when large swaths of the firm are taking off (e.g., late December, early July). It's not always possible to fully disconnect when PTO first starts depending on where you are in a project, but everyone does a great job of trying to get you off of email chains etc. ASAP.”
  • “I think the work/life balance here, even in our private equity group, is significantly better than that of our closest competitors. We do a nice job of managing client expectations and optimizing for efficiency.”
  • “Like with any client service role, especially in this line of work, hours can be volatile and are not always predictable week-to-week. That's the nature of the work, particularly with the M&A work that we do. Engagement managers are usually good about trying to prioritize the things that matter most for the client -- in other words, not just building slides for the sake of building slides, but having the team spend time on the most important aspects of the case. That goes a long way towards preventing a "sprint" from turning into a "marathon." Our engagement managers also do a good job of protecting weekends and holidays except when unavoidable. For M&A and corporate strategy work, travel is predictable below the Sr. Director/Managing Director/Partner level (generally ~2-4 days a month pre-COVID, sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less) and one of the more fun parts of the job. We get to go to some interesting places (and some not so interesting places) to meet with interesting people but never for too long and never too often.”
  • “The firm has a very high base salary and is open to negotiation and committed to providing the top-end of market parity. Having a higher base does impact the scale of the bonus; however, in years of economic uncertainty (such as 2020) it is very beneficial to have a strong base salary.”
  • “Our base salary is extremely competitive, but the upward band of merit-based raises or bonuses is more limited than I had expected.”
  • “EY-Parthenon has a "high base salary, low bonus" approach to compensation, so if you are a high-performer, you are counting on seeing a differentiated base salary increase each year vs. seeing a differentiated bonus each year. This is a little different than most peer firms, and has its strengths and weaknesses: there's something to be said for higher guaranteed cash flow, but you need to be comfortable relying on the behind-the-scenes process to get the compensation increase you've earned, since there's not a 30% bonus target (for example) for you to base your expectations around.”
  • “The comp philosophy is to be competitive with other top tier firms, but build incentives around the long-term success of our people. To do that we have a much higher base salary (fixed comp) at all levels, and lower discretionary or bonus percentage. This creates a lot more stability, especially in a down year or recession. I believe we are paid competitively and the long-term financial rewards are significant for our people that stay at the firm for three to five years.”
  • “Pay is level set at specific roles and levels, so pay inequality should not be an issue. The salary progression is reasonable, but not as high as it should be.”
  • “Salary progression is amazing for MBA hires.”
  • “EY-Parthenon provides fantastic, hands-on and proactive coaching and mentoring through both project team leadership and structured counseling system. Promotions are taken very seriously with multiple data points from project teams, internal initiatives and local office leadership. Decisions are made on readiness, not on an arbitrary number of slots, if you show you are ready for the next level, leadership is keen on placing you in stretch roles to make sure you succeed at the next level. EY-Parthenon has made a core commitment to D&I, proactively engaging D&I clubs on campus and developing strong internal networking and mentorship programs. At EY-Parthenon, you control your own career and can pivot to areas that interest you.”
  • “The organization is invested in developing its people into becoming the best client service providers that they can be. The organization provides clear milestones by rank that help orient practitioners towards areas of development and growth in order to get to the next level. EY-Parthenon uses classroom trainings as well as the apprenticeship model to help individuals develop.”
  • “Significant responsibility is available very early on in someone's career, which allows them to quickly progress. Training provides a strong basis at each level. It is up to each individual to drive their career forward, however EY-Parthenon is incredibly supportive and the culture is very much that everyone can succeed.”
  • “One of the best aspects of our career development is the focus on merit-based promotion and advancement. EY-Parthenon has two promotion cycles per year to reflect this. For all new hires, we provide four weeks of intensive training, supplemented by annual cohort training and myriad external learning opportunities. Our training focuses not only on technical skills, but specifically on building transformative leaders.”
  • “The firm invests heavily in both formal and informal training, and does a great job with it. The mentorship model is strong and people generally receive the development approach they need. I do think the firm could look toward expanding early promotions for high-performers to ensure that the model remains meritocratic and paying more attention to diversity/equity as it relates to mentorship and promotion.”
  • “Historically, EY-Parthenon (like the rest of EY) operated on an annual promotion cycle, which made it difficult to reward high performers with early promotions. However, as of 2020, there is now a biannual process, which has enabled high performers to be recognized more effectively. Training is a clear area of investment across EY-Parthenon, and is not just limited to when you first join. For new joiners, the firm conducts several weeks of training focused on hard skills, soft skills, EY-Parthenon's work, and getting to know new colleagues. There is also annual training for each cohort that covers incremental skills that become relevant as your career advances and your role changes. Training sessions are always delivered by client-servers who implicitly understand the material and can tie the training back to the real world.”
  • “We have been increasingly adding recruiting partnerships to attract and hire diverse talent and similarly expanding sponsorship / mentorship resources for diverse talent. We are certainly not perfect, but I have confidence that we've been taking large steps in the right direction and there is true commitment from senior leadership.”
  • “Like all firms, EY-Parthenon can always do more to improve recruiting processes and increase the diversity of our candidate pool, but the organization has made significant investments in these types of programs over the past few years which are starting to bear fruit, which is great to see.”
  • “D&I is a major priority at all levels and within all areas of EY-Parthenon. We have a massive D&I team organized around important internal initiatives, training, and recruiting. Partners have made this a major priority in all decisions related to promotion, performance reviews, compensation, etc. We are championing our diverse professionals and sponsoring them to make sure they are successful. We know we can do even better, so this will continue to be a major focus for us.”
  • “EY-Parthenon has come a tremendously long way in our hiring of a more diverse workforce, but still has ways to go as it relates to development, promotion, and retention of people of color…”
  • “The firm's leaders are incredible. I firmly believe that they have our (D&I URMs) goals and requests in mind when they make big decisions. I would like to stay at EY-Parthenon for a long time because I believe they truly do care about my professional progression as a BIPOC.”
  • “Diversity and inclusiveness of all types are stressed and emphasized within the firm. There also a structural focus on maintaining diverse leadership teams.”
  • “Covid-19 had an impact on the M&A markets in early 2020, but the business has bounced back nicely this year and I expect we have a ton of growth ahead of us in 2021. We also benefit from being attached to EY, which continues to provide client leads and gives us stability overall as a firm with the less cyclical audit and tax businesses.”
  • “EY-Parthenon has taken big steps this year in bringing together additional business units under the EY-Parthenon umbrella. This combination will expand and strengthen our offerings as a major consultancy – it's clear that these changes are already resonating with clients, and with new hires who are excited to have a wider set of work experiences to explore!”
  • “The firm has recently gone through a re-organization to better align our go-to-market strategy. It will be interesting to see how things shake out and if the desired outcomes come at a cost to the foundational tenets that led to the company's historical positioning.”
  • “EY's conservative practices have paid dividends during COVID-19 where it was able to keep its workforce engaged, paid, and safe.”
  • “Our business has been remarkably resilient despite the implications of COVID, with areas that are doing better than ever and growing faster than pre-COVID, which bodes well for our ability to take share from our competitors in the coming months and years as we hopefully start to put COVID in the rear-view mirror. With that said, COVID has been a personal challenge for everyone, especially our younger folks who are just a year or two out of college. So firm leadership is working to figure out the right balance for growing EY-Parthenon in a manner that is sustainable in this environment and doesn't burn people out.”
  • “I think that EY and EY-Parthenon are uniquely positioned to thrive in the coming years as our combined expertise differentiates us in the industry.”

Why Work Here

EY-Parthenon is one of the largest global strategy consultancies, helping CEOs and business leaders design and deliver transformative strategies across the entire enterprise. While EY-Parthenon professionals have a breadth of perspectives and experience, we have a common skill set that allows us to focus on achieving sustainable growth for clients. Whether it’s digital transformation, sector convergence and dislocation, or financial and operational complexities, EY-Parthenon teams bring data analytics, leading technology and digital capabilities to a client’s toughest strategic issues. In doing so, we can move quickly from idea to implementation to help clients execute with speed and certainty.

By connecting teams and technologies from within EY-Parthenon and the broader EY ecosystem, we provide clients with corporate, transaction and turnaround strategies that are actionable and impactful and that help deliver long-term, sustainable value to all stakeholders.

Getting Hired Here

  • “We are seeking people who are "smart, nice, and driven". You have to have the intellectual horsepower and quantitative ability to do the job, you must be a genuinely nice person who is collaborative and willing to participate in the apprenticeship model, and you must be driven to achieve for yourself and for your clients.”
  • “We call all interviewees to communicate and offer opportunity for candidates to ask for feedback if desired. Ideal candidate is one that is driven and collaborative, and has the ability to work with ambiguity, good communication skills, and a strong technical background, and is also passionate, charismatic, intelligent, and confident.”
  • “In general our round one interviews, we do one 30-minute strategy case (e.g., a profitability question) and one 30-minute behavioral interview that also includes a market sizing component. We factor in general strength of communication and clarity of their "story" as well as their quantitative performance and strategic thinking in the cases. For final rounds, we generally include a group case that tests teamwork and ability to form a logical argument with data to make a case for or against a business based on information about its market, its competitive positioning, growth trajectory, etc. The final round candidates all tend to be very strong and we are selecting those who are truly exceptional.”
  • “We typically do behavioral plus a few case interviews. The interview process seems to get more challenging every year.”
  • “This year, due to the pandemic, all the interviews will be virtual. EY-Parthenon is looking for "smart", "nice" and "driven" candidates. We typically have two rounds of interviews. First round consists of two interviews. The "super day" has behavioral, written case and a group case.”
  • “Interviews generally include two rounds. We prioritize informing candidates on decisions, both good and bad, within 24 hours of their first round. The first round of interviews are generally led by our Consultants and Senior Consultant levels with second round interviews conducted by Vice-Presidents and Partners.”
  • “On the case side, we have market sizing cases ("how would you estimate the total number of cups of coffee bought in downtown Boston in a year") and strategy cases ("the CEO of a company came to us because the company is struggling to grow revenue in the face of increased competition -- what would you advise?"). In terms of the behavioral/fit side, we ask straightforward questions to better understand someone's background, past experiences, goals for their next job, and why they think EY-Parthenon would be the right place for them.”
  • “For MBA candidates we typically use a strategy case and a transaction case in the first round. In the second round, we typically have a 1.5 hour written case, which is discussed, and white boarded with a Senior Director. The written case is then followed up with a group case. Our interview process is designed to identify and select "smart", "nice" and "driven" candidates.”
  • “We generally do two 30-minute interviews for undergrads during the first round: 1 behavioral/market-sizing question, and a case question. The market-sizing question I received was "how many gallons of water would be able to fit in every bathtub in the US?".”
  • “Describe a situation where you had to persuade or influence a team, client, or boss. What is the annual market size for empty plastic amenity bottles sold to hotels in the U.S.? What factors will help/hurt product's ability to be successful in the market? What can be done to maximize sales of the product within the first two years?”
  • “At the undergraduate level, we typically ask profitability case questions. Given X, Y, Z facts about a business, is it a good investment? For example, would you open a taco stand at a ballpark? In our behavior interview, we want to understand a candidate's leadership and problem solving experience. We want to assess that they are critical thinkers, can handle ambiguity, and can navigate interpersonal relationships.”
  • “EY-Parthenon uses a unique combination of individual case interviews, behavioral interviews, and group cases typically in spread through two separate interview rounds.”

Perks & Benefits