We get a variety of queries from all levels of consultants: analysts up to principal. This question came from a female engagement manager in the USA. She was distraught after having worked very hard to build her career, and not sure how to handle this ultimatum from her husband. She was afraid that any changes to her work schedule would affect her partner track. We offer some helpful considerations for managing this delicate situation. Should you have a colleague in a similar situations it is essential not to judge either partner and NEVER offer the solution. Always offer options and discuss the considerations. In personal matters, the person in question must always make the decision. If you make it for them, they become reliant on your and that is not appropriate nor healthy for any relationship, personal or professional.

Unfortunately, in management consulting this is something everyone should plan for. Performance or economic conditions can lead to the up-or-out policy being applied. We have had several requests to help mainly associate (MBA-level) admits. The key thing is not to panic. Not to lose any leverage. Not to make rash decisions and rush off resumes. Not to do anything until this has settled in and a strategy has been developed. The decision should not affect your self worth in any way. In all fairness, consulting firms do treat candidates well during this painful transition. Full disclosure, I was the architect of many such decisions and can understand the difficulty for candidates. Here I present a blue-print to follow which worked very well when I released candidates. With the economy already softening , recruitment down worldwide for 2012 and fees down in several major offices, this podcast is timely.

This is such a great dilemma. The answer is going to surprise many people. Therefore, pay attention to the logic we apply to answer this question, as well as the real examples we will offer. The options are a) going back to Deloitte as a manager, or potentially a lateral move as senior consultant in another country, b) going to industry or c) moving to BCG. The path you want to take is important, and leads to some surprising conclusions. Far too many applicants simply assume BCG or McKinsey are better than Deloitte S&O. All other things being equal, they are if you are pursuing corporate strategy and particularly their training and value systems. However, things are rarely equal and you have to isolate those things which are not and understand their impact on the attractive of each firm to you and only you.

Many of our candidates are still interviewing, but we can, with a fair degree of accuracy, determine how they will do. We project a 60%-65% placement rate, which considering that internships slots are far fewer than full-time slots, is expected. In this podcast we segment our candidates and present some important lessons for those who want to pursue the full-time cycle in September 2012, as well as candidates in other countries and US undergrads.

Most readers have a vague understanding of the lifestyle of a management consultant. It is cultivated by the images consulting firms work very hard to keep up. In this podcast we explain the issues found on a typical engagement, and most importantly, why the lifestyle is tough.