Pros
- There are good, smart people that work here - If you “fit the mold” and are a "favorite" you will do very well - Consulting is always a great way to build a core skill set - The ‘new hire from college’ program is robust and the company is very effective at making that experience and those individuals successful.
Cons
Regardless of the tagline they use WMP is above everything a consulting firm, so all decisions, promotions and rewards will be driven by utilization and sales. - WANT TO INNOVATE, but struggle moving too far away from what got them here. - DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STRUGGLES - The company is trying, but to address diversity and drive inclusion it will require changing core elements of how this business operates. o They hire and grow what they know and feel comfortable with. o Obvious favoritism diminishes inclusivity. o Struggle to embrace outside perspectives that bring diversity of experience or thought. o Constant focus on utilization negatively impacts time and ability for individuals to build the relationships necessary to create safe places for inclusion. o Large number of senior people w/ ONLY WMP experience - lack breadth of experiences to bring diversity of thinking. - SPECIALISTS DESIRED - WMP’s niche of work and clients are great if you want to specialize, but if you are a generalist or desire a broad range of experiences you will fight to find it here. o Once identified for particular work, expect to do a lot of it. o They care less about skills you bring to the table and look for you to fit into their model. o Same people sell the same things to meet sales goals – no new partners to infuse broader or new perspectives - LOTS OF 'EXTRA' required (more than other firms) but not rewarded - the unspoken demands will drain you. - WHITE MALES DOMINATE - Fastest path to Director appears to be straight white male joining from college. o Grow and build what they know and feel comfortable with. o Lack adequate support, development paths or inclusive activities to build a broader set of experienced hires into Directors. o 2021 was a Record year for Director promotions (66) –Low level of diversity representation, though multiple qualified candidates. - CULTURE VARIES BY BUSINESS AREA, often driven/ dominated by acquisitions. o These do not necessarily align with core business culture and creates confusion for individuals that move between them. o Promotions have been managed inconsistently within each team creating disparity and confusion across the org. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER – - How many people hired in at my level (w/ outside experience) were progressed to the next level? and how long did it take? - What business processes are you changing to drive inclusivity? - Ask about current employee surveys - which groups are at risk? what is driving that? and what are the doing to address? - So many new Directors in 2020 – what drove that decision? how was that promotion effort standardized across practices? What can I expect in the future? - 2020 was a significant financial year – how were employees bonused? What can I expect in the future?