Trying to provide a reasoned review for jobseekers that you can't get from an interview
Pros
-I'll start by saying that consulting is a very broad and vague term and that a consulting firm is only worth the exit opportunities it provides. If you are very early in your career and looking to go to business/law/policy school I've seen people use it as a good place to spend a few years. Otherwise, unless you're planning to work in government full-time, I'm not sure the experience you gain is going to help you land a job elsewhere. -The Rios Way consulting skillset is actually a very helpful and useful way of approaching a problem in any work context, but it varies as to whether you will actually use it during a project -Other reviews say that salary is low, and that's true compared to McKinsey/Bain/BCG (obviously) and even Deloitte, Booz Allen, etc. but it's actually probably a fair salary for the work you are doing -Colleagues at the Analyst-Senior Consultant level truly are people you will enjoy who are kind who want to do good work -Some PLs/Principals are great and truly want to help you succeed
Cons
-The nature of projects is incredibly variable and you really don't know what work you will be doing before you start. You may be on a project that has good teammate interaction or you may be doing something completely by yourself or as a sub to a partner company. If you're expecting a role that has a strong team component this may not be it. -My philosophy of consulting is that it's a role more caught than taught and requires a lot of face time with leaders. Half of partners/principals don't even live in the DC area so don't expect to receive much of this. -There isn't much by way of formal training. They tout the Friday all hands as an example of training, but they aren't really very helpful -It's highly variable as to whether clients will actually be engaged in your project. Some clients are great but others couldn't care less, which is a huge downside of federal government consulting (and probably true of consulting more broadly) -You'll be assessed against the 5 core competencies, which frankly are largely word salad and don't vary much between the levels. Assessment is arbitrary and solely at the discretion of leadership so use your judgement as to whether you trust them to deliver something that is accurate and helpful. -If you're conservative this might not be the place for you. A lot of unnecessary and intellectually dishonest comments from leadership on conservative politics and the administration during company-wide meetings (which if you don't like the idea that the values of your core client could change every 4 years then maybe the private sector is the way to go) -A lot of talk of transparency (which is true of consulting staff salaries) but never once was it shared how much partners are taking home, which is their right as owners but then don't list transparency as a value -Obviously the state of federal consulting is in flux and the future is very unknown. Other reviews say to pivot into private sector but, frankly, those organizations are going to hire other firms. -Unclear why (and how) there are so many partners and principals when the company is obviously struggling to win new work.
