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Anonymous A
on Dec 22, 2020
Global
I want to receive updates regarding this question via email.

Leaving consulting just after promotion to Manager

What do you think about leaving consulting (not MBB) very shortly (e.g. 2-3 months) after being promoted to Manager? 

Is there any general rule that once you are promoted to a more senior position in consulting, one should stick with it for at least a year or two before leaving in order to be more credible to the recruiters? Also, would 1-2 years as a Manager in a big consultancy in resume be a real game-changer in terms of exit opportunities compared to leaving as a Senior Consultant?

I am already getting quite a lot of offers from the market (outside of consulting) and could postpone/ reject those as promotion is just around the corner. My concern is that once I am promoted and still decide to leave, it may be harder to justify to recruiters why I want to leave as a newly promoted Manager so putting on my resume that I am Manager for 2-3 months maybe considered more as a weakness than advantage. Also, I am not really sure if I will get better exit opportunities as a freshly promoted compared to what I am getting now and some reasonable time at a level must be spent to really benefit that.

Thank you.

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Deleted user
on Dec 22, 2020

Hey there,

Making the decision to move at a time when you are near promotion point is a tricky one. Consider following factors to help you decide:

  1. The more senior you are in a big consulting firm, the better your exit options will be in industry or other consuting firms. Good career progression (promo every 2-3 years) in a big firm adds a lot of weight
  2. You move out once you are convinced there is no further growth in the current company i.e. you have out paced the growth of the people around you & the company (projects etc). Most of the time people leave when they feel fed up, or there is more money elsewhere. This will be a mistake in my view. The other company must be a good fit to your values, career aspirations & risk apetite
  3. You also need a good story as you why you are leaving after having just been promoted- e.g. right time to take a risk now, constrained by limited innovation in current company, significantly better opportunities in terms of type of work/industry exposure etc

Overall, I really dont think you will struggle justifying your decision to move to rectuiters as long as your story makes sense. But the key thing is for you to be 100% comfortable with the decisions you make. If thats the case, just go for it. If not, better stick it out for 1-2 Manager years and assess the situation then. You only have more to learn as a Manager- commercials, selling, managing larger teams & projects etc

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Clara
Coach
on Dec 22, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Not at all, it´s actually super common!

Many people wait until they are promoted precisely to manager -to be able to demostrate that you have lead teams and engagements end-to-end- and then jump to the industry. 

Good luck! 

Cheers, 

Clara

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Gaurav
Coach
on Dec 22, 2020
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360° coach(Ex-McKinsey+Certified Coach+Active recruiter)

Hi there, 

I agree with Adi on the fact that as long as you story makes sense you should not be afraid of leaving right after promotion.

At the same time, I didn' quite understand from your story why you're thinking about leaving in the first place. Having a clear answer to that question and knowing what you're looking for in a job could help you decide. 

Whatever might be your decision, good luck! 

Happy holidays,

GB

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Vlad
Coach
edited on Dec 22, 2020
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

Recruiters will not be checking the exact number of months / years in a role. Once you become a manager - you put it in your resume. That's it. You can tell that you've been a manager for the last 1-2 years, they can't verify it. In addition to that - you start managing teams at MBB even before getting the official title. So there is no lying here. So if you really want to leave - feel free to do so, the manager title is already in your CV. 

The bigger question is - are you sure that the offer you have is good enough? 

Best

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Deleted
Coach
on Dec 31, 2020
Experienced strategy consultant

Hi,

In my opinion the best position to exit consulting is at Manager level since you are proven to be able to lead a team and partner level since you are proven that you can sell.

So to answer your question, I would wait until promoted if it is really around the corner or if you want to do it earlier make sure that you will get something at least at the same level if you are promoted to Manager.

Best,
Iman

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Benjamin
Coach
on Oct 17, 2023
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hi,

Great question and one that I and many of my peers considered/thought about frequently. Here are my thoughts

  • There is no general rule - you leave whenever you want to leave
  • Typically there is no difference in the exit opportunities you get between Manager Y1 and Y2
  • However, if you leave immediately after promotion, then you wouldn't have had experience actually being a Manager
  • Then the question becomes to what extent do you value / see that actual Manager experience as being valuable
    • For some people, it matters
    • For others it really doesn't and they leave and go on to have happy and fulfilling careers

My take on this, if you aren't burnt out, and are not looking to exit at the earliest, then stay for at least a year. The learnings can be very valuable IMO, especially for the corporate world.

Happy to chat more on this to anyone who is interested.

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Ian
Coach
on Dec 22, 2020
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Honestly, leaving shortly after promotion is a very common strategy!

If you can leverage your new title to get a same-level role elsewhere for good pay and work-life balance, that can absolutely be a path to take!

I wouldn't be worried about exact timeframe. Getting promoted to manager shows that you "made the cut". At that point you really have free reign...and you should have even better offers coming your way.

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Raj
Coach
on Feb 22, 2021
FREE 15MIN CONSULTATION | #1 Strategy& / OW coach | >70 5* reviews |90% offers ⇨ prep-success.super.site | MENA, DE, UK

This a common choice made to leverage your consulting experience in industry. It's absolutely fine

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Denis
Coach
on Feb 22, 2021
Goldman Sachs Investment Banker NYC | Ex-Bain 5 yrs| MBA Chicago Booth | Passed > 13 MBB > 20 IB interviews

Many ppl do so, so do not hesitate. If you really want to leave there is a good chance your performance will not improve or your motivation will not be as high. However, dont pressure yourself. Take your time, evaluating the options (perhaps saying you actually want to stay in consulting but are open for new opportunities). Once you ve found sth, switch.

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