Hi there,

Congratulations on the offers! In terms of your question:

Q: EY or Strategy& middle east? Which firm is better?

In general, Strategy& is perceived as a stronger brand name in the Middle East. However, I would not consider the brand as the only criterion.

As general elements, I would consider the following:

• Where do you want to be in 5-10 years? Try to identify the company that can help you to achieve that goal faster. You can check LinkedIn for that (see below).
• If you consider the average consultant/partner you talked to in each company, which one would you rather be? You will spend a lot of time with your colleagues in the next years - be sure you choose a company where the people are close to the person you want to become.
• If money and prestige were not a consideration, which company would you choose? This could help you to identify additional elements to weigh you have not considered yet.

In terms of exits (for most people they are a very important factor in joining a consulting company), you can check them as follows:

1. Look for alumni of the two companies on LinkedIn.
2. Check how many moved to your preferred exits in your target region.
3. Normalize for the size of the companies in the region.

If you want to do extra due diligence, you can contact Alumni of your university (not current consultants) who worked there (bonus if they worked for both firms). You will learn more in a 30-minute call with them than with any online research you might do.

Best,

Francesco

Both are great options. Strategy& might be perceived as doing more ‘strategy’ work, so if that's your focus, you might find a better home there. 

If you have some time before you need to respond to the offers, I'd recommend you reach out to a couple of new joiners (same seniority as the one you'd be going for) from each firm and have a chat with them about how they're finding it. Get a sense of the vibe and experiences and then decide what's closest to your preferences. 

Here's how to identify these sorts of contacts on LinkedIn and conduct chats with them: 

• Expert Guide: How To Get Referrals Via LinkedIn? 

Good luck!
Cristian

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offers!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question: I would highly advise you to opt for the option that better aligns with your professional (and maybe even personal) mid- to long-term goals. In order to make an informed decision, I would advise you to do the following:

• Weigh the different criteria that are meaningful to you independently of the current options (e.g., prestige, culture, international exposure, compensation, location). After that, score the two options based on your criteria and their weighting, resulting in two scores. This way, you have covered the left-brain perspective.
• Critically assess your initial reaction to the outcome of the scores. For instance, if you feel the urge to tweak the numbers, this is a solid indicator that you do not want this decision to become reality. This way, you have covered the right-brain perspective.
• By doing so, you will be able to integrate both parts of the brain into the decision-making, guaranteeing a higher chance that you will still be happy with it years later.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Congrats!

If you purely go for 

• reputation (also global)
• impact
• types of projects

I'd go with Strategy&.

I would also take other factors into consideration like how did you enjoy the recruiting process and the interactions with both firms and their consultants. 

All the best for a great start!

Florian

Hey, congrats on two offers!

Strategy& in the Middle East has a better standing than EY-Parthenon.

Good luck,

Nick

Strategy& in the Middle East comes out from the old Booz & Co. team, which was very good. As such, it is likely to have a higher profile in the Middle East.

Otherwise, in the case you would rather work on Private Equity / Deals, Parthenon is likely to be the best option.

Hi there,

Strategy& definitely has a more recognized brand in ME. Consider other factors for your decision as compensation, future projection and feelings during the interview process.

Best,

Alberto

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