Career progression concern

Hello,

Here are my thoughts:

1) This depends a lot on what is your current background and existing work experience. I'm going to assume that you have very little relevant experience for management consulting before this.

2) Assuming that you do not have much consulting related experience, it may help to work in a bigger company with prestigious clients because 1) Better learning opportunities will allow you to cultivate a better skillset for future opportunities 2) It will signal to future large consulting companies that you belong there

3) There is nothing wrong with working in a smaller company with 2 FTEs. However, it might be slightly easier to establish a fit with e.g. MBBs if you can highlight great projects that you have worked on with the procurement firm.

4) However, you may have to do some procurement related projects in your future jobs for sometime before you can get exposure to different kind of projects.

5) On the other hand, you could also take a risk and work in the smaller firm. In case it does take off, you will have terrific learning curve as you will be doing business development work too (which typically principals/partners do at larger firms). However, this is a high risk/high reward scenario.

Ultimately, it all boils down to your risk appetite and your willingness to be limited to procurement for a few years.

Hope this helps!

Rushabh

Hi there,

If your ambition is to move to MBB, tier-2, the procurement consulting firm seems the much better choice.

It is not about domain knowledge when you apply with top consulting firms but problem-solving skills and strong client hands. Your second option will give you much more of that!

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offers!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, both options offer potential pathways to MBB in the future.
• Regarding your concern about a flatter learning curve at boutique consulting companies, I can assure you that the opposite is often the case. You can read more about boutique consulting companies in this article I wrote. However, being on a team of less than 10 members can be a challenge. I would highly advise you to set up coffee chats with the team to gain a better understanding of their background and experience.
• However, if you're unsure about whether procurement is a topic that interests you, I would advise against accepting an offer at a larger company based solely on its size.

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

Dear applicant,

All the best for your journey. Great questions you are asking. Decide what your goal is right now and try to achieve it immediately with as much flexibility as possible.

- MBB: great opportunities AFTER MBB or directly stay at MBB, enjoy the wonderful work you can do there. And learn as much as you want.byiu can also take all leadership responsibility, find speciality areas and be entrepreneurial. Sadly many firms do not do well enough on lifestyle.

- build your own consulting firm:do so gladly, it is a great choice and might get you very far.

- small boutique: you may find exactly your speciality area or your entrepreneurial opportunity, or a great lifestyle opportunity

Best regards, 

Hi there, 

Needless to say, you should be reflect on your own ambitions, skills and career journey before you take a decision, but if I were you, I'd rather lean towards the second. 

Being in a bigger firm exposes you to more learning opportunities, career progression is faster and more streamlined, there are many systems and processes in place (such as mentorship schemes, coaching programs, scholarships, etc.), plus you know there's always a client pipeline that you can work on. 

Even if you don't want to specialise in supply chain over the long-run, look rather at the advantages of learning all the other transferable skills that will then allow you to transfer to a generalist role later on. 

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

to add to what the other comments are covering:

Option 1 sounds like a recipe for disaster to be frank. With only 2 FTE in the country, you will be stretched so thin that you'd be doing anything and everything but nothing really in a profound manner. Also, a small boutique firm that is not specialized but consisting of generalists as you mention doesn't really have a competitive edge that I could see. Usually boutique firms bank on their in-depth expertise in a certain area. 

It sounds like you want to use your next job as a stepping stone to ultimately end up at MBB. Option 2 is probably the better choice for that or better exit opportunities in any case.

Good luck

Hi,

I would second some of the other coaches recommendation and say that option #2 (leading procurement consulting firm) is the better choice. 

I will add a couple of points based on my own experience shifting from T2 (Kearney) to MBB and also having to navigate ‘specialization’

• At the junior level (<5 years), firms are looking for skills/capabilities that transcend industry and functional boundaries, so a switch is of course possible
• Joining from a procurement / ‘specialized’ firm does not necessarily mean you have to specialize in supply chain, but it does tend to pigeonhole you fairly easily → this is something that you have to actively manage once you are in the firm
  • From a staffers/case leadership perspective, of course they would want someone with procurement experience on a procurement case - it just makes life much easier for them
  • However from your own development and career objective POV, you may not want to specialize and keep getting pigeonholed. Hence you have to actively manage your staffing and build a strong internal network that can help you diversify as well

I've also known people who have switched from Kearney/DHL/GEP to MBB and still done a fair bit of generalist type projects. 

All the best!

Dear A,

Please see my thought below:

Choosing between a small boutique consulting firm and a leading procurement consulting firm can be challenging. Here are some factors to consider:

For the small boutique consulting firm:

• As a generalist, you may have the opportunity to work on a variety of projects and industries, which can broaden your skills and knowledge.
• With a small team, you may have more visibility and interaction with senior leaders and clients, which can accelerate your learning curve and provide valuable networking opportunities.
• However, with a smaller team, you may have limited opportunities for mentorship and career advancement, which may require you to be proactive in seeking out development opportunities.

For the leading procurement consulting firm:

• You may have the opportunity to work with influential clients, which can enhance your credibility and exposure to top-tier consulting projects.
• The specialized nature of the work can provide you with deep expertise in a specific area, which may be valuable in the long term.
• However, if you decide to switch to a management consulting firm in the future, you may need to overcome potential biases against procurement specialists. It's important to assess the transferability of your skills and how you can position yourself for a successful transition.

Ultimately, the decision depends on your personal career goals and priorities. If you prioritize a steep learning curve and a diverse range of experiences, the small boutique consulting firm may be a better fit. If you value specialization and exposure to influential clients, the leading procurement consulting firm may be a better fit. Consider the long-term implications of each option and make an informed decision based on what aligns with your career aspirations.

Best of luck with everything!

Hi there,

Please remember that a Q&A, while helpful, is surface level and “free”. For something that will affect the rest of your career consider hiring a case/career coach for 1 session…why not make sure you're making the right choice? Also, why not get advice on how to get thousands of $ more through negotiation?

In terms of your specific dilemma, I really need to know a lot more about you. Your age and level of previous work experience. What country you're in. Your ultimate career goals/plans.

Please take my advice with a grain of salt, because I do not have enough information, but, all things equal, the leading procurement firm sounds best.

This gives you brand strenght and boost your resume significantly (I'm assuming you're a recent grad with not much experience). This also gives you security in uncertain times (boutiques are more at risk). This also gives you great exposure and networking opportunities.

But please get a paid coaching session with someone. They need to know the names of these 2 firms, the packages being offered, and much much more about you!

Please also negotiate these offers!

Good luck and congrats on having a great “problem” in this decision between 2 offers :)

Hello! 

Based on my personal experience (3yrs at BCG) as well as working with expert consultants from BCG, Kearney and McK, here are my 2 cents.

I am assuming your end goal could be joining MBB as a generalist (since you are not looking to get fixed on Procurement or SCM at this moment). I will say joining a boutique consulting firm, or even large corporate with strate related roles will be most helpful. 
 

Joining a leading procurement consulting firm will get you into MBB more easily, but you will highly likely be hired as Procurment expert consultants instead of generalist. Or, at the very least your project experience at MBB will be heavily focusing on Procurement or SCM since the firms will think your skillsets are sort of fixed in that domain.

On the other hand, you can better develop relevant skillsets needed for generalists even at a boutique consulting firm, where you might get more chances to have high ownership or direct exposures to c-suite given the short-staffed situation.

I am happy to chat more if you have further questions.

The real issue here is about how good the small boutique is. I know of boutiques that have very small local teams but are actually great in terms of their team and work they do. And others are just… very small firms doing not-so-interesting work.

You need to do targeted research on that firm.