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Did Strategy& decrease its U.S. associate salary and stop offering relocation?

I received an offer letter from Strategy& for the associate role (entry level). The base salary is $85,000. Management Consulted lists the base salary as $90,000, and I know that website is accurate because they base these numbers off of real offer letters. There's also no compensation for relocation. Did Strategy& decrease its base salary in the last year? Have consulting firms in general decreased their pay in the last year?

I also am in a Masters program, so I was expecting more than $90,000, since most of the people who start in this role only have undergraduate degrees. Do consulting firms allow negotiations for entry-level roles?

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Ian
Coach
on May 04, 2021
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

This is a bit odd but not out of the question. Management consulted goes off of averages. A $5k difference is not massive and could be explained by your entry point, specific office, or other cirumstances.

That said, have you had a job before your Master's degree? If so, you should feel comfortable negotiating a bit. Reference the baseline $90k salary expectation based on market numbers AND flag that you will have to relocate and were hoping for relocation assitance.

^These are pretty standard negotiation points. Feel free to reach out and I can help you maximize your offer (Just for myself and advising a few close friends and I have now gotten around $200k in extra compensation across a range of negotiating scenarios)

Anonymous A
on May 04, 2021
(Author here) I do not have any work experience, but I had previously read that the Big 4 pay more if you have a Masters (even without experience). Since PwC owns Strategy&, I thought they would pay more since I have a masters. Is it unlikely they will raise the base salary through negotiations since I don't have any experience? There's also mention of incentive compensation (bonus) in the letter, but it is not quantified as an amount or percentage. Is this normal?
Clara
Coach
on May 06, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

if you are certain about those numbers, is a good anchor point to kindly negotiate your offer (or try), also bringing to the table the points you mentioned. 

I have been involved in quite some salary negotiations, feel free to PM me

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Raj
Coach
on May 06, 2021
FREE 15MIN CONSULTATION | #1 Strategy& / OW coach | >70 5* reviews |90% offers ⇨ prep-success.super.site | MENA, DE, UK

This can vary depending on some offices and I haven't heard of reductions. Almost certainly you should negotiate a relocation package. I've also helped candidates negotiate offers up but this only applies if you have some experience. If so, I would say you should benchmark against other firms based on any friend's offers. What would most strengthen your position here would be to get a competing offer.

Feel free to PM me for any more info

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