Job offer Uber vs consulting

Big4 tech
New answer on Mar 09, 2022
9 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Mar 08, 2022

Hello,

I have a Strategy&Ops offer at Uber and I currently work at big4 consulting - expecting an engagement mngr position in 6 months.   Uber seems like a great opportunity, but I am not sure what would be my options (potentially) after that. 


Is Uber also considered a strong reference and is there a demand for ex uber people in tech industry?

 

Thanks!

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Pedro
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replied on Mar 08, 2022
30% off in March 2024 | Bain | EY-Parthenon | Roland Berger | Market Sizing | DARDEN MBA

That depends on the specific role you take at Uber. Now, most roles and Business Development roles, which open the doors for similar roles at startups and scale ups… or pure corporte new business development/corporate development roles.

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Charlotte
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replied on Mar 08, 2022
Empathic coach, former McKinsey Engagement Manager |Secure offers from top consulting firms

Dear candidate,

a) Uber is defintely a great brand, and you should consider all that matters to you in this decision and from candidate to candidate that is different. 

b )However if you know already that you don't want to stay there and want to move on to a new opportunity, it could be more difficult than if you are in strategy consulting and want to move on. Therefore I would rather advice you to stick to consulting for a while until you find a role with long-term potential for you.

c) However if you think Uber might be a long-term fit for you and you might want to stay there long-term (you just don't know yet) and you want a mangement role going forward, then of course Uber seems great. Best regards

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Maikol
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replied on Mar 09, 2022
BCG Project Leader | Former Bain, AlixPartner, and PE | INSEAD MBA | GMAT 780

It is difficult to answer your question with some level of objectivity, but I don't know of any single person invited at MBB or AlixPartners interviews coming from Uber, while there are plenty of them from Big4.

Uber is a very known brand but I can tell you that many consultants are quite skeptical about its business model, ability to execute, scalability, and also technological capabilities. To make this statement a little bit more objective, just check what I say searching for articles on Uber written by MBB consultants and former ones.

In the above two paragraphs, I assume that sooner or later you want to move to an MBB firm (that is essentially the reason why most people are on this website). If that is not the case, obviously your choice has to be based on other criteria (e.g., your happiness, what you want to do in life). If you think that Uber is an interesting business and you are passionate about what they do it is fine to go there.
 

Good luck!

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Mamoun
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replied on Mar 09, 2022
Prepares you to crack ALL cases | Interviewer with recent cases, 150+ interviews, 6+ years exp (France, MENA)

Hello,

To answer your question: yes, Uber is definitely a big brand but keep in mind that joining Uber now is different from joining Uber 5 years ago or 10 years ago. You would be joining now a large corporate and not a scale-up or a start-up that has proven successful.

Note that the longer you stay in consulting the less attractive you are in the "tech" industry. Recruiters will prefer a guy with 3 years in consulting + 3 years in “tech” rather than a guy with 6 years in consulting. This is especially through for startups and scaleups where recruiters are afraid to recruit a slide making machine that is not good at implementation / operationalization. (Much less true if you want to join the strategy department of a large corporate, since the job is very similar to consulting).

So if your goal is to go in the “tech” industry, it can be a nice move, depending on the role it can be a smooth transition from consulting to more operational role and to a new industry. From there you could move internally to discover new roles or to a new company (startups or large tech) since you would have expanded your skillset to fit the tech industry needs.

From there you still need to do the usual: speak to people, check if the company / office culture fits, do the position and JD excite you etc. 

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Ian
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replied on Mar 09, 2022
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

I think Uber is a strong, but possibly declining brand name.

In terms of exit to Tech I would say that is likely the most common route. If you're essentially asking “does this role get me more on the Tech career path” my answer would be a yes (more people would move from Uber to Tech than from Big4 to Tech. After all, Uber is Tech).

Hard to give advice here - you need to think about where you really want to be and the type of work you enjoy doing!

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Francesco
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replied on Mar 09, 2022
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Congratulations on your offer.

If you want to understand which company is going to have the best exits, I would structure the decision-making process as follows:

  1. Define your ideal target jobs
  2. Look for alumni of Uber and your Big4 on LinkedIn
  3. Check how many went to your target jobs in your region
  4. Normalize for the size of Uber and the Big4 in your region

Also, be sure to choose a job that you like rather than just the best one for an exit. Even if one company is better in terms of exits, there is no reason to join and work there for a few years if you don’t like the job.

Before you apply again, I would also look for referrals. You can find some tips here (this is for consulting but applies to other jobs as well):

▶ https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/networking-as-part-of-the-management-consulting-preparation-process

Best,

Francesco

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Moritz
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Content Creator
updated an answer on Mar 09, 2022
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | 90min sessions with FREE exercises & videos

Hi there,

We need to clarify a couple of points:

Uber role: I worked with Uber before and saw the breadth of roles they have, some of which are very tech focused, others purely operational, strategy, BD, etc. So which one were you offered?

Your short term preferences: I always advise people not to live too much in the future and sacrifice the present for what may be. This can turn into an endless and ultimately constantly unsatisfying journey.

Your long term goal: You say you like tech- that's pretty vague (and that's OK). Is there anything more specific you're targeting for the futures? A certain company, location, role, etc.? If not, then pretty much any decision you take now based on short term preferences is the right one.

Hope this helps a little bit! Best of luck!

(edited)

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Adi
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replied on Mar 09, 2022
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience
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Sharona
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replied on Mar 09, 2022
Experienced coach in digital/data/technology strategy consulting in the Middle East (Dubai/KSA) and Europe

Congratulations on your offers!

Both can be very interesting jobs. But also very different. 

I would use your knowledge of consulting as well as working in the industry (thanks to your current job) to define your dream job. Both are very different. Pick the one that is closest to your dream job! Or even better try to apply for your dream job :)

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Pedro gave the best answer

Pedro

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