Tier 2 or Boutique by EX-MBB

Hello, 

It strongly depends on your plans. If you want to leverage your consulting experience to have excellent exit strategies, I would go for the tier-2 company. If you could like to invest many years in that specific company, it could make sense to start form a smaller company that could grow really fast.

Best,
Luca

As someone who move up from a boutique to MBB, I would say the exit opportunity to MBB is open for your boutique option. However, this will largely depends on the reputation of the firm in the market and they type of client / projects they are working.

On the other hand the Tier 2 option will have a wider opportunities of exit as they will be able to give you better exposure to differen projects and industries.

Hi A,

listen to your gut feeling. Whatever it says to you, it's the right decision.

Good luck,

André

Hi, 
congrats for your multiple offers! There is not an absolute best option, it depends on how you outweigh exposure with seniors and clients, brand reputation, exit options, MBA sponsorship, salary, growth opportunities, work environments, the personal impression you got during the interview process, typical practices of the firms.

Best,
Antonello

Hi,

Too much exposure is not necessarily a good thing. In big consulting, if you have an issue on the project - you will always have a chance to switch the team. You don't have this luxury with a boutique firm. Thus I would strongly recommend joining Tier 2. All other reasons (brand, salary, growth) are there as well

Best

Hi Anonymous,

it is difficult to answer without knowing your long-term goals.

In general, the Tier 2 would be better for Exit opportunities. Additional elements you could consider to validate your options are:

• Focus of the Boutique
• Salary
• Location
• Career growth
• Internal culture

In general, if you are at the beginning of your career, the Tier 2 probably makes more sense as it will open more doors later on.

Best,

Francesco

Hi,

Very hard to comment without knowing which Tier 2 and which Boutique.

All the comments about Tier 2 exit opportunities are correct. However, do consider the following:

1) Growth trajectory of the Boutique (if it's growing, you'll rise up fast)

2) Culture of the Boutique and Tier 2 (where do you fit? You'll thrive where you like the people)

3) Mentorship of the Boutique (Big companies are messy. You have to fight for attention and mentorship is generally hard to find. A good boutique may get you to be the right-hand person to someone who really knows their stuff and who really gives you their time)

I think the variable here to really focus on is the Boutique...you know what you're getting with Tier 2...figure out exactly what you're getting with this Boutique

Hello there,

If you are looking to have a broader exit opportunities, going for Tier 2 is advisable.
Boutique is usually a good option if you have experiences the larger firms and decided that you want to focus on specific industry / function in a smaller but more intimate settings.

Career-wise, as starters, going for the larger firms will pays more than opting for the boutique now.

Hope it helps.

Kind regards,
Nathan

Looking purely at exit options - the rule of thumb in general is the more prestigious the firm the better the exit opportunities. A boutique firm could be great from a learning perspective, but if it is not well known outside of a small circle your exit opportunities are also restricted to that circle. In general a lot of companies and people are risk averse so they stick to known brands in their decision making, which is why the college you go to and the firm you work at does matter. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but this is true for majority of the cases.

I agree here that tier 2 is likely to give you better exit opportunities. However, if you feel or see that a boutique gets more of your attention and you are planning to be loyal to that boutique for a while, it can very well make sense.