MOVING jobs from one consultancy to another is now seen as the rule, rather
than the exception. “In a good market, as we have at the moment, it is
extremely common to move between firms,” says Tony Restell, director of the
recruitment website Top-Consultant.com. “There is a lot of switching going
on, partly due to people fast-tracking their careers and partly due to
people looking for a better work-life balance.”
Staff turnover in the consulting industry is usually quite high, with the
larger corporations likely to lose and replace 20%-25% of their staff each
year. The triangular structure of some firms, with anything from 15 to 50
people under each partner, means each level is smaller than the last. While
the highest performers at each level get promoted up to the next, the others
might be squeezed out in what is know as the “up or out” process.
Sebastian Lenain, managing consultant at recruitment consultants Consulting
Point, says: “It is fairly easy to move between firms. Some consulting firms
are very proactive when it comes to recruiting and have open days, attend
recruitment fairs, and so on, while others you have to approach yourself.”
Established routes to new jobs include using a recruitment firm, approaching a
company directly or making use of your contacts. Companies often have
“bounty” schemes whereby they give bonuses of several thousand pounds to
existing employees who bring in successful recruits. “It can cost a company
a lot more than that to recruit someone themselves,” says Restell, who
recommends that potential applicants make the most of their contacts in the
industry. “The upside for companies is that they get people who are vouched
for by somebody already in the company.”
While there are many positions available — Top-Consultant.com alone has about
200 recruitment notices on its site, several for multiple vacancies — there
can be a hundred applicants for one position. “Any CV needs to be able to
demonstrate a commitment to your previous roles,” advises Lenain. “Even if
you have jumped between consultancies, it is better to have moved every
three years than every year or 18 months. Clearly state your achievements
and experiences: whether you are a generalist or a specialist in certain
areas. Companies like to be able to pigeon-hole you.”
However, Fiona Czerniawska of the Management Consultancies Association warns
that the time for generalists who can work across any sector might have
gone: “Clients have always wanted people with specific skills but it is 20
times more important than 10 years ago. I’m not sure if there is room for
generalised management consultants nowadays.”
The demand for experienced consultants means quality people have the upper
hand over employers at the moment, and many use job offers from a rival firm
to squeeze more money or a promotion out of their existing employers. Nicola
Connelly, manager of consultancy, strategy and change at recruitment
consultants Michael Page International, says: “This year has seen people
increasingly bargaining their way upwards. If somebody is moving from one of
the big consulting firms to another, then chances are that the company he or
she is leaving will up their offer to try to persuade them to stay.”
After the recruitment freezes and redundancies by big firms in recent years,
there is very little feeling that you have to stay with one particular
company out of loyalty. “When the market is strong, it is not necessarily
seen as a bad thing if you are looking around to see what else is out
there,” says Restell. “It is like a warning shot across your employer’s
bows.”
A warning shot that is not going unheeded as companies concentrate time and
resources on keeping employees happy. Alan Buckle, head of advisory at KPMG,
says it is not just a question of money. “Internal relationships are a very
important part of the attraction for a long-term deal. If you’re successful
you can get the rewards very quickly. Senior people want to stay for 10
years or more, the main part of their serious working life.”
Trading places
AT 31, Rohan Malik is the youngest account director in Ernst & Young’s
business advisory services division and one of the most recent recruits to
its expanding consulting team. But far from being new to the company, he is
a former employee, having worked on its strategy side in 1999 before the
division was sold to Capgemini in 2000. He then moved to head the public
sector division of RSM Robson Rhodes consultancy before returning to Ernst &
Young.
Having packed so much into a short space of time, Malik is an advocate of
moving from one consultancy to another. “Consultancy is a very dynamic,
changing environment and individuals are free to make their own career
choices,” he says. “I could have stayed working for just one company but in
the break from Ernst & Young, I gained a broader perspective by working
across different fields.”
During his first stint at the company, Malik worked in financial services and
oil and gas, while at Capgemini he gained experience in the technology
sector before moving to public sector organisations. This in turn led to his
role at Robson Rhodes. He has worked in, among others, the Home Office, the
DTI, the Department of Work and Pensions and the Prime Minister’s strategy
unit.
Malik, who moved from Delhi in 1996 to study for an MBA at Manchester Business
School before starting work, says that when it comes to moving between
consultancies, the challenge is getting used to the different cultures.
“At Ernst & Young there is a mentoring relationship in place where
you get lots of support in personal training, motivation and so on, which
helps you become part of the team,” he says. Going there for the second time
was like moving to a different company: “When I came back, it was not the
same company I had left. It is very new, like a start-up, and is creating
its own culture. Robson Rhodes is a great place to work, but Ernst &
Young is a great opportunity. It has made it its mission to be the market
leader and that is quite a turn-on for me.”
Malik lives in southwest London with his wife, Francesca, and their
three-year-old son, and hopes one day to return to India to become involved
in politics there. He attributes his rapid rise in consultancy to moving
around the industry.
“Working for different companies was also great for my personal development,”
he says. “My interests were better served by getting a lot of experience and
learning how to adapt within different environments. It gives you a fresh
perspective and it is good to learn the adaptability and flexibility that
comes with being a consultant.”
