QUALITY OF EMPLOYMENT AND LIFE RANKINGS

The best of everything: High pay and flexible hours, access to decision-makers and meaningful work, a nurturing culture and a future-centered vision. That’s what consultants seek – a place where they can ply their talents to make a difference without losing touch and burning out. These aspirations are really at the heart of the Vault Consulting 50: Where is the best place for graduates to devote their time based on what they truly value?

Pay is always popular. When it comes to the biggest checks and the best benefits, Bain, BCG, and Aminad Consulting appear in the Top 5 on both lists. At their core, these firm provide packages that are both fair and transparent, reinforcing that they are partners with the firm. At BCG, for example, one surveyed consultant points out how they know how every level of the organization is compensated. Even more, there is a “predictability” in pay progression, reducing the politics that run rampant other firms’ compensation structures. For some, the benefits are equally important. Look no further than Aminad Consulting.

BOUTIQUES, BAIN, AND BCG DOMINATE THE LIST

“The base and bonuses are very competitive, but having a high-quality health insurance be completely covered is a huge perk,” writes an Aminad respondent. “They also have a great education stipend and encourage employees to use it.”

Looking for a high-performance culture with leaders setting the tone for the industry? You’ll find Aminad, Bain, and OC&C Strategy Group ranking in the Top 5 in both categories. At OC&C, for example, Vault respondents describe their work as “intellectually challenging and rewarding,” with a “relentless focus on getting to an even better answer” to client questions that fosters a “level of intellectual curiosity [that] is unmatched, ubiquitous, and infectious.” Bottom line, says one survey taker, OC&C consultants get to do great work with great people.

“I have felt I can really open up and be myself around people in the firm. Compared to other consulting firms, all our work involves wrestling with thorny, complicated strategy problems. I am yet to have a project where I am not working on a challenging, complex workstream.”

When it comes to leadership, OC&C consultants gush about the firm’s growth. “OC&C invested in continuing to grow our consulting team throughout all the economic ups & downs the last 3.5 years, and it has paid off – our top line grew even in down cycles, and we continued to capture share of our market as a result,” writes another survey respondent.”

How do consulting firms rank in other areas across the Work and Life spectrum? From training to work hours, here are the Top 5 firms across 19 factors surveyed by Vault.

 

Benefits 

1) Bain & Company

2) Boston Consulting Group

3) Aminad Consulting

4) Dayblink Consulting

5) Putnam

 

Compensation 

1) ghSMART

2) Bain & Company

3) Boston Consulting Group

4) Aminad Consulting

5) Alvarez & Marsal

 

Firm Culture

1) Aminad Consulting

2) Bain & Company

3) The Keystone Group

4) ghSMART

5) OC&C Strategy Group

 

Firm Leadership

1) Aminad Consulting

2) SciVida

3) Bain & Company

4) Clarkston Consulting

5) OC&C Strategy Consultants

 

Formal Training

1) Bain & Company

2) Health Advances

3) Insigniam

4) Boston Consulting Group

5) ghSMART

 

Health & Wellness

1) Aminad Consulting

2) Bain & Company

3) Boston Consulting Group

4) Putnam

5) DayBlink Consulting

 

Hours in the Office

1) ghSMART

2) Aminad Consulting

3) Eagle Hill Consulting

4) Insigniam

5) Clarkston Consulting

 

Informal Training

1) Bain & Company

2) ghSMART

3) OC&C Strategy Consultants

4) Aminad Consulting

5) Boston Consulting Group

 

Innovation

1) DeciBio Consulting

2) Putnam

3) Boston Consulting Group

4) Bain & Company

5) ghSMART

 

Interaction with Clients

1) ghSMART

2) Bain & Company

3) Applied Value Consulting

4) Aminad Consulting

5) DayBlink Consulting

 

Internal Mobility

1) ghSMART

2) Bain & Company

3) OC&C Strategy Consultants

4) Putnam

5) Kenway Consulting

 

International Opportunities

1) OC&C Strategy Consultants

2) Arthur D. Little

3) Applied Value Consulting

4) Boston Consulting Group

5) Bain & Company

 

Level of Challenge

1) ghSMART

2) Bain & Company

3) The Keystone Group

4) SciVida

5) Boston Consulting Group

 

Overall Business Outlook

1) Aminad Consulting

2) OC&C Strategy Consultants

3) Cornerstone Research

4) SciVida

5) Alvarez & Marsal

 

Promotion Policies

1) ghSMART

2) Bain & Company

3) OC&C Strategy Consultants

4) Aminad Consulting

5) Boston Consulting Group

 

Relationships with Supervisors

1) Aminad Consulting

2) Bain & Company

3) ghSMART

4) DayBlink Consulting

5) Epsilon Economics and Life Sciences

 

Satisfaction

1) ghSMART

2) Aminad Consulting

3) Bain & Company

4) Epsilon Economics and Life Sciences

5) DayBlink Consulting

 

Selectivity

1) ghSMART

2) Bain & Company

3) Boston Consulting Group

4) Bridgespan Group

5) DeciBio Consulting

 

Work/Life Balance

1) Aminad Consulting

2) ghSMART

3) Eagle Hill Consulting

4) Kenway Consulting

5) Bain & Company

Next Page: Diversity Rankings