Vault Reveals Its Quality of Life Rankings for the Tech Cons

In an ideal world, job seekers in tech consulting would have their pick of several different companies, all with offers to join their firms.  For those who are lucky enough to have the ability to choose, making the right decision really depends on what a company offers.  If you want to work for the most prestigious tech consulting firm, you can choose McKinsey & Company.  They will look great on your resume.  However, if you are looking for a company that provides the best firm culture, compensation, work/life balance, travel options, training, and/or diversity, among other quality of life concerns, the Vault Tech Consulting Quality of Life Rankings will help make the decisions of job seekers a little easier. 

In order to determine the Vault Technology Consulting Quality of Life Rankings, consultants were asked to rate their own firms in 18 different categories on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest.  A firm’s score in each category is simply the average of consultants’ ratings of their firms in that category. Vault’s rankings indicate the top firms in each area, offering associates a tool to aid in their career search.  As a result of their votes, the top Ranked Firms in each Quality of Life Category, along with quotes from employees at the firm, are:

Overall satisfaction: Clarkston Consulting

“I joined Clarkston Consulting for the opportunity to work with an intelligent group of top notch professionals dedicated to solving complex business challenges. I have not been disappointed. I am surrounded by hard-working, thought-leading colleagues whose commitment to client service is astounding. I thoroughly enjoy coming to work every day and look forward to the new opportunities I know that I will be presented with.”

Firm culture: Clarkston Consulting

“Clarkston embodies a culture that is team-oriented, family-based, and fun. We work incredibly hard, but we do so in a collaborative environment that promotes team building, knowledge sharing, and growth.”

Hours in the office: Smartronix, Inc

“I have a lot of flexibility in the hours that I work. I understand that there are times when additional work is required to support business development activities and I feel well compensated for that time and effort.”

Work/life balance: Smartronix

“Yes. I work as much as necessary to accomplish my tasks, but take the time to do the things I like to do on evenings and weekends. This ranges from Volleyball, Softball, and Biking, to walking with my wife every morning.”

Travel: Smartronix

“Not a problem - you need to travel to bring in the work and they make it easy.”

Relationships with supervisors: Clarkston Consulting

“This is a true differentiator at Clarkston as there is no one in the firm, including the CEO, who is more than a phone call or email away. On multiple occasions, I've been asked personally for feedback and input on what could be done better within the firm.”

Interaction with clients: Cognizant

“Open, honest communications with the clients are essential and a key part of a successful engagement.”

Formal Training: Clarkston Consulting

“I joined the firm straight from college and went through an intensive boot camp training program. I have not heard of its equal at any other firm in preparing you for a client-based work environment.”

Informal Training: Clarkston Consulting

“Currently a majority of the training that I receive is on the job. Clarkston provides a lot of mentoring in an informal manner.”

Promotion policies: Clarkston Consulting

“Our approach to career management is individual - you drive your career. We have a career model and clearly defined competencies for growing your career at Clarkston. No two paths look the same. Personally I love this about the company. There are no tenure requirements for promotion and no up or out concerns. We are a high-performance organization and expect one another to perform accordingly. I also appreciate the fact that promotion decisions are made by our entire partnership with input from Managers & Directors.”

Compensation: Smartronix

“I am well compensated in relation to my overall contribution to the company’s success. I feel that Smartronix is very generous with total compensation packages as validated by a low attrition rate.”

Diversity (Respect to Women): Booz Allen Hamilton

“Diversity with respect to women is addressed through excellent onsite childcare (a benefit for dads as well) and flexible work schedules.”

Diversity (Respect to Minorities): Smartronix

“Smartronix is a strong proponent of equal opportunity. Even within our management team, we maintain a true diversity of women, minorities and GLBT.”

Diversity (With Respect to GLBT): Booz Allen Hamilton

“We have an active Gay Lesbian other gendered bisexual (GLOBE) affinity group. Our turnover is lower than any of our competitors in this geography.”

Overall Diversity: Booz Allen Hamilton

“The firm does an effective job hiring phenomenal women, minorities, and GLBT individuals. By strongly supporting and leveraging the internal diversity forums, the recruiting team gains a whole support team of employees to help identify and recruit a quality, diverse workforce.”

Selectivity: Deloitte Consulting

“The interview process is multi-tiered; we conduct both a behavioral interview and a mini and full case study as part of the process. This gives us insight into the analytical and psychological thought process of candidates. During the campus interview process, candidates meet at least three practitioners who in turn provide them with insight into the firm and our staff personalities.”

Green initiatives: Wipro Consulting Services

“Wipro has come out pretty strong on environmental issues.  In its manufacturing operations it has invested a lot in improving the carbon footprint of its factory.”

Firm leadership: Smartronix

“The leadership totally rocks. JP is the man. I greatly admire all the managers in the business unit, and they're a blast to go out with as well.”

Overall business outlook: Cognizant

“We have been the fastest growing IT Services and Consulting business for the last 8 years. In 2009 when every other company was fighting to keep flat growth, our company grew at 18%. This past year we grew over 40%. Our profitable growth is resulting in historically strong bonus payouts that are driving improved retention in an industry environment rife with high attrition.”

View the Complete Technology Consulting Firm Rankings.