Job Responsibilities
I am surprised at how much responsibility I've been given as an
entry level analyst. In my current role, I work with the
business/government clients to identify needs within their
organization that our software solutions can fill. After
identifying the solutions, I work with an offshore development
team to customize the solution to fit the client's needs. The
task that consumes the priority of time at work is managing my off
shore development team. I need to be in constant communication
with them and need to convey the client's needs to them.
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Job Requirements
My hiring process was unique in that I interviewed 5 seperate
times, each time buidling upon the last. The first two were
on-campus interviews. These were behavioral based interviews, as
in "Give me an example when you had to overcome and obstacle."
The purpose of the on-campus interviews are two-fold; first, it is
to find candidates with good IT experience, and second, it is to
find candidates that match Booz's 10 core values (Professionalism,
Fairness, Integrity, Respect, Trust, Client Service, Diversity,
Entrepreneurship, Excellence, and Teamwork).
The first on-site interview is held at Booz's hq in Vienna, VA and
it is an impressive campus. The first on-site interview is a
general meeting where the candidates get to learn about specific
teams, and those teams get a chance to see if a candidate is a
good fit. The interviews can be intimidating, because the
candidate gets to meet consultants, managers, and even some partners.
My last two interviews were on-site with specific teams. These
interviews took place 1 week and 10 days after my first on-site
interview. These interviews consisted of meeting 5 members of
each team and getting grilled on the depth of my experience. It
is not publicized, but it is important to tie experiences back to
Booz's core values.
The educational training that Booz is outstanding, but is mostly
computer based training. This means that on top of my 14 hour
work day, I can take courses in my free time. Some people I have
talked to hear claim the only way to really make it, is to get an
MBA, while others claim Booz's training is all you need. There
are plenty of examples that can be used to argue either way.
The career path is somewhat limiting, in that I'm not eligible for
promotion until 3 years. Then 5-7 years after that. And then it
is based upon client accounts that you have or bring in.
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Uppers
The best part of my job is working with extraordinarily smart people. Booz's
recruiting process consistently brings in people that are bright and very
motivated. A close second to the people is the work. I've been at 3 different
clients and each time has been an different industry. These have all been great
opportunities and wonderful learning experiences.
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Downers
The worst part of my job is the hours I put in. Putting in
between 80-100 hours a week can really take its toll on someone
and I believe is the number one reason why people leave Booz.
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Lifestyle
I am lucky that most of my travelling occurs in the DC area. Some of my
colleagues have been travelling overseas for the past 6 months. I work between
80-120 hours per week and have the opportunity to work from home on Fridays.
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Compensation
Booz's compensation/benefits package is one of the best I've seen.
The base salary was not the highest offer I recieved, but the per
diem, car allowance, and business discounts were more than
generous. Beyond that, I recieved a sign-on bonus of $2000 and
relocation covered.
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Advice to Jobseekers
The consulting industry goes as the economy goes. Booz has done
well because we have government AND commercial clients.
The best way to get a job with Booz is to focus on how your past
experiences fit into Booz's core values. Once you get your foot
door, you can change industry/clients as you want.
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