Executive Q&A from West Monroe Partners
1. Will I work with diverse people I can learn from and who will challenge me to achieve more every day?
Certainly! At West Monroe Partners, we don’t just respect diverse experiences and thought—we demand it, as a vital part of the fabric of our firm. We live by the principle that “two heads are better than one,” and we rely on this principle, and each other, to make smart business decisions. At West Monroe Partners, no one has a lock on the good ideas; our founders created a vision for our organization and will always have opinions, but it is our team that will determine where we go and how we get there.
We have taken great care to develop a team with well-balanced knowledge and skills, and we invite all ideas as we strive to provide the best possible solutions for our clients. In our dealings with clients and each other, we seek to understand first and then to be understood. This extends to the newest members of our organization—both experienced hires and college graduates. Your ideas add to the richness of our firm—and we will expect you to back those ideas with execution, as we do with everyone in our organization.
“Everyone is smart, driven, wise and responsible. Plus, it's just a fun group to be around—I've made some really great friends here.” – Senior Consultant
2. Will I be encouraged to express my ideas?
Of course! As already mentioned, we not only value diversity of thought—we insist upon it in everything we do. For one thing, our leadership team encourages open, two-way communication at multiple levels—through regular meetings with your local solution team to forums, such as virtual town hall meetings, that allow you to share ideas and feedback on an organization-wide basis. You will have a chance to voice your opinion through regular employee surveys and our upward feedback program. And, as part of focused client-service teams, you will have early and frequent exposure to our own project leaders and clients’ senior-level executives, giving you the chance to express your ideas and have a real impact on the direction of the programs on which you work.
But we believe one of the most unique ways in which you can express your ideas—and bring them to life—is through our Chiefs Program. This program encourages our people to present ideas and then take responsibility for bringing them to fruition—with budget and support from West Monroe Partners. Examples of ideas that our people have proposed and are now leading through the Chiefs Program include… Chief Green Officer, Chief Social Officer, Chief Charity Officer, Chief Coaching Officer and many more!
“West Monroe provides many unique opportunities for young resources to step up and take ownership of their career. I work alongside talented co-workers who mentor me on a daily basis.” – Consultant
3. Will I build the skills that will make me successful in the short and long terms?
Yes. West Monroe Partners offers a robust and focused training program, including state-of-the-art online tools and resources—based on our carefully developed career model that guides your development at each stage. Although we are a still a young firm, we have made it a priority to employ director of performance and training with more than 25 years of experience, who develops and implements our training programs and oversees our comprehensive internal curriculum and our newer Continuing Professional Education program.
We believe you’ll find most valuable aspect of our development program, though, to be the “training” you receive on the job. Given our focus on middle market clients, our people gain practical experience and exposure early in their careers that is unprecedented in larger consulting organizations with “pyramid-style” project teams.
4. Will I have the chance to interact with senior management and leadership?
Absolutely!
All of our offices have the same open seating concept to facilitate and encourage interaction and collaboration among our team members at all levels. This is by design. Our focus on middle market clients, and its resulting emphasis on smaller project teams, means that you gain exposure to senior level executives both at West Monroe Partners and at our clients—and much earlier in your career than you would in a larger firm.
“West Monroe has a ‘no door’ policy. In each office, new consultants sit next to senior directors to help promote a truly collaborative environment.” – Senior consultant
5. Does this organization have a formal training program? Will I be able to job shadow and/or have a mentor?
a. New Hire Onboarding Site
Our onboarding process helps you transition to your new career at West Monroe Partners. A broader, more strategic process than orientation, onboarding begins before your first day—even as early as the interviewing process—and continues for approximately six months after you begin work here. Our onboarding process has been designed to help you:
- Reduce the time required to be productive
- Engage you in our company and integrate you into your solution team
- Create a sense of welcome
- Convey important information about our business in an effective and efficient manner
- Ensure a consistent orientation process for you and all other new hires
- Communicate and manage expectations – both yours and ours
b. Coaching Program
As soon as you sign our offer letter, we assign you a coach. Your coach is part of your solution team and is there to help ease your transition throughout your first six months here. He or she is a personal advocate for you, as well as a guide to help you navigate these critical first stages of your career at West Monroe.
“Consultative training is well institutionalized. We have both online and classroom training. Technical training is more individualized, and is comprised of a mix of formal training and on-the-job training.” – Partner
6. Does your organization participate in Campus Recruiting? Do you hire in interns as well as full time entry level consultants?
West Monroe Partners participates in campus recruiting for our Chicago, Seattle and Columbus offices. Currently we recruit directly from the following schools:
o Bradley University
o DePauw University
o Indiana University
o Miami University
o Northwestern University
o Purdue University
o Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
o The Ohio State University
o University of Illinois
o University of Notre Dame
o Gonzaga University
o Seattle University
o University of Washington
o Washington State University
West Monroe Partners has established a summer internship program in our Chicago office to enable students the opportunity to gain relevant consulting experience, as well as a taste of the business world. Our summer interns work on client engagements, gaining one-on-one exposure to client professionals and leaders as well as senior leaders at West Monroe and furthering their knowledge in their specific fields as well as other disciplines practiced at West Monroe Partners.
