I have an offer to work as a strategy consultant with a small firm. I was wondering what people's thoughts are around some of the following points in comparison to working for a large firm, as well as any general comments you may have to offer. I'm moving into consulting from 'industry'. Any help/thoughts/comments much appreciated.1. Employability if/when I move on2. Salary differences - lower than large firms? Better or worse progression? (offer seems relatively low)3. Client exposure - beneficial?4. Job stability with the current state of play of world economy5. The subject title does not refer to male or female 'bits'6. Any general pointsThanks all

1 good as long as there is exposure - depends on the firm2 about 10% lower? progression depends on performance3 yes4 depends on the company5 liar6 nopeGood luck!

Thanks for that anon, anyone else have any thoughts - is this correct? Really would appreciate any feedback!

I'd agree with Anon's assessment.1. Employability if/when I move onWithin consulting, very employable. Those in smaller firms will usually be expected to have got broader exposure (eg. involved in preparing bid documents to win assignments, presentations to clients, etc) and so are attractive to other consulting firms. If moving out of consulting, you'll not have the same broad appeal as if you'd got McKinsey, Bain, etc on your CV - though you'll be very employable with employers who operate in the niche sectors that the smaller firm services.2. Salary differences - lower than large firms? Better or worse progression? (offer seems relatively low) Usually lower, but on the flip side work-life balance is often better - and sometimes equity involvement may be possible as you work your way up in a small firm3. Client exposure - beneficial?You're more likely to be working in a small team and have exposure to the Partners in the firm, so will be a more important cog and are likely to have greater client exposure than in a large firm where you'll only be let loose on the client after a suitable period of training and nurturing4. Job stability with the current state of play of world economy Much better! With many of the major brand consulting names now publicly listed, there is going to be tremendous pressure on them to cut headcount whenever the boom next turns to bust. And partners at the top strategy firms tend to get major cash calls in such market conditions. Smaller firms by and large don't have to keep the stock market or private equity firms happy, so can take a longer term view when the market suffers a downturn... though obviously you need to understand the ownership structure of the small firm in question before assuming this is the case (some are now VC owned or AIM listed)5. The subject title does not refer to male or female 'bits' 6. Any general pointsGood luck!Tony RestellTop-Consultant.com

1.zzz2.zzz3.zzz4.zzz5. Pity - I'm enormous.6.zzz

Anon, get over yourself - if you don't want to read about people's career questions, then don't read a careers forum. I'm sure there's a forum somewhere you can post about your appendige, but please don't take the p1ss out of me asking some background questions on an area i'm trying to get a clearer picture of.

SVL, I recruit for both large and small consulting firms. Tony makes most of the relevant points, to which I would add that alot also depends on how the smaller firm is perceived - if they are doing something great in a particular niche, or are in some way market disruptive and innovative, then it can be a real advantage to have the smaller, niche consulting experience should you then decide to move into a bigger firm.

Tony and Mars - really helpful comments, thanks very much for your input it's appreciated.

The key issue here is do you have or do you feel likely to get other offers? For a 1st move into consulting a good brand name on your CV is a high priority. If this is the only offer likely (ie you have been looking a while and nothing else has turned up or you have had other applications rejected) then you have to decide whether it's better than nothing, or whether to gamble on getting a big firm offer but risk getting nothing. If you do have other brand name offers but still prefer the smaller firm then there are, I assume, good reasons, so take it but be aware it probably won’t open as many doors when you next move.

So Chris your saying that being able to prove client exposure and working with clients on a regular basis, as well as brining in business (as is expected in a small firm) is not as good as having a brand name on your CV a few years down the line? SVL I disagree with this assessment and think small firms are the way to go when starting in consultancy.

this was an interesting thread. the general rule of thumb is to start somewhere big, get the branding, training, opportunity to work with a variety of experienced people of larger scale projects, learn the methodology etc. Once you have that type of experience, the move to a smaller, niche player makes more sense. If you try to do it the other way around, it will be hard to position you in the larger company. They will be concerned that you do not have the tier 1 experience and, unless you happen to be an expert in a niche they are looking to break, you are going to struggle.

This is a really interesting thread and I was wondering whether someone could advise me over my current predicament - take an offer from a large firm (non top tier strategy house like Accenture, Capgemini, Deloitte...), or elect for the small boutique doing 'purer' strategy projects. I feel that Tony and co have outlined the major arguments for and against, but regarding long term prospects, which choice offers greater options in the future?

You get the big "what a free thinking group" we are. Ultimately, graddies only join them if they do not get into the big player. Every top person in the industry has a brand name on the CV. You will be seen as a very safe bet after 2-3 years. If you start with the small company, you are likely to find yourself applying for the same graduate schemes a year later. Small companies are great but you should only target them when you have some real pedigree to offer. Only exception is if you get lucky and join a small company, which becomes big.

newbie it is not quite as clear cut as some on this board would like to make it; yes it is less risky to start your career in the big pool with Deloitte etc than in a smaller pure strat firm, but it does depend to some extent on what smaller firm - OC&C, Marakon, LEK, Roland Berger etc would all be considered smaller, yet are outstanding firms to join; joining Deloitte etc will make it hard to move into strategy later unless you either join their strat practice or manage to get onto strat projects. Worth considering also that MBB really wont give you any credit for previous consulting exp outside MBB, so for what its worth if you want strategy start in strategy. There are many smaller consulting firms around whom are doing some great work and with a great profile - the cons marketplace is getting more fragmented and stronger for it. You can make a great career by standing out and doing something different. And getting high utilisation from day 1 rather than starting your career (as in some cases I have encountered recently) on the bench and pretty much staying there other than some internal projects which will add nothing to your CV. There are alot of big pool consultants with 2 - 3 years exp out there, so if you want to go that route you need to know how you will differentiate yourself, just as you need to know how to optimise your experience if you take the smaller consultancy route.Worth thinking about.

Thanks for the advice Mars a Day. The boutiques I had in mind were regional players with industry specialisation. I feel that if I had an offer from Roland Berger, OC&C.... there would be no comparison to Accenture, Cap Gemini and co.