Lot of talk about strat houses and "up or out" policies and "counselled out".What actually happens? Are you given your marching orders on the spot, or are you told to go and find another job and you have, e.g. 3 months to do so?Are you literally made redundant on the spot? Do you have tell new employers you were counselled out - which would be obvious if you were booted straight out, or can you cover this up by telling an interviewer you want a change?What are your experiences? Sounds traumatic to me.thanks for your time folksgood forum!

... anyone who has worked in consulting (especially with strat houses) during the 2000-2002 slump will be able to talk about the constant fear of being suddenly summoned to a meeting with HR and some obscure partner... the many rounds of redundancy!In my firm (no names pls) we used to make jokes about the typical South American practice of the "desaparecidos". People were literally disappearing from one day to another! And in scores. My firm got rid of 50% of consultants in just over a year!Basically, what used to happen was that less fortunate consultants were called in a room and told to look for other jobs and usually given a bit of time to do that (some 6 weeks, others 3 months or more... all depending on the situation). In order not to impact morale, people were asked to leave the office immediately ... and for good!So, to answer your question: yes, you are made redundant on the spot. I know of cases where consultants were called off projects to be booted out.With reference to telling new employers, well that depends. I wouldn't do that, also because you should be able to get a decend reference anyway (unless you've done something very very noughty). So if you can say that you need a change... otherwise say that you've resigned for personal reasons. Negotiate that with your employer.In the "up or out" case usually you know well in advance what it is going to happen... so you better start looking for a new job as soon as you sniff troubles. The good companies also try to help you find a new job... that is because they feel a bit responsible for your failure. In this case it is up to you to turn the tables around and make them take as much responsibility for the situation as possible. Sometime you can even get a bit of money... I know of a couple of examples of former colleagues that during the recession having found new jobs have successfully negotiated payoffs. A friend of mine got 6 months salary from its old company and a sign off bonus from the new employer.However, as you said it is a traumatic experience. In some companies, unless you're hot like shite, you are basically on a 12 months contract... if you meet your targets, fine otherwise you're out. Very stressful

Good questions.All Associates know where they rank relative to their peer group. This isn't kept a secret for two reasons. (1) This allows you the opportunity to improve. Feedback is usually pretty specific. (2) This allows you the opportunity to leave on your own accord if you don't think you're able to improve by the next evaluation cycle. I agree with MC that you should consider employment at MBBB to be a 12-month employment contract, renewed annually.The period between 2000-2002 was an aberration. MBBB collectively laid-off thousands not because of performance, but because there simply was no business. This period shouldn't be used as a basis for comparison, as it is not typical.To answer your other questions:- Outcounseled Associates are typically asked to leave on the same day. Higher-level consultants (Managers, Sr. Associates, etc.) may or may not be...depends on the situation. In any case, severence is usually pretty generous...depending on the firm, something like 3-6 months' pay.- Consultants usually tell new employers they just decided to move on. MBBB generally will provide positive references unless you did something criminal, because odds are you will become a future client. They don't burn bridges. Some firms even provide outplacement services. McK runs one of the best "job finding" shops in the world. They help place their "outcounseled" consultants on senior positions at blue-chip companies. One of my B-school classmates was outcounseled by McK after 2 years...and helped place him as Director of Business Development at a wireless/telecom company. - Yes, being outcounseled is traumatic...on both sides. While some Partners are A$$holes, most understand that the guy their outcounseling probably just got married, or just had a baby, or just bought a house. On the plus side, 80-90% of Associates don't get outcounseled their first year. So odds are fairly good as long as you're not an idiot and work your butt off. In addition, 60-70% of your peer group will make it to the "next" level (Manager, Sr. Ass., etc.)...again not a bad statistic. However, onliy 30-40% of your peer group will make it to Engagement Manager or Principal -- because many leave voluntarily within 12-24 months of getting promoted to the Manager or Sr. Ass. level. Only about 10% of Associates will ever make it to Partner.

Writing the above actually made me reflect on why thousands continue applying to MBBB despite the notoriously long hours, unglamorous work (for Associates anyway), grueling travel, and constant fear for your job.I'm sure applicants all have different reasons, some variation of "prestige", "money", etc. However, what often gets overlooked is that even an outcounseled MBBB consultant still enjoys vastly more career options that your typical Big 4 or boutique consultant. Throw that into the mix.