I joined a big 4 firm 6 months back after working for a big and SI firm for 7 years. I have overall 12 years of experience . While I have learnt a lot in the last 6 months here in doing bits and pieces of work but haven't landed my self a project yet. Being on the bench for 6 months is beginning to make me wonder if I should go back to my previous employer or look for another role. To sum up the last 6 months, it's been a cycle of RFP -> get proposed on a role -> bid lost or hanging in the air->repeat. Quite disappointed with the experienced hire integration into the firm. Basically I have been on my own. There is hardly any transparency of open roles or advertisement. They get filled by someone knowing someone. The other reason why I'm posting here is something that ticked me off: Was discussing a potential role with a senior member of the firm and he remarked - 'You have a great resume and experience, how do you explain not being able to land a project since you joined?' A part of me felt as if there's something wrong with my skills and experience.. Divided between hanging in there and giving myself more time here and at the same time take a hit at year end review process which slows down my growth by 6 or more months. Would be good to get a different perspective. Any thoughts?

Consulting can be quite challenging and a big maze if you're coming in from the industry. And you're spot on in saying that resourcing works on the basis of 'who you know' rather than your fitment or 'what you know'. If you are not seeing light at the end of tunnel pretty soon (read landing a good project) then don't waste your time and spoil your CV there. You can think of moving back to industry, but obviously the sooner you decide and take the plunge the better since that will make the least dent on your CV. There's one thing you can be sure of - in the year end review you are most likely going to be denied a hike/promotion due to low utilization and no matter how much it is not your fault - that's the way consulting works!

Not sure what I can add here over and above the advice you're probably already getting internally. If it's any consolation - this is a common issue facing new hires to big4 consulting. A few months on the bench is quite normal and most people who experience this go on to have a successful run.However, after 6 months you're right to be a little concerned. It's almost certainly not a matter of skills/experience though. It's probably down to bad luck...but perhaps also consider how you're presenting yourself.After 6 months I'd suggest it's OK to start asking staffing managers/partners directly what they think you could be doing differently. I'd be interested to hear their thoughts.Final point - make sure you take advantage of any and all training going whilst you can.

Can't really add a great deal but empathise. Hired in as experienced Jan 16 - first 12 months has been very tough, the integration has been poor and I've given detailed feedback on that. I completely concur about the lack of transparency around the internal processes. I was on bench for a large part of the first year and found it incredibly frustrating. I was being intensely pressured to justify every second of my time and it felt like I was being attacked for not being on a project. In November I landed a sizeable project thankfully - as horrific as it is, I'm glad to be utilised and gaining good experience. This isn't so much as to offer advice on whether you should stick it out but to offer my own experience as a comparison. I also think that your next employer will be understanding of the situation if you were to start looking - you're clearly capable if you've been hired by Big 4

How have things worked out for you these last few weeks? Landed a project now?Tony

Thanks for checking in Tony. Yes - landed a good project and its long term. Worth the wait!