New York, NY, (September 19, 2012) While McKinsey & Company is the tech consulting firm with the strongest reputation among consultants, it’s Booz & Company that provides its employees with the most on-the-job satisfaction, according to the latest Vault.com Top Tech Consulting Rankings for 2013.
The rankings are a result of Vault’s annual Tech Consulting Survey. Conducted earlier this year, more than 1,500 tech consulting professionals of all levels assessed their peer firms on a scale of 1 to 10 based on prestige (respondents were unable to rate their own employers and rated only firms with which they were familiar). Consultants also rated their own firm’s quality of life in a variety of “best to work for” categories such as firm culture, compensation, overall satisfaction and diversity, among others. A weighted formula was then used to combine findings from both prestige and best to work for ratings to create the Vault Top IT Consulting ranking.
With strong scores in both the prestige and best to work for rankings, Booz & Company took the top spot in the Vault.com Top Tech Consulting Rankings, earning the title of the Top Tech Consulting Firm to Work For.
The Top 10 Tech Consulting Firms to Work for Based on Vault’s Annual Tech Consulting Survey are:
- Booz & Company
- Deloitte Consulting
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Accenture
- Clarkston Consulting
- Smartronix
- Avasant
- Cognizant
- Perficient
- SunGard Consulting Services
Employees praised Booz & Company in the survey, with one stating, “If you want to do highly impactful work, learn a lot, and work hard – Booz & Co is the place for you.” Another survey respondent painted a realistic view of the firm’s commitment to quality of life, stating, “We travel all the time, but the firm makes a big effort to make sure your quality of life is good on the road and get you home for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday”
Other employees discussed the firm’s career development strategy, noting that “Booz assigns junior and senior mentors to each consultant to ensure career development goals are balanced with firm needs.” And when it comes to Diversity, Booz might not have ranked No. 1, but it. “We are a global firm – it is completely against our DNA that anyone is evaluated any other way than how well they do the job,” one survey respondent said. “Diversity is a non-issue for us.”
Clarkston Consulting and Smartronix Dominates Best to Work For Rankings
Booz performed strongly in this year’s Best to Work For Rankings, scoring highly in most categories, while taking the top spot in three categories – Overall Satisfaction, Ability to Challenge, and Selectivity.
However, Clarkston Consulting and Smartronix also stood out for their strong performance in the Best to Work For rankings—between them, the firms had 15 No. 1 rankings in the Best to Work For categories. Clarkston Consulting emerged at the top of 10 separate categories, including Firm Culture, Interaction with Clients, Supervisor Relations, Formal Training, Informal Training, Diversity for Women, Diversity for Minorities, Diversity for LGBT Individuals, and Overall Diversity.
Employees at the firm explained why a job seeker would choose Clarkston over other firms, stating, “Clarkston may not have the brand recognition of an Accenture or a Deloitte, but it is truly an organization where you can grow your skills and build lasting relationships with colleagues and clients.” Discussing the firm’s strength in diversity, one survey respondent added, “The firm is pretty diverse and has a good representation of the consulting industry. Minority and foreign employees make up a good percentage of the firm and have equal opportunities to succeed.”
Smartronix earned the No. 1 spot for Work-Life Balance, Work Hours, Compensation, Benefits, Diversity for Individuals with Disabilities, Green Policies and Innovation in the Industry.
One employee summed up the advantages of life at the firm, stating, “Smartronix has given me valuable skills that I’m not sure that I would have attained working for other companies. They empower you to make the decisions you need and trust that by supporting their employees and taking care of them, their reputation will help attract other quality professionals and business opportunities. They provide a competitive benefits package and are always looking for new “perks” to add. I’ve worked for Smartonix for over 5 years and have turned down opportunities offering better pay because I truly enjoy my job and the company I work for.”
Other winners of Vault’s Best to Work For Rankings include (along with quotes from survey respondents):
- Travel Requirements: Booz Allen Hamilton (“Booz Allen’s environment has a unique culture that focuses on work and life balance, networking, and business development.”)
- Promotion Policy: Avasant (“Critical thinking is rewarded and appreciated.”)
- International Opportunities: Avasant (“The international travel can be significant.”)
- Internal Mobility: Avasant (“Ability to move up quickly is completely within the control of the new employee.”)
- Philanthropy Programs: Deloitte Consulting (“Deloitte has IMPACT Day each year where the entire firm participates in a full day of community service across the country.”)
- Firm Leadership: Deloitte Consulting (“Deloitte’s leadership and strategies are very forward thinking and innovative.”)
- Business Outlook: Accenture (“We have continued to beat our forecasts and raise our outlook.”)
McKinsey & Company Is Synonymous With Prestige
Proving that its brand has staying power, McKinsey & Co. once again emerged as the most prestigious firm in the tech consulting field. “While the firm is better known for its management and strategy consulting capabilities,” said Vault.com Consulting Editor Phil Stott, “McKinsey’s performance in the prestige rankings just proves the strength of the firm’s reputation, and also underlines the critical role that technology plays in corporate strategy in this day and age.”
Survey respondents from peer firms called McKinsey the “best of the best,” “strategic and impressive,” “well respected,” a “consulting trend setter,” and quite simply, “the most prestigious consulting firm.”
IBM Still Shines In Vault Tech Consulting Practice Area Rankings
IBM Global Technology Services performed well in this year’s Practice Area Rankings, taking the top spot for Operations and Implementation Consulting and Cyber Security Consulting, while also coming in at No. 2 for Outsourcing Consulting and Public Sector Consulting. Industry insiders noted that the firm is a “big player,” “packages
their technology with consulting well,” are “quick to embrace change,” and has a “solid reputation for delivering solutions.”
Accenture, which survey respondents called a “’Classic’ IT consulting firm” that is still “innovative,” was the No. 1 firm in Outsourcing Consulting this year. Deloitte Consulting, which insiders called an “industry leader,” staffed with “smart people,” topped the Public Sector Consulting category.
View the entire Vault Tech Consulting Rankings.
About Vault
Vault.com is the source of employer and university rankings, ratings and reconnaissance for highly credentialed, in-demand candidates. Vault.com is organized by profession, industry, company and schools. Vault profiles, rankings and assessment tools deliver the insider perspective and career research candidates need to successfully match themselves to the best available job, employer and career opportunity. The Vault.com website features profiles on more than 4,500 employers, 4,000 universities and hundreds of industries and professions including the law, finance, accounting and consulting sectors. Founded in 1996, Vault.com is the only career resource of its kind and attracts more than 1,000 employer and recruiter advertisers, more than 1,200 school and institutional subscribers and millions of individual visitors and members.
