Pros
• Work-life balance. Really. It’s still consulting and some days will be longer and more unpredictable than others, but you will be able to keep your private commitments during the week. Partners are good at focusing on real priorities. It is possible to spend time with your family on almost every day, or work on other initiatives of your liking. Those who claim that work-life balance is bad at Sia should try working for our competitors. • Close to zero travel, unless you really want to – then the company has a number of good exchange programs. • Strong matrix organization: Early specialization gives everyone a clear signature on a resume and, for those who already know what they like, the opportunity to focus on it. • Lots of cutting edge stuff and subject matter expertise, mostly in France. We are able to compete with the big players and win. • Compensation is somewhere between big 3 & big 4. Salary raises are a lot more generous than direct competitors, variable pay is enforced at all levels of the organization (but generally lower than competitors). • No up or out, no forced rankings. We tend to keep people in place longer than our competitors and end up having a lot of expertise at all levels within the firm (not only at partner level). • The organization is growing very quickly and structuring itself along the way. If you’re willing to take extra responsibilities, you might significantly influence the way your BU operates. • Some very interesting business projects, but a good mix of networking (& luck) is necessary to get them. Do not expect the organization to do anything for you. • Entrepreneurship is a core value of the firm: initiatives can easily get approved, failure is tolerated. • Trainings are prepared and given by senior consultants – they are interesting and relevant. Good offering. • All consulting firms have great team events, but this one really takes it to the next level.
Cons
• Early specialization is not good for those who want to be confronted with a lot of different topics. The breadth of your experience will be lower than at some competitors. Switching from one BU to another is very rare. • Growth in quantity at the expense of quality. Many assignments are still IT bodyshopping or PMO, and the advertised 12 months project rotation period is not always enforced. Some people stay several years at the same client in the same role. • Career progression and professional development is slower (more career ladders; less leadership opportunities). If your ambition is to make it to team lead/manager in 3-5 years and then move to industry, go work somewhere else. • Support staff not up to par with the competition. Our recruiting process is not working very well. • Staffing often feels like it is based on whoever is sitting the closest to the partner at the time of the request. • Interactions with other people within the organization depend on their good will (not a given, as it would be within other similar firms). • Leadership issues; not all country managers are actually managing their office. • Matrix organization at its core; close to no centralization – the organization of your BU will entirely depend on your partners’ good will.