Feel like I’m being promoted too early
I spent 1.5 years in audit before deciding to start from scratch so joined a Big 4 consulting grad scheme. I’m 1 year into that and have been offered a role at a top 20 consultancy as a senior consultant (typically they go 2 years at analyst, 2 years at consultant before promotion to senior consultant). I get that my prior experience in audit would help but this double promotion feels premature. Thoughts on the perils of being promoted too early?
SC after 2.5 years with grad school is not unusual
So I only did undergrad
You can feel like this but don’t tell your company lol. I’ve been pushing for a promotion two levels ahead of what I am now - timing is rarely perfect, but you’re in a great spot.
I wouldn’t think twice about it - be sure to ask questions when you need help. I’d rather be in over my head than stuck at the same level
What is a top 20 consultancy?
Major consultancy outside of MBB, Big 4 or top end of Tier 2
Lol I’m at an MBB and in spite of our proclivity for fluffy descriptors I have never heard of a firm described this way
Yeah, I didn’t realize they counted past 4
Do it. It may be tough at the start with more responsibility, but you'll adjust.
I was in a not too different position before only less extreme, and I dont agree with any of the responses thus far, so sharing my perspective;
You are absolutely right to feel concerned and should seriously consider the implications of accepting an SC role with 2.5 total YOE. Why do I say this? I skipped a year to get go from AC to C at a sweatier firm and in a sweatier group and my performance suffered. So when you are coming in at a new firm jumping two levels, this is more than a promotion, it is a position where you are likely to fail.
This would be the IB equivalent of going from A2 to Assoc 3 where you are on the brink of hitting VP. What do I mean by that? At the SC level (general ofc, I do not know every consulting firm but I do know B4) you are expected to run point on all deliverables while starting to develop your sales skill set. So in order to do so, you need to be proficient in what you do. My GF is a SC and she is running her projects. She made a jump from Firm A to Firm B and went from C to SC not essentially AC to SC (a much much larger jump) and she still struggled. She was expected to learn coding languages she had never learned before, and even though she was a SME in one particular area (hence why she got the SC title bump upon switching), she has been pushed on projects where she has had no exposure to the languages / tools she utilizes.
I do not know your area of expertise in consulting (doubtful you even have one at the 1 YOE AC mark), but getting pushed into an SC role doesnt make any sense at all. Even with your your 2.5 cumulative YOE you are going to be competing directly with folks that have 3-6 YOE, and those with 3 are almost always exclusively top performing consultants who hit the early promotion. Sure, you're not joining the ranks of MBB, but these guys and girls still work very hard and are intelligent folks.
If I didnt make myself clear, you are in a position where the deck will be stacked against you, and you do not have the sufficient YOE to make this jump. If you are willing to accept that level of risk, feel free to proceed, but I would caution against it.
There is not one other person who has commented being in a similar position (or even in consulting or an ex-consultant lmao) so that explains why the responses so far have missed the mark entirely.
This is a beta response
You dont know what the fck you are talking about. This is a logical, well-articulated response based on someone who has industry experience and was in a comparable situation. Your ignorance is showing. Stay the f*ck in your Corp Fin lane.
Hahah too true
Really appreciate this and defo is along the lines of what I was thinking. My plan is to ask them if they could offer me a role at the consultant level which I’m pretty sure I could do and then seeing if they think I’m good enough for SC.
I think this is the right choice, and will actually benefit you long term. Considering the general economic outlook, with potential layoffs coming, the last thing you want to do is be the new guy AND be in a role where you are in over your head. I went from non-B4 to B4 at a top group and struggled a lot from AC (~2 YOE) to C in a top group and went from being a top performer to a very middle bucket employee.
What you may or may not know now is sweaty B4 groups have a lot of trial by fire, especially at the lateral C / SC levels. People arent coaching you from day one, but expecting that you know what you're doing and how to execute. I would recommend talking to any friends or family in consulting familiar with the firm you are joining to get a second opinion, or even any current employees in your network, but I just would hate to see you in a position where you fail right away. I have never, ever, recommended someone opt to take a lower title before, so please understand I thought seriously before typing a response
Only thing I would add is try ask for formal reviews every 6 months or so (and try set up informal reviews in-between). This allows a mechanism to push for SC out of the usual review cycle and gives you the regular feedback to ramp up into this.
That's because the wonderful Mr. Agree to Disagree hasn't commented yet. So let me do so now. Went from an IC to SME/Account Manager to co-team lead within about seven months last year. Circumnavigated the SIC role and took a slightly different path. If you actually know what the f@$% you're doing, it's very much possible. Besides, OP didn't mention how they got the connect with this other firm. It may seem a bit audacious or like some kind of trap getting a double bump up that quickly , but if you've the skills, take it and run with it (my rise has been internal, I'll make that clear. Along with the fact I'm old as s**t in WSO terms and also have been working 4x longer than the OP said they have, which I will also cop to as probable part of my rise).
Having that previous audit experience is most likely what's fuelling it if I had to guess. I'd guess they're wanting to move OP into that elevated spot so OP can function as a specialist/SME on portions of the projects that need a more audit / accounting weighted background. OP, are you a CPA by any chance? CSOE , CBiiiPro or even SOC2 or other similar certification? That'd also explain a lot if that's the case vs the wet behind the ears college grads I'm used to.
You got this.
"Act as if"
I don't believe 1 year makes a big difference and I don't see any serious downsides of being promoted earlier than expected. Your learning curve will probably be steeper. Enjoy it, don't overthink it!
Learn the new role on the job and congratulations on your promotion. Put your head down for a bit until you know what you're doing.
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