Booz Allen Hamilton

WetFeet Insider Guide

2005 Edition

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Insider Guide

Booz Allen Hamilton

2005 Edition

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Booz Allen Hamilton

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Table of Contents
Booz Allen Hamilton at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Competitive Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Industry Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 A Quick History Lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Organization of the Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Recent Client List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Typical Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Whats Hot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

On the Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

The Workplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Workplace Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Civic Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Vacation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Career Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Insider Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Getting Hired. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
The Recruiting Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 The Interviewers Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Interviewing Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Grilling Your Interviewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

For Your Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Consulting-Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Recommended Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 For Further Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Other Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Key People and Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

At a Glance

Booz Allen Hamilton at a Glance

Headquarters
8283 Greensboro Drive McLean, VA 22102 Phone: 703-902-5000 Fax: 703-902-3333 www.boozallen.com

Primary Competitors
Accenture, Bain & Co., The Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey & Co., SAIC

Key Differentiating Factors

Part of the management consulting old guard Combines strategic consulting with implementation; significant IT capabilities Reputation for developing workable solutions based on very thorough analysis Serves both government and corporate clients Strong reputation in strategy, operations, organizations/leadership, and information technology Global presence with experience in 20 industries

In the Recruiters Words

First of all, be prepared for a case interview. For Booz Allen there is not one type of case. Were looking for your ability to think, to take different information, put a framework around it, and come up with something realistic. It tends to impress interviewers when you have detailed questions about particular areas or activities of the firm. However do not try to puff yourself up too much; your bluff might very well be called. We intend to look for Europeans studying at American business schools who would like to return to Europe. We used to do this opportunistically but its becoming more systematic now.

At a Glance

We look for good structure, validated assumptions, and other things such as creativity and business sense. We want someone who can think logically, who is responsible and a self-starter. You have to be very self-motivated: No one is going to tell you what to do; no one is going to make sure that you show up; no one is going to hold your hand. You have to find the motivation to do it yourself. When we recruit, we look for not only strong generalists, we also look for people who have good functional expertise.

In the Interview
Typically, youll be asked to discuss in detail some aspect of your work experience, interests, or resume. You may be asked to describe a particular assignment or discuss an industry or current trend. If interviewing with the commercial side of the firm, youll also be asked one or more case questions. These are usually based on an actual client engagement on which the interviewer has worked. Your interviewer will be looking for what sets you apart. Think about ways youve demonstrated your ability to meet a unique challengewhether through your involvement in sports, during a previous work experience, or in the course of your education.

What Insiders Say

In contrast to our competitors, we want to be able to bring not only the big ideas, but also the ability to make things happen. Theres nothing better than when the [client team] gets the accolades at the end of an engagement. I dont need that recognition. Ill get that internally when the client CEO calls the partner and says, Your team did a great job. My partner will know that I did that. I think thats very different from some of the other firms. Coming into consulting from industry, I was pleasantly surprised by how much cooperation there really is. I was worried that up-or-out would drive a lot of negative behaviors, but thats not the case at all. I think a lot of it just has to do with the fact that if a team is successful in their work, they all look good. If not, no one really looks good. So theres little reward in anything less than a cooperative outlook.

At a Glance

We tend to hire overachiever types [into the World Technology Business unit]. Its not uncommon to see cars there on the weekend. People seem to really like their work. Theyre into it. And Ive felt that, too. Everyone is very bright, ambitious, and drivenvery high-caliber players. But on top of that, everyone has a very different perspective and background. You bring such different perspectives and points of view to a problem that you really produce a superior answer.

The Career Ladder

Undergraduates enter the government side of the firm as consultants; currently, the commercial side of the firm hires few undergraduates. MBAs, who make up the majority of commercial-sector hires, enter as associates. After 2 to 3 years, they become senior associates and begin to manage projects. Promotion to principal is the final step before being elected an officer (informally known as partner) of the firm. The firm also recruits PhDs and other non-MBA advanced-degree holders. Booz Allen actively recruits experienced hires on both the government and commercial sides of the firm. Most non-MBAs enter Booz Allen at the associate level.

Revenue
2004 revenue: $2.7 billion 1-year growth rate: 22.7 percent

Personnel Highlights
Consulting professionals, 2004 Worldwide United States New hires, 200405 Undergraduate MBA MBA summer hires, 2004
Note: All figures are WetFeet estimates. Booz Allen does not release hiring projections.

15,000+ 13,000+

400 250 300

At a Glance

Compensation, 200304
Undergraduate Hires Starting salary Signing bonus Relocation bonus MBA Hires Starting salary Signing bonus Relocation bonus $100,000 $15,000 (can vary) depends on need $40,00065,000 n/a depends on need

Note: All figures are WetFeet estimates. Booz Allen does not release salary information. Salaries for individuals working in the firms government-sector business tend to be lower than salaries for those in the commercial-sector business.

The Firm
Overview Competitive Strategy Industry Position A Quick History Lesson Organization of the Firm Recent Client List Typical Studies Whats Hot

The Firm
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Overview
The Firm
Founded in 1914 by Ed Booz, who was later joined by Jim Allen and Carl Hamilton, Booz Allen Hamilton is one of the most highly regarded firms in the management consulting industry. With more than 100 offices on six continents and 15,000-plus employees, its also one of the largest. And Booz Allen has had for years what other consulting firms now strive for: the ability to deliver strategic recommendations and the technological expertise to execute them. The firm stands out not only by helping devise strategy, but also by sticking around to help clients carry out the changes it prescribes. It focuses on long-term client relationships; consultants work in the trenches and see their recommendations put into action. Booz Allen comprises two business units: the Worldwide Commercial Business (WCB) and the considerably larger Worldwide Technology Business (WTB). WCB traditionally caters to Fortune 1000 corporations, competing with strategy consulting firms such as McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, whereas WTB works with government and other public-sector organizations. WTBs large-scale implementation projects have made it more comparable to consulting firms like Accenture and government-consulting powerhouse SAIC. As it is, Booz Allens government businesswhich employs nearly 12,000is thriving, so much so that it has enabled the company to expand its commercial offerings. In recent years, the firm has endeavored to create a single, firmwide infrastructure, including the institution of the Global Operation Team, or GO Team, which is responsible for the worldwide organization of the entire firm. CEO Ralph Shrader recently told Consulting Magazine, We recognize where we are different and we know where we are the same. I believe that for the fore-

seeable future, there will always be a need for distinctiveness between certain segments of our business, but there is a lot more in common than we ever gave ourselves credit for. Insiders credit the diversity of Booz Allens clients and services with its relative financial health and continued growth during some difficult years for the consulting industry. According to one insider, WTB has been doing very well during the downturn. While WCB was going down a bit, the WTB grew much faster.

Everybody works in teams, but your individuality is encouraged. Booz encourages you to follow your passion. Ive never felt stifled.

The Firm

Following the consulting slump that hit the industry hard in 2001, Booz Allen seems to be entering a time of growth and optimism. Of the years Ive been here, says an 8-year veteran, we had one of our best years in terms of profitability last year. Our economics are fantastic right now. Another European insider agrees, Public-sector business on the commercial side, which is mostly consulting to ministries in Europe, is picking up. The opportunities are quite good, better than the last couple of years. Health-care consulting is also on the rise. According to the October 2003 issue of Consultants News, As a specialty, health-care consulting has plenty of job security and growth potential. No matter how the economy is doing, there is always demand for health-care products and services. As a result, firms that cater to the health care industry are in good standing. Booz Allens work with government agencies that regulate health care have placed at in the forefront of this market, which ensures some solid ground for the firm even during volatile economic times. On the commercial side, Booz Allen is organized around industry and functional natural market teams. Staff members are hired into a geographical location, or home team, and project teams are staffed from across the firms organizational

structure to meet specific client needs. Every project team, according to insiders, is staffed with a mix of information technology, operations, industry, and strategy experts. Boozs commercial career model might be best described as an hourglass: As a new hire, youll start by gaining broad exposure, working on at least two projects a year in a variety of industries. After a few years of experience, most of your work will be focused on an industry or technical competency. If you make it to the level of principal or officer, youll again apply your experience to a wider range of cases. As an associate, one insider tells us, most of your work is reasonably structured: The proposal drives the deliverables, and the job manager is in charge of developing a work plan. You are almost always working on a team, although an associate typically owns some kind of work stream. Early on, expect a lot of oversight on your work, but everyone is busy, and the quicker you demonstrate the ability to write sensibly and quality-check your work, the more leash you will be given. In general, there is a fair amount of rewriting for a big review, but frankly thats where a lot of really good learning takes place. Just as on the commercial side, government assignments are staffed with a variety of functional and subject matter experts. This sector, however, is organized along the following business segments: Civil Defense National security This could soon change, however, as one insider says, The business is currently being managed through these segments. No decision has been made on the future of segments. They are just a management device and not key to any service offerings, since we use the no walls concept.

The Firm
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No matter which side of Booz Allen you work on, insiders agree that diversity is what sets Booz Allens culture apart from that of other management consulting firms. Says one principal, Not only do we have a very diverse bunch of people here, but we embrace diversity and look for more of it. Another insider says, Everybody works in teams, but your individuality is encouraged. Booz encourages you to follow your passion in terms of industry interests. Ive never felt stifled. I feel like I have a lot of autonomy. Unlike at some other firms, this diversity applies to Booz Allen on a global scale. You must have an international mindset, one European insider tells us. We are an international company. Wherever you go in the world, you have someone in the office speaking another language. Ive worked with other consulting firms, and this is the only one where Ive really found this international exposure. So you must have an international outlook, otherwise you wont be successful.

The Firm

The Bottom Line

Things are picking up all over the consulting industry: Booz Allen was on campus recruiting in the fall of 2003 and will return in 2004. The firms diversity of clients and expertise in both the private and public sectors have been driving factors in its stability. But new hires shouldnt expect to move fluidly between the two sides of the firm. As one WCB recruiter puts it, Theres some movement but its on the margins. They are really different business models. I think thats something people fail to understand. We have a wonderful government business, but it has a different set of requirements, skill needs, education needs, etc., than does the commercial side of our business.

Competitive Strategy
The Firm
Booz Allen Hamiltons position in the consulting industry is unique in that its strategy practice places it in the top tier, along with McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, while its deep technology expertise puts it well ahead of companies like Accenture. This combination of strategy and technologywhich gives the firm the ability to help clients carry out its recommendationsis what Booz Allen insiders say its government and commercial clients have come to expect and rely on. Indeed, many insiders emphasize that its follow-through is one of Booz Allens most distinguishing characteristics. Our value proposition is different, says one insider, which makes our culture different. Were willing to drop everything to go support a client. And its the culture within the firm that supports its ability to offer this brand of thorough support to clients. [Were a] firm of very smart, talented individuals who are very concerned about seeing other people be successful, says another insider. That translates well into the client environment because we know that we work very hard to make not ourselves but our client look good. We work very hard to make sure that they understand the recommendations, and we work with them to make those recommendations happen. So when we leave, we know that our clients are going to be able to execute well, because we didnt just hand them a recommendationthey created it with us. Booz Allens track record of serving both government and corporate clients is certainly its strongest differentiator, but as a result the company is sometimes viewedby both insiders and outsidersas two firms within a firm. A companywide rebranding effort was launched in 2001 to position Booz Allen as one firm serving both public- and private-sector clients, and it succeeded in alleviating to some degree that perception in the consulting marketplace.

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Our government clients want the benefit of commercial best practices, while our corporate clients want the special expertise weve developed through our government work. The tighter linkage between our business units multiplies the firms power. Every team brings the full power of Booz Allen to bear on every engagement, a recruiter tells us. Every commercial engagement is staffed with industry experts and functional experts in strategy, operations, and IT. Even if its a corporate strategy job, every engagement would have people with those backgrounds. Still, according to most insiders, the division remains distinct. In April 2004, one of Booz Allens recent initiatives, Global Assurance, became the global resilience natural team, a government-side group that deals with issues surrounding homeland security for business. Booz Allen does similar work, across the firm for both commercial and government clients under what it calls enterprise resilience, integrating security into strategic corporate planning. Beyond security, Booz Allen is the logical choice for companies that want to succeed in an area where the firm has earned top-dog status: working with the government. Were seeing an increasing number of companies that want help developing a plan to do more work with the government, says one insider. This trend is also evident abroad: In Europe we have a growing public-sector business with some major clients in the U.K. and German governments, says an insider. This is exciting because we are doing the same type of work for them that we do for commercial clientsand we are ahead of the game in the consulting field in this. Insiders see analysis, both quantitative and qualitative, as another of Booz Allens competitive strengths. According to one insider, All consulting firms do the same kind of work, though perhaps we put more emphasis on analysis and the research behind our recommendations as opposed to just pulling them out of the sky. Another tells us, When we crack a problem, we really crack it. We sweat a lot of details to get a right answer.

The Firm
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Industry Position
The Firm
In Consultants News June 2004 ranking of the 50 Largest Management Consulting Firms in the World, Booz Allen came in at number 12, up from number 16 in 2003.

20 Largest Consulting Firms, by 2003 Consulting Revenue

Rank
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Firm
IBM Accenture Deloitte Capgemini CSC BearingPoint Hewlett-Packard McKinsey & Co. Mercer SAP T-Systems Booz Allen Hamilton LogicaCMG Atos Origin Oracle Unisys Altran EDS TietoEnator Watson Wyatt Worldwide

Source: Excerpted and reprinted with permission of Consultants News June 2004; Consultants News/Kennedy Information, Peterborough, NH 03458 USA; phone: 800-531-0007; www.ConsultingCentral.com.

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Where MBAs Want to Work

In 2004, Booz Allen leapt 16 spots, from 26th to tenth, in a ranking of employers most popular among MBAs. The following ranking is a result of Universums 2004 survey of MBAs, who ranked the companies where they

The Firm

would most like to work.

Consulting Firms that Ranked in the Top 50

Rank
1 4 7 10 11 13 27

Firm
McKinsey & Co. IBM Bain & Co. Booz Allen Hamilton Deloitte Boston Consulting Group Accenture

Source: Based on a study by Universum, published in Fortune. Ann Harrington, Fortune, 4/19/2004.

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A Quick History Lesson

The Firm
Booz Allen Hamilton dates back to 1914, when founder Ed Booz, a psychology and economics graduate from Northwestern University, entered the business world. From the start, it seems that Mr. Booz was part entrepreneur, part business advisor, and part lone wolf. He worked almost exclusively on his own for 15 years, advising the U.S. Army and businesses and conducting market surveys and statistical analyses. Boozs approach was to begin by studying a companys management, organization, and personnel. With this process, he helped define the new industry of management consulting. After hiring George Fry in 1925, Ed Booz expanded his empire to a third employee in 1929: fellow Northwestern economics graduate Jim Allen. During the early years, Edwin G. Booz Surveys was largely a firm of independent consultants who worked on their own under the Booz umbrella. This lack of structure was evidently a little too much for Allenhe actually quit the firm twice over the years. In 1936, Ed Booz and George Fry, together with newly hired Carl Hamilton, persuaded Jim that they were ready to develop a formal management structure and operate the firm as an ongoing business. Thus the Booz, Fry, Allen & Hamilton partnership came into being. The firms early years were pretty tumultuous, and by the early 40s both Jim Allen and George Fry had bolted for greener pastures. Allen was lured back to Booz for a second time in 1943 (this time as chairman), and todays Booz Allen Hamilton was born. Although Ed Booz gets top billing on the corporate letterhead, Jim Allen is widely credited with building the firm into a consulting powerhouse by spearheading its growth and diversification.

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Besides working for commercial businesses, the new Booz Allen took on a significant amount of consulting work for the federal government during World War II, which laid the groundwork for Booz Allens modern-day Worldwide Technology Business (WTB). Although many others vie for multimillion-dollar government consulting gigs, WTB has continued to be one of the most successful businesses in the field. Booz Allen continued to prosper over the yearsso much so that its partners decided to take the firm public in 1970 under the guidance of a new chairman, Charlie Bowen. A poor showing in the stock market led to the repurchase of the company, and Booz Allen has been a privately held corporation ever since. The tumultuous times continued well into the 1980s, when Michael McCullough put the already unstable firm through a vast restructuring of everything from industry focus to geographic areas. By 1988, a third of the partners had jumped ship. The 1990s were much more prosperous for Booz Allen. William Stasior took charge in 1991, splitting its business into separate government (WTB) and commercial (WCB) units. The next year, the company moved to McLean, Virginia, now the firms corporate headquarters as well as headquarters for its government business. The Booz Allen commercial-sector business is headquartered in New York City. In April 1999, Ralph Shrader became the CEO of the company, and he assumed the chairmanship in October of that year. Awaiting him was a chaotic new consulting market, in which technology and the Internet were quickly changing the landscape of the industry. To cope with the changing times, Booz Allen began to emphasize its technical savvy. (During the early stages of government testing of the Internet, Booz Allen worked alongside the U.S. Department of Defense.) One firm insider says, Ralph Shrader has surfed well in chaotic times. He wasnt elected for that. The wave of change just overtook the company, but he incorporated that well into the plan.

The Firm
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In 2001, Booz Allen was affected (like everyone else) by the bursting of the Internet bubble and a generally slumping economy. However, Booz Allen fared better than most firms thanks to the relative strength of its government business. Today, Booz Allen is successfully leveraging the strengths of its WTB and WCB units, and engagements with participants from both units are increasingly common. Booz Allen has grown to more than 15,000 employees worldwide and is among the best-known strategy and technology consulting firms in the world.

The Firm
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Organization of the Firm

The Firm

View from the Top

In a world of mega-mergers, Booz Allen has remained independent and privately held. That means the firms officers still call all the shots (and pull in the big bucks). The organization consists of two business units: the corporate consulting group, called the Worldwide Commercial Business (WCB), and the larger, government-focused Worldwide Technology Business (WTB). Though people within the firm are typically aligned with one side of the firm or the other, Booz Allen positions itself as one firm serving both government- and private-sector clients.

View from the Middle

Booz Allen has taken a different approach to the standard management consulting setup. Historically, new commercial-sector hires had to align with a practice group (industry focus) right away. Now Booz Allen prefers that commercial consultantsexcept for those specializing in IT or operationsstart their careers gaining broad skills across industries before they go deep and concentrate on one area by joining a natural market team. I think we lost some people [in the past] because we werent as flexible as we could be, says a recruiter. Booz Allens approach to client work is based on the theory that a complex business problem cannot be adequately addressed using a single methodology, perspective, or framework. The firms staffing model brings industry, strategy, operations, and information technology specialists together to form cross-

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functional project teams. That way our clients get the best thinking from across the firm, rather than just a narrower approach, says one insider. Virtual teams are formed and disbanded as needed, across all areas of expertise within the firm. Major areas of expertise include the following:

The Firm

Strategy Organization and change leadership Operations Information technology Technology management Global assurance (homeland defense and enterprise resilience services)

View from the Bottom

On the commercial side, recruits are encouraged to join the organization in the geographic location they desire. Commercial-sector recruiters tell us, In every step of the recruiting process, we ask candidates for their geographic preference, and 98 percent of the time, they get it. But we know we need X amount of people for the New York office, and we need to know what theyre thinking, too. The people who wont get their choice are the people who change their minds six times in the process. Some offices are more difficult to get hired into than others. For instance, recruiters say that San Francisco and New York, which attract people from across the United States, see more competition for available positions than does Chicago, which for the most part attracts graduates of the University of Chicago and Kellogg, but not Columbia. The location you join becomes your home team. Early in your Booz Allen career, youll work across industries and natural market teams. According to a principal at the firm, You can express interests and preferences, but we encourage folks to work across multiple types of industries and jobs. People

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come in the door and say, Im a media guy, and I only want to be a media guy we look for people to be more rounded than that. Early on, we encourage folks to get out and kind of kick around a bit. The typical workweek means Monday through Thursday at the clients location,

The Firm

wherever that might be, and a return to your home-team location on Friday. Insiders report that people in some offices have less intense travel demands. Those who prefer to travel less might want to join Booz Allens government consulting practice. Its headquartered in McLean, Virginia, and most of its clients are situated in and around nearby Washington, D.C. Rather than spread its staff among hundreds of different clients, Booz Allen prefers to serve a smaller group of core clients. It isnt uncommon for the firm to simultaneously staff several teams working on different projects for a single client. A typical commercial team may consist of the following: One or two consultants Four or five associates Two or three senior associates One or two principals One partner But teams on some projects, particularly those on the government side, may be substantially larger. And teams are often joint engagements that include consultants from both the government and commercial sectors. In addition, virtually all project teams include members of the client organizationin accordance with Booz Allens belief that, to deliver enduring results, clients themselves must be an integral part of the consulting process. We most often work in teams, says an insider. The structure is normally a principal running a project. Senior associates have teams of four to five that they run, which include Booz Allen associates mixed with client personnel. I actually had a team of 13 clients

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at one engagement. At another, I had two subteams, each with a Booz Allen associate and two clients. There are seven job titles at Booz Allen, ranging from consultant (the entry point for undergrads) to senior vice president (known inside the firm as senior

The Firm

partner), but job titles dont seem to get in the way of a team effort to do quality work. One Booz principal says, When I came here, I expected much more of a hierarchy. In reality, you find yourself in a team room with all levels of people on either side of you, and you cannot help but have contact and interaction. On the client site, it might be a little more structured and hierarchical, but still, I would feel absolutely comfortable walking into a senior partners office here, as I would hope an associate or consultant would feel walking into my office. Another tells us, Its a real meritocracy. You get to show what youre good at, and you get rewarded for it. This isnt the kind of place where people try to get credit for things they didnt do. A WTB insider says, I have never once felt like I am being taken less seriously or prohibited from doing my job because of my level. Once I had proven my credibility with [upper management], they gave me resources and trusted me to do my job and gave lots of coaching and mentoring. There was never any feeling of being second-class because I was junior to them. And a senior associate says, I was promoted to senior associate last fall and all three of the people at my level were supportive. We each used the other as a sounding board. As a matter of fact, theres a lot of cooperation. I often get referrals to others who may have had a similar business problem to the one on my project, and Ill contact them out of the blue. I often get a quick e-mail back with a thorough explanation of their situation and some reference material. Very helpful. Insiders say that promotions occur faster than they used to, and recruiters confirm that there is interest in promoting people more quickly. There is no official time it takes to make partner, says a recruiter. Every path is customcrafted.

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Recent Client List

Despite consulting firms notorious secrecy about their clients, weve turned up a few that Booz Allen has worked with: Abbott Laboratories Amazon.com American Express Blue Cross Blue Shield BMW Boeing Borden, Inc. BP-Amoco Caterpillar Chicago Transit Authority Dallas Symphony E-Trade Federal Aviation Administration Ford Motor Company General Electric Government of Peru Group AXA Grupo Synkro Honeywell Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Project (New Jersey) Internal Revenue Service LOral

The Firm
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Lucent Technologies Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. Ministry of Economic Affairs (Netherlands) Motorola MTV Networks Museum of Television and Radio National Basketball Association The Nature Conservancy Net Brasil New Jersey Transit New York Times Nissan Procter & Gamble Pfizer Special Olympics, Inc. Standard & Poors TAG Heuer Turner Broadcasting United Airlines U.S. Food and Drug Administration U.S. National Guard Washington, D.C., Police Department The World Bank

The Firm
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Typical Studies
The Firm

U.S. Federal Transportation Authority

After 9/11, Booz Allen helped the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration (FTA) assess the security of public-transit systems nationwide. With a team that included security, transportation, and counterterrorism experts, Booz Allen developed and implemented a novel threat-andvulnerability-assessment tool in just 30 daysin time to secure Utahs public transit for the Winter Olympics. According to the FTA, the Booz Allen team identified important concerns at even the most well prepared agencies.

U.S. Transportation Command

More than half the soldiers wounded in Operation Desert Storm were taken to wrong locations and ill-facilitated hospitals. After the conflict, the U.S. Transportation Command realized that it needed to drastically overhaul its patienttracking procedures. Five years after beginning work on a system, catchily titled the Regulating and Command and Control (C2) Evacuation System (TRAC2ES), to address these issues, it was still not in operation. Booz Allen stepped in and transformed the Web-based system to instantaneously track patients from origin to destination throughout the militarys health care system, during war and peace times. TRANSCOM officials subsequently report that TRAC2ES has saved lives during recent encounters in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Bangkok Bank
In the wake of the Asian financial crisis of the late 90s, Bangkok Bank, one of the largest financial institutions in Southeast Asia, was on the brink of collapse. Booz Allen instituted a rapid fix and build program that not only restored

The Firm

and increased the banks profitability, but modernized its business model, overhauling 500 branches and ultimately positioning it ahead of the competition. Among other strides: Between 2001 and early 2003, the banks stock rose 23.5 percent compared to its main competitors 7.5 percent.

Space-Based Blue Force Tracking

Together with the U.S. Space Command, Booz Allen devised a way to use global positioning system technology to track battlefield movement in real time. Named Space-Based Blue Force Tracking, the system, which is attached to existing satellite payloads, is used to streamline vast operations and locate wounded soldiers. To make the project work, Booz Allen not only engineered the technology, but also implemented organizational changes, secured funding, and convinced various military constituencies to accept the new system. Three months before its pilottest date, Blue Force was put to use in Afghanistan, and according to Booz Allen, senior military commanders now rank Blue Force Tracking among the three most important new capabilities available to allied forces in Afghanistan.

Innovative Approach to Brownfield Project

Booz Allen used its expertise in outreach, regulatory analysis, and land-use planning to help turn long-neglected buildings in Denver, Colorado, into a thriving, livable community space. This project won the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protections Phoenix Award, a prestigious award that acknowledges innovative projects that return unused or abandoned industrial and commercial sites to productive uses.

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Whats Hot
The Firm

Short and Sometimes Sweet

Though the economy is still unreliable, business is picking up in the consulting industry, especially from the lows of 2001 and early 2002. But clients are looking to get more bang for their consulting buck, and at least on the commercial side, insiders report that engagements are generally shorter than they used to be. Of course, the multimonth mega-projects still exist, but well-defined 6- to 8-week engagements seem to be becoming increasingly common. One insider tells us that shorter projects can mean longer hours, but they also means theres a good chance that youll see plenty of variety. In the 2 years Ive been here, says one associate, Ive worked on several strategy and operations projects in a number of industries, including energy, health care, and financial services. Another insider says, The assignments in the market are now a little shorter than before. They used to be 6 months to 1 year; now we work 2- to 3-month assignments. So, we have to be faster and more flexible in staffing people. And a government-side insider warned that recent rapid growth is causing a significant amount of work.

Working for the Government

WTB insiders report that they are afforded what is a comparative luxury in the world of consultinga personal life outside of work. If youre not sure you can hack the demanding lifestyle of a commercial consultant, you could find a better work/life balance on the government side of the firm. WTB tends to work on longer, multiyear contracts, and many government-sector consultants are based in the federal governments backyard, in McLean, Virginia, which

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accounts for the key quality-of-life difference between WTB and WCB. My clients are 10 miles away, says one insider. Another adds, Some of my WCB colleagues travel 80 percent of the time. Im not on the road every Monday through Thursday. I travel maybe 40 percent of the time. However, another insider adds, Its not a place where you can hang out and be a slacker. If you come in hoping for that, then you will be quickly overcome. And theres no indication that government-sector work isnt every bit as interesting and challenging as that of its commercial-sector cousin. Ive gotten to work for a multitude of clients, says one WTB insider, because other teams come to us. Even though my team has the same technical theme, theres a great diversity of work. Says another, Ive done well at the firm by being able to adapt and figure out how my skills, my teams skills, and my service offerings fit different client needs. Its not just applying the same thing over and over.

The Firm

Security Blanket
Booz Allen has long worked for government agencies, such as the CIA and NSA, on national security issues. But after September 11, the firm recognized a need for similar services in the commercial sector. Cue Enterprise Resilience, Booz Allens cross-firm initiative encompassing homeland security for the government sector, business resilience for its corporate clients, and the security needs shared by both. One insider describes the type of work Enterprise Resilience teams have done: If your computers all went through the World Trade Center, we could help you figure out if you should build a redundant call center. Well help you handle the overflow, which is a big deal for information-intensive industries such as banking and insurance. Weve also done war-gaming exercises. We did a bioterrorism war game involving the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control,

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insurance companies, and HMOs. It was a 3-day game to model what would happen if smallpox broke out in a city like Detroit or Virginia Beach. Were trying to help people understand the scary world we live in. James Woolsey, a Booz Allen vice president who used to run the CIA, is one of

The Firm

the most prominent members of the firm working in this area.

Feel-Good Consulting
Booz Allen makes an effort to offer its consultants plenty of opportunities to do good deeds. One insider working on a project for the Childrens Defense Fund says, This is my second pro bono project at Booz Allen, and I think thats kind of nice. It makes me feel good about my consulting work. My office takes that seriously, and we treat them just like any other client. Its a great opportunity, and Im not sure Id be able to do it at any other firm. Another hot pro bono project is the Harlem Small Business Initiative, which Booz Allen works on in collaboration with Columbia Business School and the National Black MBA Association. Former President Bill Clinton is another high-profile participant in the project. Its a project that has been generating a lot of internal buzz, says one insider. Its worth noting that Booz Allen doesnt limit itself to charitable involvement and pro bono projects with star power; its roster includes the Special Olympics, the United Negro College Fund, Christmas in April, and Amigos de las Americas. In 2004, Booz Allen signed a 3-year agreement to take over title sponsorship of the PGA Tour event in Washington, D.C. The eventformerly the Kemper Open, now the Booz Allen Classicattracts more than 180,000 fans annually. One of our primary reasons for doing this, an insider says, was to be able to give back to the Washington metro community. We have committed to donate at least $1 million every year to nonprofits in the D.C. area. In the first 23 years

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of the tournament, it raised only $8 million for charity, most of which was not earmarked for charities in the local area. So this is a huge deal. The PGA sponsorship also reflects the companys current initiative to raise the profile of the Booz Allen brand. Our brand has never been better, says one insider. Were investing in our brand in ways that we never did before. [Historically] weve been a little bit more discreet, but were being more aggressive about getting our message out now.

The Firm
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On the Job
Consultants Associates
On the Job
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Consultants
In 2004, Booz Allen will be recruiting MBAs and others with advanced degrees into its commercial business almost exclusively. Undergraduates from leading colleges and universities are more likely to find opportunities on the government side of the firm. Undergraduates enter the firm with the title of consultant. According to one recruiter, The profile of the type of undergraduate we recruit for WTB varies. We look for technical people, especially those with electrical engineering and computer science degrees. We also look for people with business backgrounds who can do analysis. Though not common, there are always exceptions, as one WTB insider explains, We tend to look for engineers, computer scientistspeople who have information systems and telecommunications backgrounds. But I have somebody on my team who has a bachelors and a masters in philosophy, because the person is very logical. The move away from hiring consultants into the commercial side of the firm reflects corporate clients preference for having more senior people on projects. However, the general lack of consultants on projects has not gone unnoticed by associates (MBAs and other advanced-degree holders). Its a reflection of the market, but its unfortunate because it piles more work onto associates, says one. That said, a few consultants are still doing work within WCB, and the work they do is similar to that of associates, including the following: Conduct industry research Develop analytical approaches to solving business problems Run computer models Interview clients

On the Job
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 Analyze data Participate in group brainstorming sessions

The environment here is more A Day in the Life of a Consultant collaborative than 8:30 Grab coffee and a scone on the way into the competitive. The office. term teamwork is 8:45 Discuss how to structure our analysis of really lived here.
how much profit a television show generates for the network: What costs will we include? What are the direct costs vs. the indirect and shared costs that will be allocated across all of the shows?

10:30 Call accounting office to request report with show-by-show production costs and advertising revenues. 11:15 Dial into Knowledge Online (KOL) system to uncover internal company resources on TV programming profitability. 12:30 Ask team member to pick up a sandwich and Coke so I can keep surfing KOL. 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:30 4:00 5:00 7:00 9:00 Call television trade organizations and order reports on television advertising. Leave voice mail for several communications, media, and technology associates who reportedly have worked on similar studies. Start developing television show profitability model. Quick meeting with associate to discuss modeling technique. More time on the spreadsheet. Run down to accounting to pick up cost/revenue report before the accountants all head home. Whoa! Plenty of new data to crunch! Days over. Head out for dinner with rest of the team. Tonights topic: Which slide will the partner want to change first? Home, sweet home.

On the Job
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Associates
New MBAs at Booz Allen are hired as associates. Most of their time is spent working as a part of a project team. As an associate, its my job to gather data, test that data and check the accuracy of it, follow up with clients to make sure I completely understand the data, and ask the right questions in order to put it together and come up with sound results. Even relatively recent associate hires enjoy a great deal of responsibility on

On the Job

project teams. While working on a project, one associate reports that she led a client team of about eight VPs and general managers. We developed growth forecasts and looked at new markets. There were four associates, two senior associates, and a partner on the case, but each associate was basically running his or her own work team. A recruiter explains the process: We hire a kind of athlete out of business school: someone whos really smart and dedicated. I train them how to be a management consultant. I put them on a series of jobs that are anywhere from 8 weeks to 5 months, and I build a tool kit thats going to help them get to the next level. Then I tend to use the different levels of the firm as an apprenticeship program to help train them. Its a very different business model. Associates are responsible for a number of different tasks, which vary depending on the type of engagement. Heres a representative list: Develop financial models Facilitate work-group discussions Conduct industry research and interview clients Lead brainstorming meetings with project team

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 Prepare presentations and write reports; present portions of presentations to senior management Help manage client teams

A Day in the Life of an Associate

7:30 Catch flight to Dallas for another week at everyones favorite oil-company client. Our job: Evaluate international retail-expansion opportunities. My job: Focus on opportunities in Australia and Asia; offer recommendations to the officer in charge.

10:30 Arrive at client site just in time for a meeting with clients director of strategic planning. He says the company once considered opening a retail franchise in Australia but decided against ittoo pricey. Im thinking, What about acquisition opportunities? 11:30 Work with consultant to generate data on petroleum franchises in Australia. 12:30 Quick lunch break: sandwiches in the cafeteria with the rest of the team. 1:00 Back to the data collection project. Discover one franchise that looks interestingseveral outlets, but lower profitability than other chains. Whats behind this? Put a consultant on the case. Meet with the officer from operations for a project update and status report. He says Im doing a fantastic job and perhaps theres a project management opportunity in my future. Yes! Consultant has gathered great data on the target franchise. Now my job is to put this into a financial model that tells a story: Is this a potential acquisition target? Is there an opportunity to add value to this franchise, or is it a dog? I cant believe it. My laptop just crashedI hate the new version of Excel! Think Ill cool off by taking a quick walk around the building. Work with consultant to reconstruct that beautiful model I lost in virtual spreadsheet land. Time to wrap it up for the day. Outline objectives for tomorrows meetings.

On the Job

2:30

3:00

4:00 4:40 7:00

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8:00 8:30 9:30

Check in at the Four Seasons. Get onto the Stairmaster before the health club closes. Grab dinner at the hotel restaurant, call my boyfriend, and settle in for an early evening.

On the Job
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The Workplace
Lifestyle Culture Workplace Diversity Compensation Civic Involvement
The Workplace

Vacation Training Career Path Insider Scoop

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Lifestyle
In 2003, Consulting Magazine ranked Booz Allen sixth among the Top 10 Best Consulting Firms to Work For in the United States and second in the Morale category. Though consulting can be a grind, Booz Allen does make an effort to keep its employees happy while they are being productive. The firm recently collected numerous other awards for work/life balance: Ranked second among the Best Places to Work in The Netherlands (Het Financieele Dagblad and Great Place to Work Institute, 2004) Among the top 25 Best Places to Work in Germany (Psychonomics AG and Great Place to Work Institute) Named to the top 10 Most Desirable MBA Employers (Fortune, 2004) Named to the top 10 of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers (Working Mother, 2003) One of 50 Great Places to Work in Washington, D.C. (Washingtonian)

The Workplace

One of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT (Computerworld) Recipient of a BEST Award (American Society for Training and Development, 2003) Recipient of a Workplace Excellence Award (Society for Human Resources Management) Booz Allen encourages flextime, and more than 45 percent of employees take the firm up on it. Employees job share, work compressed weeks or flexible hours, and telecommute from around the worldwhich the firm supports with laptops, e-mail, and dial-in lines for ready access to its intranet resources. Since 2000, the firm has invested $10.8 million in laptop computers, and in 2002, Booz Allen took steps to improve remote connectivity. These efforts have increased employees work options: We certainly have the capacity to do

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everything remotely, which has created opportunities for people, says an insider. Now we have people who live in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania who are able to network their way into our New York, Boston, or McLean officesthe Northeastern hub. So there is a bit more flexibility in location.

Hotshots burn out quickly here. You may be successful in the short term, but people wont want to work with you again.

Travel Requirements
On the commercial side, the firms travel policies include attempting to bring everybody back to the home office on Fridays and not scheduling client presentations on Mondays. The 5-4-3-2-1 program recommends that consultants and associates be limited to 5 days of work per week, 4 days and 3 nights at the client site, two projects per year, and one project at a time. The firm tries to hit these goals 80 percent of the time, recognizing that theyre not always attainable on teams assigned to projects with short time frames. According to an insider, If you need to limit travel, the firm will try to balance the businesss needs with your development needs to accommodate that. Were trying to put people within a 3-hour drive of their home office, an insider tells us. Were still trying to embrace the 5-4-3-2-1. We also have a new [experimental] role in the New York office, an ombudsman who is responsible in a nonthreatening way for monitoring the work/life balance in different jobs. We embrace a generic social contract which is committed to certain workload levels; preservation of agreed-upon things that are important to the team: certain nights off, respect for appointments that are outside of the office, preservation of family events, etc. Theres no getting away from the fact that youre out of town most of the week, adds one insider. Ive lived in Dallas for 3 years and dont have a great

The Workplace
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network of friends yet. But others, like one insider who tells us his daily commute is an hour and a half from door to desk, actually prefer out-of-town assignments. At the client site, everything is written off as an expense, and theres no (daily) commute, an insider says. And then theres the insider who was not complaining when he told us that hed flown on a chartered Learjet for the last 8 weeks. Those who work on the government side report that considerably less travel is required of them, primarily because many of their clients are located near the firms McLean, Virginia, headquarters or near other large government-focused offices, including San Diego and Colorado Springs.

Hours
Hours at Booz Allen depend largely on the practice to which you are assigned, the client, and the stage of the project. A principal tells us, Youre generally at the client site Monday through Thursday, and then youre looking at 12- to 14-hour days, maybe a little less on Monday because youre on an early flight.

The Workplace

Friday, youre looking at a 10-hour day. Theres a ramp-up phase at the beginning of a project, where the hours are more aggressive; then an execution phase, where its more manageable; and then at the end another ramp-up phase to tie it all together. Short-burn projects are more aggressive. Another insider notes that operations projects tend to have slightly shorter hours than strategy projects. The average workweek is reportedly between 55 and 70 hours, but insiders say personal time off is available when you need it. I got married this year, says one, and they told me to take as much time as I needed. Correspondingly, a senior associate whos been with the firm for 5 years says, I took 6 months out of my career track to be a school manager. I needed some time: My second child was born, and I wanted to spend some time at home and not traveling

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[for work]. Several insiders emphasize that at Booz Allen you have the ability to adjust the pressure and that managers are receptive to

Youre generally at the client site Monday requests for help. Says one, Now that Im more through Thursday, senior, and Ive built up a decent reputation, I can say, I will do this tonight, but I wont be able to get and then youre looking at 12- to 14the other stuff done, because I wont stay up all hour days, maybe a night anymore. It becomes more manageable when little less on Monday you have the courage to say, This is what I can because youre on an achieve tonight, and this is what I plan to achieve early flight. Friday, in the next few days. Im overwhelmed. Can you youre looking at a help me prioritize? The managers dont always 10-hour day.
realize when theyre overloading you. A senior associate on the government side says, The number-one thing I like about Booz Allen is the flexible work/life balance. I havent been at a 100 percent [work time] in the 3 years since my son was born. Im home Wednesdays and Fridays with the baby. She notes, however, that she works in an area that allows employees to manage the work/life balance. Not every team can do that. There are some legitimate reasons why that is not uniform across WTB, given certain contract and classified requirements. For example, youve got to do classified work in the office. But let me tell you, there are some teams that are not up to speed with that [work/life balance]. Still, when the hours get intense, Booz Allen provides support. We say work/life balance is important, says an insider, but theres the reality of consulting. [The firm] really values employees. It will provide company cars if you leave after dark and dinner allowances when you work late.

The Workplace
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Culture
Consultants throughout the firm stress that youll be hard-pressed to find a single Booz Allen type. In fact, in interviews with firm insiders, the word diversity is used with eerie frequency: We have a very diverse bunch of people hereall kinds of backgrounds, walks of life, and perspectives, says one insider. Another says, Its very diverse and a little eclectic in the sense that we may all appear to be professionals and consultants upon first meeting, but once you get to know the individuals, youre constantly amazed by where people are coming from and what theyve done. Yet another says, The people are pretty diverse as far as interests and educational backgrounds are concerned. People have dreams outside of consulting. In fact, it appears that at Booz Allen the only lack of diversity is in insiders opinions of their colleagues.

Booz Allen Family Values

The Workplace
Within its diverse workforce, Booz Allen instills a prevailing ethic that resonates clearly across the firm. Booz Allen is a company made up of many individuals, who are very different, but have in common that they believe in the same values, says one insider. Based on that, one could say that we have a culture where the individual comes first, closely followed by the firmnot the other way around. Similarly, a government-side insider says, The culture of WTB is centered around a set of core values that are explicitly stated on the first page of the [employee] manual. Every single employee, no matter what level, is assessed on them every year. Its the first thing the senior managers look at when determining how to progress someone. Its not a platitude. Its very much a values-based culture.

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Competition and personality clashes might be expected at a firm staffed by so many individualists, but insiders say that conflicts are rare. The atmosphere is definitely a combination of intellectual competition and camaraderie, says one insider. I do not find any competition between my peers within the firm; . . . [instead, the] high level of demand placed on each of us to deliver quality thinking to our clients makes us compete against these expectations but not each other. The people are great to work with and all have very interesting and diverse backgrounds to share. Says another, The atmosphere at Booz

You have to be confident enough to dispassionately sit back and pick through something youve just said. People try to tear your idea apart, so you cant be thin-skinned. Its a compliment when people take your idea and pull it apart.

Allen is very challenging but also very friendly. You work with an intellectual set of people; however knowledge is shared and there is a very familial atmosphere. It is competitive but not in a negative sensemore collegial. The team needs to crack the case, not the individual.

The Workplace

In general, Booz Allen exists as a relatively laid-back alternative to the BCGs and McKinseys of the consulting world. I think Booz Allens culture is more down to earth and supportive than some firms, says one insider. I feel that the people in my office really care about each other. People are always sharing knowledge and helping each other out. But laid-back and supportive doesnt always mean warm and fuzzy. Another insider says that You have to be comfortable with your ideas and confident enough to dispassionately sit back and pick through something youve just said. People try to tear your idea apart, so you have to be ready to contribute, but you cant be thin-skinned. Its a compliment when people take your idea and pull it apart.

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Friends, Romans, Coworkers?

Most insiders with whom we talked emphasized the balance struck between fun and professionalism at their individual offices. The people here are very funloving, and Ive made some lifelong friends here. But I also like the fact that everyone here is extremely professional. Everyone here is really smart, and its nice being around people I can learn a lot from and who challenge me, an insider says. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on the team you work on. There is a fair amount of variation in the subcultures of different project teams, says an insider. Some partners and job managers are very outgoing, with lots of team dinners and other fun interactions. Some are more in the eat your spinach mode and head back to the hotel to do e-mail and room service. But its a decent balance. Likewise, office structure varies depending on where youre stationed. In some offices, staffers have assigned spaces, whereas others consist of virtual offices, sometimes called hoteling. Theres a ranking system. First you share an office, then the office has a window, and then you get a private office, says an insider

The Workplace

assigned to the McLean, Virginia, headquarters. Then theres a virtual office in a hub where you come in and get assigned a place to sit. Some offices, like the London office, have a combination of both types. There are people who are squatters and have their own offices. And theres the bullpen, if youre just stopping in. A New York insider says, There are sets of cubicles for the associates [in the New York office]. There are five or six associates in large rooms so they can talk. The senior associates have their own offices. Most of the doors are open. Theres a laptop on every desk and team rooms in every hallway. I was just in with my teama working session over lunch. Because of the cubicle setup, associates can conduct conversation thats both professional and social.

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Another insider counters, saying, There isnt a lot of chit-chat between employees, which I think stems from the fact that we share offices and too much talking could be distracting. According to one insider, On the client site, theres a lot of social interaction, and thats a lot of the appeal. In terms of the office culture, theres definitely some of that, but its difficult. People are on the road, so on a Friday or Saturday, theres a real inclination to go visit your other life and your friends outside of work. Do we do things socially as a work group? Absolutely. Is there a super-robust after-hours environment? Probably less than I would like to see, but would I participate in it a lot more? Thats difficult to say. Even so, many insiders mention seasonal outings, happy hours, and other informal social opportunities. Some offices schedule activitieslike ice cream socials and citywide scavenger huntsto get employees together. And more than one insider mentions marriages that were made not only in heaven, but also on Booz Allen project teams. Cutbacks after 2001 and the recent hiring boom have both had some effect on employees relationships. Says one insider, Social interaction outside of work really varies by level. I think it used to be considerably better a few years ago, but coming out of the downturn, I think people are a little gun-shy and tend to invest a little less in work relationships. In general, though, its a decent place to come in as an associate. As you get more senior, most folks have some strong personal relationships with a couple other folks in the office, usually in their cohort. A WTB insider says the recent increases in hiring on that side are being felt among staff. We are growing so fast on the TB side; we have all these new people across the firm who dont know Booz Allen. So this culture thing is hard. Its not something I dont like, but its a concern.

The Workplace
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Workplace Diversity
Booz Allen began a formal, firmwide diversity initiative in 1993 and appointed a director of diversity to oversee diversity recruiting, staff development, retention, training, policies, and benefits. For at least one insider, Booz Allens commitment to diversity was a significant factor in his decision to join the firm: Since Im African-American, it meant a lot to me that Booz Allen had quite a few black partners. It meant they took diversity seriously, and that was a big selling point. The firm actively recruits at minority conferences such as the National Black MBA and National Hispanic MBA conferences. In 2001, the firm rolled out a new paid internship program for college juniors and seniors who attend any of the United Negro College Funds 39 member colleges and universities. Minority hiring trends tend to differ from office to office, though some insiders

The Workplace

report that the government side of the firm is more diverse than the commercial side. Its still largely Asian and Caucasian, not as much Latino and AfricanAmerican, says an insider. A WCB insider says, I think minorities seems to do better [here] in general. Were certainly not representative of the general population at higher levels, but were better than most of our clients. Still another insider says, There probably arent enough minority and women in upper management. We have a good mix of minorities and women up to the point of the senior associate position. Once people get to the more senior point, we havent been able to maintain that [level of diversity]. We dont have as many female partners as some of our competitors do, [but] I dont think its anything cultural.

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Internally, the company has many employee groups that support diversity in the workplace, including the African-American Forum, Asia-PacificAmerican Forum, Blacks at Booz Allen, ESL Pilot Group, German Diversity Task Force, Hispanic Forum, Hispanic Interest Group, Booz Allen Hamilton Parents Network, Disability Forum, Disabilities Task Force, Junior Exempt Employee Forum, Nonexempt Employee Forum, and GLOBE Forum (for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered employees). The firms Women of Greater Washington along with other site-specific womens forums addresses gender issues at the firm. Insiders report that women at Booz Allen generally support one another, offering encouragement and mentoring.

Diversity Training
According to a Booz Allen recruiter, Our former CEO was a huge proponent of diversity, as is Ralph Shrader, our current CEO, and it really gives it a lot of weight, coming from the top like that. The firm is making diversity training mandatory for its officers and principals, and it offers a half-day course to teach

The Workplace

managers how to conduct interviews that are both probing and sensitive to diversity. For all staff, the firm offers courses in diversity such as Working Effectively in a Diverse Organization and Managing in a Diverse Organization, computer-based courses designed to strengthen employees diversity skills, and brown-bag lunch sessions on topics such as Interacting with People with Disabilities. Booz Allens Professional Development Diversity Series, open to all employees, is an employee-driven, firm-sponsored series of professional development workshops that includes the Womens Professional Development, Asian American Professional Development, African-American Professional Development, Latin American Professional Development, and Sexual Orientation in the Workplace courses. Booz Allen also provides sexual harassment awareness training for employees.

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The firm has a diversity intranet site, which includes information about diversity at the firm and links to forums websites. Its Disability One-Stop site, sponsored by the firms Disability Forum, provides training, information, and resources for staff with disabilities and the people they work with, work for, or supervise.

Recognition
Booz Allens commitment to attracting, hiring, and retaining a diverse workforce has garnered the firm awards and acclaim from a number of corners. Booz Allen has been recognized for its diversity initiatives by such organizations as the Human Rights Campaign, Black Collegian magazine, and the National Disability and Business Council. In the July 2002 issue of Consulting Magazine, five AfricanAmerican Booz Allen officers were profiled. The firm also received several awards last year for its diversity efforts: Excellence Through Diversity Award (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays of Metropolitan, Washington, D.C.)

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Employer of Choice (Minority Corporate Counsel Association, 2004) New Freedom Initiative Award (U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao, 2003) In addition, Booz Allen has an annual awards ceremony to recognize employees whove made a significant professional contribution to enhancing the firms diversity.

Opportunities for Women

In addition to being recognized for its commitment to diversity, Booz Allen has been named to Working Mothers list of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers for each of the last 5 years. Moreover, in 2002 and 2003, the firm was among the top ten and ranked number one among consulting firms. Were

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exceptionally proud of that, but we have a long way to go, says a recruiter. In September 2000, the firm opened the Booz Allen Family Center,

Theyve got the diversity thing down, to provide child care, including an all-day but it happens to be a kindergarten and extended-hours care, at lot of diverse men. company headquarters in McLean, Virginia. In 2002, the firm extended its child-care benefits to There are very few women partners, and employees nationwide, by partnering with two consulting is hard if child-care companies, each with more than 620 youre trying to start a locations across the United States. family. The firm should give women Booz Allen has allowed officers to work partmore options. The lack time and offers parental leave to both male and of female partners is female employees. In a few instances, women very discouraging. have been elected to the partnership level while
working part-time. The firm sponsors a number of networking lunches and forums for female employees and a new Womens Professional Development Course. Every year the firm also recognizes six of its female colleagues with the Women of Distinction Award. This is a colleaguenominated award that honors women who exemplify strong character and spirit, selflessness, sensitivity, and balance. Some insiders think the firm could do a better job when it comes to promoting women. One female insider says, Theyve got the diversity thing down, but it happens to be a lot of diverse men. There are very few women partners, and consulting is hard if youre trying to start a family. The firm should maybe give women more options. The lack of female partners to me is very discouraging. A ton more could be done on that point. However, another female insider says, At my level [associate] and lower, I dont think its bad at all for women. Once you get to principal and partner, there

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arent that many role models, and the women who are at the higher levels got to where they are without maintaining lifestyle balancebut you could say that about the men as well. This is really getting down to societys expectations for women vs. men. Its not just Booz Allen. Indeed one senior associate says, Women have a hard time staying around long enough to make it. Its a long slog of travel in the future of anyone aspiring to be a partner, and it crosses right though the primary child-bearing years for professional women. Some part-time programs have been tried, but they dont seem to fare particularly well. This is harsh to say, but I think having a trailing spouse may be necessary to make it and have kids in this kind of environment. . . . That kind of arrangement is still rare for women. For those that dont elect to have children, I think they do fine. In summary: There are probably never enough women represented in the firm, says one insider. Minorities are also never represented well enough, but from what I have seen, we do a much better job in this area than our competitors.

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Compensation
Consulting firms are in direct competition for top talent, so starting salaries dont vary a great deal from one firm to the next. There are differences, however, between salaries on Booz Allens government and commercial business sides. Those on the government side reportedly earn less because of differences in fee structure and the partner-to-staff team ratios. WTB is a more classic corporate structure with long careerspeople stay for 20 to 25 years, says an insider. Theres a lot of stability because theres no forced up-or-out model. The price we pay for stability is lower salaries and not as boutique-y a kind of image, though in our market in the federal sector, we are very much a top-drawer firm. Although the firm says its salary structures are based on market rates rather than on less quantifiable elements such as lifestyle, insiders report that the lifestyle differences are the very reason they find the salary gap acceptable. Its a trade-off, says one. If you want a job where youre not working until midnight and traveling all the time, youre going to be paid less. If you want a fast pace, youre compensated accordingly. WTB insiders, however, insist that their light travel schedules and regular work hours are dictated by the nature of their work: I think one reason that the [WTB side could be] perceived as being laidback is because our clients are government and they work a very prescribed schedule during the week. On holidays, weekends, etc., they dont work. If I am sent to, say, the FBI on a national holiday and theyre closed, I cannot go in and work. In some cases I cannot even work [off premises] and charge it to the project. Sometimes we cant access the clients after 5:00. We expect salaries to rise across the industry for 200405. Booz Allen does not release specific salary information, but as an insider tells us, With the war for

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talent heating up, we expect salaries to rise more quickly than they have since the dotcom bust. The government-sector positions pay less, compared to private-sector positions, which pay on the high side. In addition to base pay, many employees are eligible for a year-end bonus based on the employees performance as well as the firms. Summer associates who return to the commercial sector after graduation from business school may be reimbursed for their second year of tuition. Summer internships at the MBA level pay a prorated amount based on the MBA starting salary. Compensation packages for undergrads start at around $60,000, and signing bonuses vary widely if offered at all. Relocation bonuses are based on need. Commercial consultants are also eligible for year-end bonuses, and Booz Allen frequently offers tuition support to those who choose to get an MBA if they return to the firm after graduation. In addition, youll get to choose from a selection of health plans, and youll be eligible for paid parental leave, paid personal leave to meet specified personal commitments, and several other resources to help you achieve work/life

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balance. In the United States, Booz Allen has a profit-sharing and savings plan called the employee capital accumulation plan (ECAP). ECAP has two parts: a 401(k) plan, in which staff can put up to 10 percent of salary, and profit sharing, in which each year the firm can contribute up to 10 percent of an employees eligible compensation (and its often the full 10 percent) and 5.7 percent of eligible compensation over the Social Security wage base (if applicable).

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Civic Involvement
Booz Allens Community Relations program helps employees participate in a variety of activities and organizations. Staff members volunteer their time by working in various community service projects at schools, shelters, and nonprofit arts organizations; doing pro bono work; and participating in charity races. Booz Allen will back up an employees civic commitment with dollars or equipment and time allowances. We get a lot of support from the partnership, says an insider. If you see a cause you want to get involved in, more likely than not, the firm is going to support it. Insiders also tell us that Booz Allen has a weekly e-mail bulletin that, along with announcing contract awards and job openings, encourages participation in various community events. Booz Allens intranet site includes an area called Community Relations Online, which helps staff find volunteer opportunities and guides them through the process of securing the firms support for charities and organizations in which they are already involved.

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There are constant opportunities to get involved, and there is recognition for it, says one insider. Its one of the things I like best about Booz Allen. Booz Allens approach to pro bono and community work reflects the company culture. According to one insider who has helped renovate homes in Chicago, There are people who are smart and motivated but who dont care about the folks around themand this is not caring in the touchy-feely sense. This is saying, Look I see an opportunity for you be successful, and I dont want you to waste that. I can help you be successful but Im not going got get involved unless you ask me. If you ask me to help, Ill bend over backward for you. Some of the companys pro bono and charitable activities include work with the Special Olympics, The Neediest Kids, Amigos de las Americas, Toys for Tots,

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Americas Charities, Christmas in April, Northern Virginia Family Services, and the Smithsonian Institution, to name just a few. Each year, hundreds of Booz Allen volunteers help renovate houses for those in need. The firm also raises more than $50,000 annually for the Childrens National Medical Center. In November 2001, CEO Ralph Shrader spoke out on the importance of civic involvement in a speech at Yale, titled Finding a New Balance in a New World: Combining Ambition and Altruism. Booz Allens charitable efforts run the gamut from the type of strategizing the firm does for Fortune 500 companies to hands-on work such as rebuilding homes and clearing park trails. The firm sponsors its own Involvement and Impact Awards to honor Booz Allen individuals, employee groups, and teams whose volunteer service, leadership, or corporate citizenship demonstrate the firms core values, incorporate professional expertise, produce clear and measurable results, and generate substantial impact. This years awards came in six categories: Individual volunteer service

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Individual leadership Office or business unit volunteer service Group collaboration volunteer service Pro bono initiatives Forum or affinity group volunteer service

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Vacation
Booz Allen employees are encouraged to use vacation time. That means that once your vacation request is set up, it isnt moved. In fact, the concept of a cancelled vacation is so foreign to Booz Allen insiders that when asked whether theyd ever been asked to change their vacation plans, it often stunned them into silence. The thought never occurred to me, says an insider. I usually try to plan my vacation for a time when my project workload is light, but once Ive made plans, no one has ever said that I couldnt go. Another insider says, In the 9 years Ive been here, Ive never had to cancel a vacation, not even a 1-day delay. Thats also because I communicate my plans far in advance. New employees receive 2 to 5 weeks of vacation plus holidays (depending on the country), 3 paid personal days, and 2 floating holidays that can be used at their discretion. Employees in European offices can expect more vacation time than those joining in the United States.

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Training
Training magazine ranked Booz Allen fourth in its Training Top 100 List for 2004, also giving it the Best in Class honor in the Professional Services Company category. While many companies cut their training budgets last year, Booz Allen increased its investment in learning and development by nearly 12 percent. Not only does the firm offer tuition assistance and pay for self-led, individualized training in specialized areas, it puts all new hires through 7- to 10-day orientationstaking place in training centers around the worldwhere they learn about Booz Allens heritage, culture, and approach to consulting. Those from nontraditional backgrounds who join Booz Allen on the commercial side also go through a mini-MBA program. Summer associates attend a 5-day orientation. And with each promotion, employees go through a cohort class thats designed

The Workplace

to help them develop their craft and analytical skills, fine-tune their leadership abilities, and enhance interpersonal communication. Many insiders agree, however, that most of the training comes from just being on the project and working with the other team members. Youre expected to carry your own weight, so a lot of the learning comes from your day-to-day work.

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Career Path
Booz Allen seeks to develop professionals who have knowledge and expertise that is broad as well as deep. Commercial associates are hired into home offices and work on a series of engagements across industries and functions so they can develop broad skill sets. Senior associates select a market-facing team and build professional depth through specialization in an industry or function. Staffing opportunities are posted on an intranet site, and employees are able to nominate themselves for upcoming projects. Booz Allen helps employees find challenging assignments and avenues to develop their careers. One way is through its mentorship program. Most consulting firms have some sort of mentoring program, but several insiders at Booz Allen spoke unusually highly of theirs. Consultants, associates, and senior associates each have a junior and a senior mentor who let them know what jobs are coming up and help guide their choices. Booz Allen employeesfrom consultant through senior vice presidenttend to be on a first-name basis, and doors to offices are generally open. I personally have about ten people who come into my office and ask, Can I talk to you? says a senior associate. However, a WTB insider says that a formal mentoring program instituted in her office several years ago fizzled out, though she also says that good guidance abounds: We do it informallythrough our assessments and through personal recommendations. One way or another, all WTB insiders sing praise for the support they receive. Promotions at Booz Allen are based on merit and, insiders say, are occurring more quickly than in the past. A recruiter confirms that the firm is interested in moving people up faster and points out that every path to partner is custom-

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crafted. Now you can drive as hard and as fast as you want, says a recruiter. How quickly you progress is up to you. The typical path to partnership takes 6 to 8 years. As for what gets you promoted, an insider says, Its different things at different levels. At early stages, its about delivering the work. As you get more senior, its about managing the team, then about managing the client and delivering the business. Theres a minimum hurdle you have to surpass. You cant be a super communicator and a poor deliverer, but people who play to one area or another are recognized. As you rise through the Booz Allen ranks, youll have the opportunity to play a role either in content leadership (which means youll sell projects and work closely with clients, managing relationships with them) or in thought leadership (which means youll become an expert in an industry and share your knowledge with others in the firm). This flexibility allows people with different skill sets to find a place within the firm. Booz Allens commercial side has an up-or-out policy, which means that at certain points in your career, you must be promoted or asked to leave the

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company. An insider says, I think theres always going to be pressure around that. But I dont think its anything that I cant get around. Theres a sense of reality that at a certain time you either get promoted or move on, but everyone on your projectyour mentors and your job managerswant you to succeed, and that takes some of the uneasiness out of it. This kind of support underscores the firms culture in general. According to a senior associate, This goes back to this whole idea of helping other people succeed. I can only do that because I take enjoyment in seeing someone else be successful. That also means that you have the same high-caliber people internally who want to help you be successful. So when you finally break down and ask for help, you get help from all over the place: from partners down to the most junior people.

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On the government side, there is no up-or-out policy, and people can either move up or stay at the same level for years without any pressure to leave.

Opportunities for Undergraduates

Although most of Booz Allens hires on the commercial side are MBAs, the firm does hire from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds, including engineering, economics, business, science, math, humanities, and computer science. Most undergraduates join the firm in the government sector. A good way to get a foot in the door before you graduate is via a Booz Allen internship. Booz Allens government side has a technology and public management internship program with positions located throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. This program seeks students with backgrounds in computer science, engineering, information systems, and business administration, but it also has opportunities for students pursuing degrees in the liberal arts and the hard sciences. Resumes for internship opportunities are accepted throughout the year and can be submitted online at www.boozallen.com.

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If you like consulting, but want the experience of working on the client side without leaving Booz Allen, the firm offers the Third Year in Industry program. In this program, Booz Allen helps a consultant find a position in a client company, where the consultant spends a year broadening his or her exposure to the clients industry before business school. When the year is over, Booz Allen sponsors the consultant in business school (provided that he or she agrees to come back to work at Booz Allen). The year in industry gives consultants relevant industry experience that can help them both in business school and later on if they decide to return to consulting or industry.

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Opportunities for MBAs

New MBA hires start as associates on the commercial side of the firm. After 2 to 3 years, they move up the ranks to senior associate, where they manage projects. At the top of the pyramid lie the lofty positions of principal, vice president, and senior vice president. Insiders report that theres a real upward pull for people who are ready and able to take on more responsibility. Typically, first-year MBA candidates are recruited on campus beginning in January for the Booz Allen summer program. Many of those who participate in the summer program receive offers of full-time employment that they have 6 to 9 months to accept. To fill out the balance of its full-time MBA class, Booz Allen recruiters return to campus in the fall to court second-year students.

Opportunities for Midcareer Candidates

Booz Allen actively recruits PhDs and other non-MBA advanced-degree candidates as well as experienced professionals from other consulting firms and

The Workplace

related industries. Experienced industry professionals enter at different levels depending on their qualifications. Once on board, theyre eligible for the same promotions and other opportunities as Booz Allen staff hired directly out of school.

International Opportunities
Booz Allen has an impressive worldwide footprint, with representatives in more than 60 countries and offices on every continent except Antarctica. New hires are typically staffed into offices within their home countries, but employees who want one have a good chance of landing an international assignment. Of course, this depends on your language skills and the market.

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One insider says, The Japanese market is totally different from Singapore, where everythings pretty much done in English. In Europe, youve pretty much got to be multilingual to build yourself a career. The firms European hiring trends are shifting. According to one European recruiter, We intend to look for Europeans studying at American business schools who would like to return to Europe. We used to do this opportunistically but its becoming more systematic now.

Insider Scoop
What Employees Really Like
The Workplace
Show Your Stuff
Meritocracy seems to be a favorite word among insiders describing Booz Allen. Says one insider, Youre expected to put your ideas and perspectives in there, and we want to hear from new associates as much as from the partner. You have a lot of self-determination and a lot of responsibility. The companys 360-degree appraisal process is designed to reward excellence, and employees are impressed by its thoroughness. Everybody is very bright and the environment really pushes you, reports another insider. Theres a lot of autonomy and responsibility on projects. If you can do it, youll have a chance to lead the thinking. Says yet another, I like to describe it as a flat hierarchical organization where you are free to work your own schedule and to set your own deadlines

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at any levelyou get empowered very early in the process. You need to take responsibility for what you are doing. You need to be on top of things. Once you demonstrate that you are on top of things, after the first 6 months, you can design your own career.

Its All About the People

All of our insiders say that the people at Booz Allen are a major draw. The people are talented and work well together. Its fun, says one. The people are really what keep me here. Another insider says, The people are down-toearth, team-oriented, pragmatic, and smartbut no brains on sticks. A European insider says, The camaraderie is great. This is my fourth consulting firm and its the best place Ive been.

Not Just Ivy Leaguers

Insiders at Booz Allen tell us that the companys recruiting efforts have a much wider reach in comparison to some of its competitors. Many employees see this as a real plus. One insider says, The people are a lot more diverse than I thought they would be. My concern was that everybody would have the standard engineering degree and then an MBA. People do have MBAs, but they have different life experiences before that. Insiders say this approach strengthens Booz Allens staff and helps the firm avoid the snobbery that characterizes other firms in the industry and that can make building a rapport with a clients staff difficult. A principal says, Ive had clients pull me aside and tell me they appreciate how diverse we are, that it relates more to their organization.

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Square Foundation
Booz Allen employees point to the companys broad consulting base as another big positive. Unlike firms that offer only strategy consulting or others that specialize in operations or information technology, Booz Allen offers a full range of consulting services in six main areas: strategy, organization and change

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leadership, operations, information technology, technology management, and global assurance. In the areas where were strong, we build strong relationships with clients, says one insider. We really kick the tires on any strategy we propose.

Watch Out!
On the Road Again
If you join the commercial side of Booz Allen, you can expect to spend a lot of time on the road. Although the work and travel schedule

I think that some people come into consulting and really arent ready for the commitment that it takes. Thats something people need to be honest about: Do you want to be traveling? Do you want to be working long hours?

may be predictable over the course of a long project, many Booz Allen consultants spend lots of time away from home. According to one insider, I think that some people come into consulting and really arent ready for the commitment that it takes. Thats something people need to be honest about: Do you want to be traveling? Do you want to be working the long hours? In the words of another insider: Travel is always a drag, especially if you have kids or someday want to! On the government side of the business, the travel demands are much less onerous.

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Relations
While most Booz Allen insiders celebrate the support and mentoring they receive, Booz Allen, like any firm, is subject to personalities. According to one insider, Some partners bring a style that can be tiresome: micromanage, pushpush-push, or arrogance. Not a lot, maybe 20 percent, but youll remember that 20 percent well.

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Looking Out for Number 1

Insiders say that once you finish your training (which one describes as really quick), youre pretty much on your own. If youre not comfortable being selfmotivated and assertive about getting ahead, Booz Allen may not be the place for you. According to one insider, People have to be aggressive in managing their own careers. There is a whole mentoring program and a staffing group that take people in and ramp them up, but theres also a lot of self-direction. You cant be a passive player and walk in the door and expect everything to work out perfectly for you. Another insider tells us, A lot of ones success at Booz Allen depends on the network and alliance that you can build for yourself, especially among partners. If you think youre getting into consulting to get away from networking, well, thats definitely not the case. Not to worry, adds this insider: It doesnt feel as yucky as it sounds.

Data-Heavy
Though Booz Allen does its share of work on organizational and people issues, insiders acknowledge that the firm places a relatively heavy emphasis on

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quantitative analysis. Playing on stereotypes, one insider notes that the firm might be a better fit for those coming out of MITs business school than Harvards. Another insider says, You should become really proficient with financial analysis and doing spreadsheets and modeling in order to get respect at this firm. This is coming from someone whose personal weakness is quantitative analysis, and Ive done just fine, but it is something Id tell people to be aware of. If youd rather spend your time dealing primarily with people issues, you might be happier somewhere else. But keep in mind that Booz Allen isnt looking for employees who are brilliant with data but bad with people. If you have all the answers, but you cant relay that message in a convincing manner, its useless to us and to the client, says an insider.

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Getting Hired
The Recruiting Process The Interviewers Checklist Interviewing Tips Grilling Your Interviewer

Getting Hired
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The Recruiting Process

After a few very bad years for MBAs and undergraduates hoping to work in consulting, things are looking up. Booz Allen has been on campus recruiting every year since 2001, and according to several insiders on both sides of the firm, hiring is now up all around. Were increasing our MBA recruiting over last year, says one commercial-side insider. The firm has lately been quoted in various media as saying that its hiring projections are way up. Booz Allen likes students to have as much contact as possible with the firm before the interview. In some cases, associates will even call students and then meet with them to discuss their goals for the future. This helps determine whether the student will fit in well at Booz Allen. Insiders we spoke to think this is an important opportunity to likewise help candidates decide whether Booz Allen is a good match for them. The Careers section of Booz Allens website includes a document entitled Interviewing Tips and Case Primer for Commercial Consulting Candidates, which offers useful analytical frameworks, case examples, and recommendations for prospective hires. As in most companies, it helps to know someone. An insider from global operations says, The best way to get a job is to know someone who already

Getting Hired

works at Booz Allen because more than 50 percent of all new hires come from employee referrals. Secondary to that is responding to the posting in the website. Booz Allen puts candidates for its commercial business through a standard hiring process that begins with first-round interviews on campus and continues with second and (sometimes) third rounds at the office for which the candidate

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is being considered. Second and third rounds usually involve multiple, back-to-back interviews. Booz Allen relies on case interviews to test a candidates analytical abilities, but is now emphasizing the general resume review as well as conversation to determine how the candidate manages his or her work, deals with conflict, accepts responsibility, and so on. The company seeks people with a demonstrated record of

We are looking for more than brains on a stick. We are looking for more than a good analyst or a good writer. We are also looking for leadership skills.

achievement in a career before attending business school and an intellectual track record in school. Cultural fit also weighs heavily in candidate assessment. According to one recruiter, Where most people fail is that they do not prepare for the fit part of the interview. You think that it should be easy to answer questions about yourself, but youre not likely to have done that in as stressful an environment as a case interview. And if you dont think ahead of time about the key things in your life that have helped make you successful, and then be able to talk about those in an interview and relate them to your resume, youre not going to be able to answer the fit questions very well. Remember, everyone Booz Allen is likely to interview is going to be smart and accomplished. One insider says, We are looking for more than brains on a stick. We are looking for more than a good analyst or a good writer. We are also looking for leadership skills. More than one recent hire we spoke to emphasized that the case interview is the best opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Practice the case interview, says one recent hire. Its a critical part of the evaluation process. Our cases are based on prior client work of the people doing the interview. During my case interview, I didnt feel like they were trying to trick me. There was a logical flow. (For a rigorous review of case questions, check out WetFeets Ace Your Case series at www.WetFeet.com.)

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Undergraduates
Currently, Booz Allen is not actively recruiting undergraduates into its commercial-sector unit. But according to one recruiting insider, University recruiting is not a large percentage of the recruiting we do for the government business, but we still hire a large number of undergraduates. Expect several rounds of interviews. Undergraduates with engineering, computer science, business, and public policy degrees are likely to attract the most interest. Be sure to highlight any government, national security, or defense industry internships on your resume as well. We look for a candidate, says one WTB recruiter. We dont look for a position per se, but we look for the best talent. In an interview I try to probe their analytical thinking process. A typical interview question Id ask of a college hire: Give me an example of a project you had, the problems you encountered, and how you solved them. Insiders also emphasize that communication and writing skills are important. Says one recruiter, Were looking for someone who can communicate their thought processes. Interpersonal skills and analytical thinking are probably the top two criteria, then obviously relevant experience. I like to tell people to come prepared with three things that theyve built and white papers. We like to have writing samples. I want to make sure these people can write. Were doing analytical work, but we have to communicate that to our client. Once youre in, Booz Allen will help you move ahead. We do hire a lot of

Getting Hired

junior staff coming right out of school. A lot of them go back to school as part of their work with us, and we support that. says a recruiter. Where the WTB side used to encourage only technical degrees, it now promotes the pursuit of MBAs for some of its employees. The firm gives $5,000 per year toward tuition, an insider reports. We try to encourage folks to go to more of a state school, where they can take more classes [for that money].

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MBAs
The best way to get your foot in the door is to sign up for the on-campus interviewing program at your school. I was asked many case questions in my interviews, says one insider hired out of B-school. I know that interviewers derive many questions from cases theyve been staffed on. They want to see how you can establish a framework, step by step, to arrive at a logical solution.

Midcareer Candidates
Booz Allen hires midcareer people from other consulting firms and from industry. Contact the Booz Allen location of your choice. The governmentsector side of the firm in particular brings in large numbers of experienced hires. Like college hires, midcareer candidates must survive several rounds of interviews that include case questions. WTB seeks candidates with government experience; candidates with security clearances are especially attractive to the firm right now. One WTB insider says it looks for individuals leaving government or military service with consulting experience and especially those with security clearances. Says another, People with high-level security clearances are extremely precious and few and far between. It can take up to 18 months to get a security clearance.

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The Interviewers Checklist

To give candidates a more consistent interviewing experience, Booz Allen designates a specific person to coordinate each campus recruiting effort. His or her checklist will contain most of the following: Drive (people who arent passionate about consulting usually fail) Analytical skills (ability to analyze and assess data) Teamwork (everything is done in teams) Intellectual curiosity (Does this person get excited about solving problems?) Communication skills (Can this person convey his or her ideas?) Leadership (ability to get the most out of others) Client skills (Can this person build effective client relationships?) Poise (ability to remain cool under pressure) Credibility (Does this person seem full of hot air?) Interpersonal skills (see the The Airport Test below)

The Airport Test

Whats the airport test? The interviewer wonders, If I were stuck at an airport with this candidate, would I go crazy? An insider elaborates: You hear about that airport test; Ive done it. Aside from it taking 12 hours to get from Detroit

Getting Hired

to New York, it wasnt bad at all. This is to say that whoever hired this insiders traveling companion found somebody who was enjoyable company for those 12 hours.

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Interviewing Tips
1. Booz Allen recruiters tell us that candidates often earn dings long before the case arrives. Many dont know whats on their resumes, cant explain why they want to work for Booz Allen, slouch in their chairs, and otherwise project a low-energy demeanor. 2. Practice case questions if youre applying to Booz Allens commercial business. Booz Allen wont necessarily be looking for the right answer as much as for evidence of how you think. Your interviewer will also want to see that youre comfortable with numbers. One tip from our experts: If you get a question that requires discussing numbers, be sure to pick those that are easy to handle (e.g., 1, 10, 100,000, 250 million). 3. Demonstrate your enthusiasm for the intellectual side of consulting. Consultants really get turned on by coming up with excellent solutions to difficult business problems. If you can talk convincingly about how that will turn you on, you may convince your interviewers that youre Booz Allen material. (Then again, you may just convince them that youre nuts!) 4. Take the time to structure your response. A lot of the time, I see people giving their gut answers right away. You should take a problem, break it apart, and analyze, says one insider. If you can quantify things, thats great. 5. Know your resume. Your resume is supposed to be a list of the most important things youve done on one page, a commercial-side recruiter tells us. But its all a list of actions and results. Its not a list of how you actually did those things. So if you sit down for an hour with your resume

Getting Hired
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and think, How did I actually get this stuff done? How did I handle people and pitfalls that came along the way, etc., youll be much better prepared to answer any question that anyone asks you about yourself. 6. Thats Booz Allen to you, cowboy. Insiders tell us that the firms name is often shortened to omit Hamilton but that Booz by itself is too informal and should be avoided in an interview. Its also a bad idea to refer to the firm as BAH. 7. Know the difference between WCB and WTB. Basically, the Worldwide Commercial Business serves commercial clients, whereas the Worldwide Technology Business serves government and institutional clients.

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Grilling Your Interviewer

This is your chance to turn the tables and find out what you want to know about Booz Allen. We strongly encourage you to spend time preparing questions of your own. In the meantime, the samples below should get you started. The Rare questions are meant to be boring and innocuous, while the Well Done ones will help you put the fire to your interviewers feet.

Rare
Give me examples of recent projects undertaken by the firm. Why did your last client hire Booz Allen instead of one of your competitors? What are the business benefits and disadvantages of Booz Allens long-termrelationship approach with clients? How do the commercial and government sides of the business work together? Where do you see Booz Allens growth opportunities coming from in the near future?

Medium
Describe your efforts to diversify your staff. Whats the turnover rate at Booz Allen? How easy or difficult is it to transfer between offices?

Getting Hired

If assigned to the government sector, what opportunities exist to work with clients in the commercial sector? And vice versa? What mechanisms does Booz Allen have in place to support personal and professional development?

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 Has the lack of undergraduate hires into WCB led to a heavier workload for associates? How is Booz Allen addressing changes in the consulting industry?

Well Done
Given its large organization and distinct industry groups, how does Booz Allen maintain a consistent culture and sense of community? As a collection of individuals, how well do Booz Allen professionals function on teams? How many female and minority VPs does Booz Allen have? What is Booz Allen doing to move ahead of its top-tier consulting competitors, and how effective do you think it will be? How well have the changes youve made in your career development and in the organization been received by people in the organization, and what wrinkles remain to be ironed out? Booz Allen has a reputation for developing numbers-driven solutions. Do you find that to be true? If so, do you think there is any downside to that approach?

Getting Hired
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For Your Reference

For Your Reference

Consulting-Speak Recommended Reading For Further Study Other Sources of Information Key People and Places

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For Your Reference

Consulting-Speak
To help prepare you for both your interviews and a possible career in the field, weve asked our insiders to give us the most up-to-date consulting jargon. Beware: Unauthorized use of these terms has been known to seriously offend every known species of consultant.
2x2. Pronounced two by two, this is a favorite consulting tool used to analyze

a number of items along two dimensions. Its basically a graph with X and Y axes that cross in the middle, creating four different sectors. Dont be surprised if youre asked to produce one of these during your interview.
Benchmark. Heres another standard-issue item from the consulting toolbox.

Benchmarks are levels of performance or output against which you can evaluate the performance of something else. A benchmark study is an analysis of the performance of a number of companies along specified dimensions. For example, a software firm might hire a consulting firm to do a benchmark study on how much other firms are spending on customer service.
BHAG. Big Hairy Audacious Goal. This buzzword comes from the book Built to

Last (see next entry).

Built to Last. A book written by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, in which

they destroy the myth that the core product is more important than the vision the company espouses. The term now enjoys widespread usage as describing a company with a strong culture based on a core ideology or identity. More loosely, it refers to those firms that want to be around for many decades or centuries, not just a few years.

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For Your Reference

Business design. Heres a consultants definition: For a company, its not about

growing your top line, its about growing your bottom line. (The bottom line is profit. The top line is sales.) Business design is about what you do, how you gear up the troops. It has everything to do with whom you hire and what they do. Its your channel, your product, how you execute your offering.
Case interview. In a case interview, your interviewer will give you a set of facts

and ask you a question to analyze how you structure a problem, think it through, and ultimately come up with a solution. Case questions can be numerical, as in, How many dimes are currently in circulation?, or business-related, as in, Suppose a client asked you to figure out why his business is experiencing an unusual decline in sales and a severe cash flow problem. They could also just be wacky, such as, If Dannon, Yoplait, and Colombo yogurts came to life, what kind of people would they be?
Change management. Heres a $5 buzzword that sounds like its making things

clear, when really its just muddying up an already fuzzy concept. Most firms use this term to refer to a specific type of consulting work dedicated to such things as helping a company restructure its organization and cope with the human problems that accompany such an effort.
Convergence. Consulting services in telecommunications (cable, wireless, wireline,

and Internet), computers, and mediaor converging industries. The thinking is that the Internet, the telephone, the TV, the PDA, and the PC will someday all become one.
Core competencies. Things a company does best. Customer relationship management (CRM). Communication technology that

helps companies manage customer information.

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For Your Reference

Deliverable. The product or solution you give (deliver) to the client. If you

promise an analysis of shipping costs, for instance, thats your deliverable. Deliverables typically come with dates (when you will deliver).
Engagement/project/study/case/job. These are all different ways in which the

firms refer to a specific project. Interviewers often note which term you use just to see whether youve read the company literature. Using the wrong word is not an automatic ding, but youll impress your interviewer if you get it right.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP). An IT solution to streamline operations by

connecting all parts of a business electronicallyincluding HR, billing, and inventory. A popular consulting project during the 90s, ERP spurred doubledigit annual growth for firms.
Framework. Basically, a framework is any kind of structure you can use to look

at a problem. It can be as simple as, The companys problems stem from both internal and external factors. Or it can be something more MBA-ish, like Porters Five Forces. Consultants love frameworks, and the more you use them (up to a point), the more analytical youll sound.
Growth. From 199798 to around 2000, most firms shifted their focus from

reengineeringwhich often meant downsizingto growth. Growth involved taking a small private start-up from, say, 25 or 30 employees to more than 500 and going public.
Implementation. These days, nobody admits to doing just pure strategy work.

The reason? Too many consulting firms were criticized for leaving behind a big stack of slides that never resulted in any action by the client. As a result, all of the firms talk about how they work with clients to make sure that their expensive analyses and recommendations are actually implemented.

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For Your Reference

On the beach. In consulting, this refers to any period of time during which you

arent staffed to a project. Although you wont necessarily see any sunshine here, you also wont have to be any place in particular, so theres a chance youll be able to leave the office early, do your laundry, pay your bills, and maybe even see your honey.
Operations. Operations refers to all of the day-to-day tasks associated with the

running of a company. In a manufacturing company, this includes the buying and processing of raw materials as well as the sale and distribution of the final products. Many consulting firms do a big business providing operations advice. At the simplest level, this just means that they help clients run their businesses better.
Outsourcing. To reduce overhead expenses, lots of companies are turning to

outsiders to provide many of the functions and services traditionally done inhouse. Popular candidates for outsourcing include accounting services, marketing communications, payroll management, and data processing. Increasingly, public firms are turning to these services because they create stable revenue flows, which their investors like.
Pay-for-performance. Billing based on performance, rather than strictly on hours. Presentation. In the traditional consulting project, the presentation was the

means by which a consulting firm shared all of its insights and recommendations with a client company. The clients top management team would assemble in a boardroom, and a partner or case team manager would spin through dozens of overhead slides displaying all of the analysis his or her firm had completed. Although the standard overhead slideshow is now considered a bit sterile, its still a popular drill at most firms.

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For Your Reference

Reengineering. Reengineering lost its cachet in the mid-90s. In its purest sense,

a reengineering project was supposed to involve a complete rethinking of a companys operations from ground zero.
Shareholder value analysis. The goal of many companies is to enhance their

value to shareholders, and they engage lots of consulting firms to help them do it. There are all manner of ways, proprietary and not, to analyze shareholder value.
True north. The place you want to get to. If youre heading true north, youre

moving in the right direction.

Value chain analysis. An analysis of all of the processes that go into a product,

from the gathering of raw materials needed to make the product to the delivery of the final product to the customer. At best, each stage adds value to the product.
Virtual office/hoteling. Sexy terms for an office setup in which nobody has a

personal desk or office. Means you could be hanging out with the clerks at Kinkos.
White-space opportunity. A money-making opportunity in an area you arent set

up to make money in. Think of it as an unbridged gap between what you do and what others do, or an untapped source of growth.

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For Your Reference

Recommended Reading
D.C. Region Job Market Has Look of a Boom
Last year, 60,600 jobs were added to the D.C.-area job market, according to this article, which credits that boom in part to government spending. It focuses on Booz Allen, identifying the firm as a mainstay of Washingtons professional and business services industry and the number two source of local employment behind the government itself. It cautions that over-reliance on government tax and spending policies to boost an economy can be risky, but the short-term prognosis is generally upbeat. Part of the summary includes the news that Booz Allen hired 1,350 more people than it had originally planned last year, in support of the firms effort to apply private-sector technological solutions to government issues. It also describes Booz Allen as being on a hiring binge, and quotes CEO Ralph W. Shrader as saying, This year everyone is starting to feel good again.
Source: Neil Irwin, Washington Post, 5/16/04.

Interview with Ralph Shrader

In this interview, Booz Allen CEO Ralph Shrader discusses the recent upswing in hiring on both the government and commercial sides of the firm, saying, This year, were back in the hiring business big time, and We hired close to 3,600 people last year in the public-sector spacethere arent enough MBA students in the major schools to fill all those spots. He also describes how the firm is able to cross-pollinate its private- and public-sector business capabilities thereby making it stronger and more successful overall. He uses the health-care industry, which he calls a major player for Booz Allen today, as an example, illustrating how Booz Allens work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

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For Your Reference

makes it better able to assist pharmaceutical companies seeking to bring new products to market.
Source: Consulting Magazine, July/August 2004.

Why an MBA May Not Be Worth It

The article subhead reads One reader says he used his MBA to line his African gray parrots birdcage. The implication follows from there. As an advice columnist for Fortune, Anne Fisher says shes been hearing a lot lately from disgruntled MBA-holders who cant get work. She goes on to outline a scholarly paper, recently written by two business school professors, that highlights the inefficacy of the modern MBA. The paper says, There is little evidence that mastery of the knowledge acquired in business schools enhances peoples careers, and includes the current glut of MBA degrees in a stagnant market as one of the reasons MBAs arent getting jobs. Fisher mentions that the supercompetitive job market of the late 90s led top consulting firms like McKinsey and Booz Allen to hire people who lacked MBAs. Those folks (most of whom had only undergraduate liberal arts degrees) got, on average, 3 weeks of on-thejob trainingafter which, according to extensive research by the firms themselves, they did their jobs just as well as or even better than their MBA peers. All of which provides a noteworthy contrast to the article above in which Ralph Shrader suggests that Booz Allens current growth could consume all the MBAs graduating from the major schools this year.
Source: Anne Fisher, Fortune, 6/14/04.

Half of Consultants Arent Happy With Their Jobs

This article discusses the results of a 2003 Consulting Magazine poll, which found that of 5,457 consultants from 50 of the professions 75 largest firms, 47% consider their firms morale to be no better than neutral. The difference, the article contends, between this and last years similar findings, is that as the

80

For Your Reference

economy recovers and industry begins hiring again, many consultants who are dissatsified with long hours and diminishing returns are now leaving the profession. The accompanying Consulting Magazine survey ranks Booz Allen at number six (down from the previous years number three but still firmly in the top ten) among the Best Consultancies to Work For, underscoring that Booz Allen and its employees fared the tough times relatively well with work/life standards mostly intact.
Source: Consultants News, November 2003.

Culture Club
I got my best information by arriving early and speaking to the receptionist, says one advice-giver in this Wall Street Journal piece about how to get the skinny on a companys office-culture before getting a job there. The article includes tips from a Booz Allen representative, who says, If you have 10 interviews [for the same job] in three months, figure decision making at the company is a tortuous process, and Ask the interviewer or the company representative about her own background, and compare the responses among individuals. Does the company bring in people from eclectic backgrounds? That says a lot about what youre likely to find at the firm. Aside from offering good advice for jobseekers, the Booz Allen source lends insight into what is particularly valued at his firm.
Source: Karen Hube, et al., Wall Street Journal, 3/29/04.

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For Your Reference

For Further Study

Booz Allen employees recommend the following books for prospective hires: 1. The Advice Business, by Charles Fombrun and Mark D. Nevins (Pearson Education, 2003). 2. Marketing and the Bottom Line, by Tim Ambler (Financial Times/Prentice Hall; 2nd edition, 2004). 3. Platform Leadership: How Intel, Microsoft, and Cisco Drive Industry Innovation, by Annabelle Gawer and Michael A. Cusumano (Harvard Business School Press; 1st edition, 2002).

The Human Factor: Leadership in the E-economy

Rolf Habbel (Uberreuter Wirtschaft, 2001). If the companys executives do not manage to convince the employees that the enterprise is going in the right direction, that it will last, that it must be innovative in order to win its future, and that it actually depends on its customers to survive, the company has no chance of being successful in the long term, writes Booz Allen Vice President Rolf Habbel in the preface to his book. Unless you read German, you may not be able to actually read this book, but you might want to be familiar with the message of its author, Habbel, a Munich-based partner at Booz Allen. This book tries to elaborate and demonstrate that manoften overlooked as a small wheel in the greatness of new management methods and conceptsis more and more critical to being successful in this change, Habbel writes. His message is that even though we may be armed with the best ideas and most advanced technology tools, the biggest barrier to the successful implementation of change is that we too often ignore the the human factor. For more, visit www.boozallen.com.

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For Your Reference

The Entertainment Economy: How Mega-Media Forces Are Transforming Our Lives
Michael J. Wolf (Times Books, 1999). Heres a book about how mass media rules our lives that wont tell you to destroy your television set. Instead, itll tell you to turn it on and learn some lessons about what sells and what doesnt in todays economy. Its written by Michael J. Wolf, a former senior partner at Booz Allen who jumped ship for McKinsey in 2001. In a nutshell, Wolf s thesis is that to get ahead in todays media-saturated marketplace, consumer businesses in all industries have to win and retain an audience by feeding it fresh, engrossing content. The influence of entertainment in all aspects of business and society is what he calls the e-factor.

Balanced Sourcing
Timothy M. Laseter (Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998). Written by Booz Allen insider Timothy Laseter, this book explores a fundamental operational issue affecting all kinds of businesses: sourcing. Now that reengineering has gone out of favor, optimizing supplier relationships is one of the hottest cost-cutting strategies in use today. If your interests lie in business processes, read this book for some tips on helping your future clients maximize their bottom line by profitably outsourcing their assembly lines.

Smart Alliances: A Practical Guide to Repeatable Success

John Harbison and Peter Pekar, Jr. (Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998). Written by Booz Allen consultants, Smart Alliances examines the familiar buy or build dilemma that has faced CEOs of all stripes at one time or another. Does it make more sense to acquire an outside business or to create ones own? Harbison and Pekars proposed solution gives some compelling evidence in favor of a third alternative: forging strategic alliances with competing or complementary businesses for mutual benefit.

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For Your Reference

Other Sources of Information

For more information on Booz Allen publications, check out www.boozallen.com. A general resource for information about the consulting industry is Consultants News, which is published by Kennedy Information. For more information about this and other Kennedy publications, visit www.consultingcentral.com or the Kennedy Information website, www.kennedyinfo.com. Visit www.WetFeet.com for more information about a number of consulting firms, their jobs, and recruiting. And for help with your case interviews, check out the WetFeets best-selling Ace Your Case series. Reading Fortune, Forbes, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times is a great way to stay up to date on the latest events and issues that management consultants address, and will arm you with plenty of information for your interviews.

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For Your Reference

Key People and Places

Key People
Ralph Shrader, chairman and CEO Dennis Doughty, president, Worldwide Technology Business Dan Lewis, president, Worldwide Commercial Business Horacio Rozanski, chief human resources officer

Recruiting Contacts
Interested candidates can post their profiles or apply for a specific job through the careers section of the Booz Allen website at www.boozallen.com. The company will not accept e-mail or paper resumes. U.S. Commercial Sector Cynthia Shamin 212-551-6444 Europe Commercial Sector Alison Devey 44-207-393-3212 (London office) Latin America/Asia Pacific/Middle East Commercial Sector Ana Quintella Rodriguez 212-551-6193 Government Sector Judy Merkel 703-902-6900

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For Your Reference

Major Offices
North American Offices (Commercial Sector)
Atlanta Boston Chicago Cleveland Colorado Springs Dallas Houston Los Angeles McLean, Virginia (corporate headquarters) Miami New Orleans New York (commercial headquarters) Philadelphia San Antonio San Diego San Francisco Tampa Washington, D.C.

International Offices
For a complete listing of Booz Allen locations around the world, go to www.boozallen.com.

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WetFeet is the trusted destination for job seekers to research companies and industries, and manage their careers. WetFeet Insider Guides provide you with inside information for a successful job search. At WetFeet, we do the work for you and present our results in an informative, credible, and entertaining way. Think of us as your own private research company whose primary mission is to assist you in making more informed career decisions. WetFeet was founded in 1994 by Stanford MBAs Gary Alpert and Steve Pollock. While exploring our next career moves, we needed products like the WetFeet Insider Guides to help us through the research and interviewing game. But they didnt exist. So we started writing. Today, WetFeet serves more than a million job candidates each month by helping them nail their interviews, avoid illfated career decisions, and add thousands of dollars to their compensation packages. The quality of our work and knowledge of the job-seeking world have also allowed us to develop an extensive corporate and university membership. In addition, WetFeets services include two award-winning websites (WetFeet.com and InternshipPrograms.com), Web-based recruiting technologies, consulting services, and our exclusive research studies, such as the annual WetFeet Student Recruitment Survey. Our team members, who come from diverse backgrounds, share a passion about the job-search process and a commitment to delivering the highest quality products and customer service.

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Prestigious, innovative, and diverse, combining management strategy with technological expertise,

Booz Allen is among the most respected consulting firms in the industry and a top choice for recent graduates and MBAs. Insiders consistently laud the firms open, supportive culture and commitment to employee development, as well as their colleagues distinct backgrounds and personalities. The firms long-term commitment to its clients keeps the work not only interesting, but also fulfilling. If you think youre ready to take on challenging assignments, Booz Allen may be the place to be.

Turn to this WetFeet Insider Guide to learn

How Booz Allen has fared in the challenging economy of recent years. How the firm is organized, from top to bottom. About typical responsibilities and day-to-day life for analysts and consultants. What employees love most and like least about working at Booz Allen. About the workplace at Booz Allen, including the lifestyle, hours, culture, compensation, travel, and training. What the recruiting process entails, what recruiters are looking for, and tips from Booz Allen insiders for acing the interview.

WetFeet has earned a strong reputation among college graduates and career professionals for its series of highly credible, no-holds-barred Insider Guides. WetFeets investigative writers get behind the annual reports and corporate PR to tell the real story of what its like to work at specic companies and in different industries. www.WetFeet.com