Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the “ideal” profile for a BCG consultant?
There isn’t one; there are many. The real world demands more than a single discipline or one point of view. The complexity of the issues treated in management consulting not only accommodates but demands great diversity of experience, perspective, thinking style, and expertise.

What if I have a law degree, an engineering degree or a Ph.D. and I don't have a business degree? Would I be “lost” at BCG? How would I get the basic knowledge I need?
You will receive plenty of help and advice. Learn about the available entry paths to BCG and how non-business degree-holders enter the firm. See Feedback and Apprenticeship to find more information about the training we offer. BCG also makes an effort to share its collective knowledge through the BCG Knowledge Management (KM) system, which provides information about BCG people, topics, experience, know-how, and more. It is available to every consultant in every BCG office, with access rules ensuring that clients' information is never compromised.

What international opportunities are there?
BCG is a global firm with 66 offices in 38 countries. There is wide range of international opportunities within the firm. The Ambassador program is designed to allow top-performing second-year consultants to complete a one-year exchange with another office. There are also numerous opportunities to work on individual projects in other offices around the world.

How much training will I get? What type of training will I get?
Training is available in many forms at BCG. From formal classroom training, to on-the-job skills development, to e-learning, BCGers have access to the training they need for specific projects and to a culture of learning that allows them to progress rapidly in their careers.

When and how will I be evaluated?
Development at BCG is taken very seriously. One key aspect of this is evaluation. One of the most important components of professional development is learning from previous experiences. There is a concerted effort to offer continuous informal feedback as well as more formal feedback at the end of each project. All individuals will be evaluated along a number of dimensions that are important to their development: analytics, presentation style, conceptual ability, interpersonal skills, motivation, initiative, communication skills, team skills, and overall integrity.

What is BCG’s work mix? Do you just concentrate on strategy? How much work is operational?
BCG's heritage, and the core of today's work, lies in setting strategic direction. We help set the CEO's long-term agenda, often implementing our recommendations in collaboration with client teams. As the founders of the discipline and art of corporate strategy, BCG is made up of people who have a deep understanding of what drives competitive advantage. The business issues we deal within all industries are usually fundamental, strategic, and already moving to higher priority on the CEO's agenda. These challenges are fraught with ambiguity and uncertainty; our people relish the opportunity to uncover real insight beyond the obvious answers.

What kind of travel can I expect? 
If you don’t like to travel, you probably should not consider consulting. This is a challenging job, and one of its challenging aspects is the travel.

Nevertheless, BCGers work hard to strike a balance between work/travel and personal life. A balance is critical to being effective over the long run. Two points are worth considering:

• Our work mix is quite varied—strategy, operations, internally focused, externally focused. As a result, the travel will vary as a function of the assignment—some are more travel-oriented, some less.
• We cannot make real change happen with clients if we are not with them, working side by side and developing a firsthand understanding of them and their businesses. However, unlike other firms, we avoid “camping out” at the client site just for the sake of being seen. On days when we can be more effective in our office rather than at the client site, we work in the office.

Does BCG staff consultants on one or two projects at a time?
Our staffing philosophy is to staff in a way that best serves our clients’ needs. Our work mix tends to be one project at a time, or 100 percent staffing.

How much choice is there in assignments?
Individuals are able to steer their assignments in the directions that most interest them. This ability to choose assignments has, and will continue to be, an important part of BCG. This does not mean that everyone always ends up on their first-choice assignment, although we try. Individual assignments depend on when a consultant is available, the specific skills required by the assignment, the relative balance between client demand and consultant “supply”, and the career development needs of the consultant. Over the long term, however, most consultants are able to shape their portfolio of experiences.

How is BCG’s business doing?

Globally, for more than a decade, the firm has grown on average at about 15 to 20 percent per year, with India being one of the highest growth regions. Further, our growth rate has outpaced that of our closest competitors. Our engagement pipeline is strong and focused on our long-term clients, and we are aggressively recruiting to serve this demand.

Should I even consider consulting if I would like to start or run a business some day?
Few people begin consulting knowing they will retire in consulting. In fact, many people come in with a desire to try it, and if it "clicks," they stay on. Fortunately for BCG, it does click for many. Meet Our Alumni to learn where they go, what they do, and what they gained from the BCG experience.

How is BCG different from other consulting firms?
We believe BCG stands apart on a number of dimensions.

BCG has an unparalleled record of innovation (examples of which include portfolio analysis, experience curves, segmentation, time-based competition, and deconstruction).

BCG delivers impact through insight, consistently going beyond the art-of-the-possible to drive deeper change and competitive advantage.

The BCG experience develops intellectual leadership skills, not just people leadership skills (one of the reasons why so many of our alumni are so successful in starting new businesses!).